By Earl Seitz

Dan Kordic arrives, starts job as new AC with the Blazers

Aug 15, 2018 | 3:53 PM

KAMLOOPS — There will be a lot of the same faces under those helmuts on the ice, but a much different look behind the bench when the Blazers begin the new season in just over a month.
Toledo is still there as the athletic trainer —- but after that Serge Lajoie is the new head coach, taking over from Don hay, and Dan Kordic is the new fulltime assistant coach, replacing Mike Needham.

Dan Kordic arrived in Kamloops on Monday, and was at work on Tuesday —- helping out on the ice at the Blazers hockey school.
Kordic was hired by Serge Lajoie on July 9.    The two have a coaching relationship going back several years, the last two at the University of Alberta where Lajoie was the head coach and Kordic his assistant.    It was a team that molded the Golden Bears into 2018 USports champions.

“I was approached by Serge to see if I was interested in taking the responsibility of maybe joining the staff here.” says Kordic.   “Really that familiarity, knowing the Kamloops background and being a part of the Western League back in the 80’s, it was a good challenge for me, and something I’m looking forward to.”

“One of the big reasons and contributing reasons for feeling this was a good fit in Kamloops,” says Serge Lajoie, “was that GM Matt Bardsley was very open to me bringing in somebody  that I was not only comfortable with, but someone who has the same values, believes in the same way of playing the game, and is also someone who is of high character, and is very good at building relationships and developing players.”

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“Our kids are the same age.” says Kordic, “So we’ve always had a relationship as they have grown up.   We’ve been involved on different hockey teams over the years.   My experience with the Golden Bears was quite a good experience, and Serge helped mentor me to be at this point in my hockey as well.”  

Kordic played four seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers.   
In his rookie season in 1988 the Tigers defeated the Kamloops Blazers in the Western League final and went on to win the Memorial Cup.   Current Blazers president and chief operating officer Don Moores was an assistant coach on that Blazers team.

“Well I remember the finals in ’88,” says Kordic, “when we played Hitchock’s team, Ken, and Donnie (Moores) was there at that time.   So I have fond memories of it.    It’s been a long time, but at the same time that one sticks out the most to me coming into Kamloops.”

Kordic and his older brother John both played in the Western League.  Dan with Medicine Hat and John several years earlier with the Portland Winterhawks.
Unfortunately John met a tragic end to his life in 1992 —– which had a profound impact on his brother, who was six years younger.

“As much as it was a tragedy in our family,” says Dan, “I think it is something I have grown with.  I always say that not every experience is a good one, but it’s always a life experience.”

Dan Kordic will now bring his 47 years of life experience, a large part of it in hockey, to the Blazers.

“At this point it’s a new start.” says Kordic.  “The new start is for myself.   I’m not rally super familiar with the guys here, but at the same time I think it is fresh.  And I think that’s a good thing to start with —- and then we build relationships and the culture with that.”