By Jim Coggins

Go Canucks! Seen mid-game are (left to right) Alex Burrows, Ryan Walter and Ryan Kesler.

Walter is in his first year as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks, the only Canadian team to survive the first round of this year's National Hockey League playoffs. He may be a rookie coach, but he has been involved in professional hockey for 30 years, having spent 15 years in the league as a player. After four years in Washington, he made the playoffs for 11 straight years with Montreal and Vancouver, winning the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1986 and losing to Calgary in the finals in 1989.

There is a "new intensity" in the playoffs, says Walter, "and it comes from an interesting place -- a feeling that the end is near." It would probably be very difficult to play at that level of intensity for a full 82-game season, he says. In that sense, hockey playoffs are like the last two minutes of a football game, when points are scored at four times the usual rate.

Walter's main responsibilities with the Canucks are offence, face-offs and the power play. "It's very technical and focused now," he says, noting that the Canucks also have a penalty killing and defensive coach and a goalie coach, in addition to head coach Alain Vigneault.

The coaches and players work with video, and an opposing team "can't hide anything," says Walter, especially in the playoffs when you can focus on playing one opponent for four to seven games. "It's pretty intense, and I really enjoy that."

After 30 years around the NHL, first as a player and then as a broadcaster, Walter says he doesn't feel much pressure. He has coached at a variety of levels, but this is his first NHL coaching stint. He has had opportunities in the past, but didn't find a situation that was "the right fit for the family" until now. His five children now range in age from 14 to 24 and are enjoying having him back in the league. They sometimes hear about it at school when the team is not doing well, but "they grew up with me playing in Montreal and know what to expect."

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In his spare time, Walter teaches leadership seminars. One of the leadership skills he has learned, he says, is that, "as things get more hectic, leaders get more calm." While overtime can be stressful, "there's not a lot of time to be nervous. You're so busy thinking about strategy, looking to create solutions and adjust to the other team. The fans are probably more nervous than anyone on the bench."

Being a Christian in hockey has not been particularly difficult for Walter. He became a Christian in his early 20s and now works with Christian organizations such as Hockey Ministries International. Faith is also not usually an issue between Christian and non-Christian players. "If you bring your best to the job, you are accepted," he says. The more important issue, he adds, is living your faith on the job, "but that is also difficult for doctors and lawyers and people in any other job or profession."

One thing that has helped Walter and his family is his home church, Peace Portal Alliance, in Surrey, BC. The people there are very supportive and passionate about hockey, but also "give us lots of room to enjoy Sunday morning worship." It is the same church BC Lions head coach Wally Buono attends.

One issue Walter had to come to grips with when he first became a Christian was violence in hockey. "You learn to figure it out," he says -- like a Christian going to war. "You try not to justify it." He adds, "The violence was much stronger when I was a player. It's quite well refereed now."

Walter agrees that Christians have not been as visible in hockey as in some other sports. There have been chapels for football, basketball and baseball teams for a long time, largely due to the influence of Christians in the southern US. But Walter says more Christian influence is coming in hockey too. Almost all junior teams now have a chaplain, and a number of professional teams do too.

The very difficult issues are not the pressure to win hockey games, says Walter, but the "life incidents" that everyone has to deal with, "whether you're playing with the Vancouver Canucks or in a corporate boardroom. For instance, in the past year, the Canucks have had to deal with the death of player Luc Bourdon and the recent death of player Taylor Pyatt's fiancee.

Walter and his wife get a chance to pray for people in such situations and to "counsel when we can." As a coach, he has to be careful not to abuse his position to force his faith on others, but he says "management has been very good in leaving it up to me to find the right balance."

It was a number of "life incidents" that happened to Walter and some of his friends that got him "searching for answers about eternity, life and meaning" in his 20s. His life took a "new direction" when fellow player Jean Pronovost challenged him to read the New Testament.

Now that the Canucks have swept the St. Louis Blues and are in the midst of the Chicago series, Walter says he is looking forward to the rest of the playoffs.

He is also looking forward to the Hockey Ministries International hockey camp he and player Darcy Hordichuk are running this summer in Vancouver. This is a first for the city, but not the first time Walter has been involved in such camps. "We will see many young boys and girls come into the kingdom during that week," he says.

May 7/2009