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INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN COLEMAN
Jonathan Coleman is an imposing right footed back who has played around Europe since 2001/2002. Before that he was involved in the Detroit Red Wings organisation after he was drafted in 1993 , 48th in total in the second round of drafts. Despite this he has never played an NHL game. He had some more productive seasons however at Farm League team Adirondack from the AHL.
What were your expectations on coming to Malmö and how true did these expectations turn out to be right?
- I had heard about Malmö that it was nice and that it lay right beside the sea. I feel really great here, it reminds me of my hometown of Boston, which also is beside the sea. Regarding the hockey things are just as I expected. I know that the club are committed to bringing a winning team together, and they have done that. We also have a really good atmosphere in and around the team. No it feels really good.
What kind of qualities do you think the Hockey Allsvenskan has?
- There is a high quality here. Swedish hockey overall is of a really high quality. Swedish players play tough and a into the body and that is a style that suits me. Sure it meant a little adjustment to my playing style , but I adapted pretty quickly.
So far you have been pretty nice on the ice, aside from the match against Björkloven. What I mean is that you didn't deserve a match penalty. Are you going to get a little tougher?
- No, I already play pretty tough. You must in order to get respect. You can't be afraid and back off. You always have to fight for the puck. I don't think I deserved a match penalty against Björkloven, I was only defending myself. A player must show that he will not take everything thrown at him and therefore show respect for himself as a player , otherwise your opponents will make use of that.
You sit around Corey Hirsch and Johan Norgren in the dressing room. Corey is a bit of a clown and talks constantly. Johan likes to take responsibility and is the assistant captain. What do you talk about with your respective bench colleagues who obviously have different qualities as people?
- Yes, they do. We often say that Johan has won the lottery in the changing room. He sits around me, Corey and Andre (Savage). Johan has real leadership qualities and he speaks very well. He even helps us translate what the trainer is saying, that's great. We have a laugh.
You and Andre Savage know each other from earlier?
- We played together in the AHL for the Providence bruins. It felt good that there was someone here that you know when you get here. Later I even played against Corey in the DEL last season.
Who are the others who keep it going in the changing rooms?
- "Kimmy" absolutely. He is totally crazy, but at the same time he does a huge job for the team. He peppers us and chases us around ? his contribution is very important to the team.
Kimmy?
- Kim Staal. Kimmy is a girls name but I think its good for him.
Your coach, Lars Bergström, is called Osten (öst is the Swedish for cheese). Do you call him "The Cheese" ?
- No, I don't. I call him "coach". He deserves respect, he is our leader. Sure we have other leader types such as Johan, Juha (Riihijärvi), Corey and Andre, but it is only the coach who in the end makes the decisions., he is our leader and as such should be treated with respect.
But he can sometimes be somewhat tough as I understand?
- Yeah, sure, sometimes he is, but he has got to be. He is tough sometimes but we deserve it. He always tries to develop us and make us better, both as players and people.
You have double citizenship. In Sweden teams can have two players who are not European. You most recently came from Germany, were born in the USA, have an Irish passport and now live in Malmö, explain ?
- Its really not so strange. All of my grandparents were came from Ireland. They were forced to emigrate at the start of the 20th century and they went to the USA. I still have some cousins who live in Ireland and we try to go over as often as we can. We still have my grandfathers farm there so there is always somewhere to saty when we go.
What do you miss most from your home city of Boston?
- Family and friends. It is always tough to be away from them for long periods of time. I went home to say hello a couple of weeks ago during the break for the Karjala cup. Later I will also go over so we can celebrate Christmas. We talk a lot on the phone so we do keep in contact with each other. My father will come visit after new year so I have that to look forward to.
It was your fathers choice that you should play hockey?
- Yes it was. We have a very sporty family, my father played professional baseball. He has just recently retired from his job as a coach to a college hockey team in Boston.
You have had many club addresses in Europe, for example Russia, Austria, Italy, Germany and now in Sweden. How do you think these foreign experiences develop you as a person?
- Hard to say but it gives me a lot of experience. I have certainly seen a lot more than if I had come to visit as a tourist. One can learn about the people, traditions, manners and customs if one stays in a country for a longer time. It's when one lives an everyday life that one sees what is really experienced. From another point of view it can make you more sensitive to change.
Like a lot of the other guys at the club you play golf in your free time. I have heard that it is rumoured that you apply a whole new technique when you are stuck in the rough.
- What! Who said that? No comments. I like to play golf even if it is only in the summertime. During preseason we go out a play quite a bit. "It's a great way to get to know each other outside of hockey" finishes Jonathan "Jon" Coleman.
Jonathan Coleman at a road game against Skellefteå AIK (3-5).
Interview by: Jenny Henrichson
Translated by: John Noonan
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