Tips legend has moved on, but holds special place for Everett

STANWOOD — It’s the perfect Pacific Northwest summer morning, with the sun pouring down and blue skies stretching as far as one can see above the evergreen trees, and Mitch Love has turned the tee box at No. 10 at Kayak Point Golf Course into his temporary office.

The Everett Silvertips legend is hosting his charity golf tournament, and as each foursome reaches the hole Love is there to greet the participants with handshakes, pulls from the keg and stories of his time with the Tips.

.@WHLsilvertips icon Mitch Love with the Happy Gilmore tee shot at his charity golf tournament at Kayak Point: pic.twitter.com/Vpg8FquGHx

— Nick Patterson (@NickHPatterson) July 13, 2018

A time that, as hard as it may be to comprehend about an individual whose name has become synonymous with Silvertips hockey, has come to an end.

Love’s longtime association with the Tips — two years as a player, seven years as an assistant coach and 15 total as an Everett resident and community icon — officially ended in late May when he accepted the head coaching position with the Saskatoon Blades.

But Love’s association with the community isn’t over just yet, as evidenced by Friday’s Mitch Love Charity Golf Tournament, which benefited the United Way of Snohomish County and drew 108 participants, eight alumni and about 50 additional lunch attendees.

It also afforded the opportunity to catch up with Love to find out how his first couple months as a WHL head coach have gone.

“It’s been busy,” said Love, who at 34 is embarking on his first head coaching journey. “It’s been a little overwhelming to be honest with you.”

A condensed offseason created by Everett’s long playoff run to the WHL finals, combined with a slew of other offseason commitments, means Love has spent less time in Saskatoon than one might think. Love’s time in Saskatchewan has consisted of three-and-a-half days at the time of the announcement of his hiring, in which he took part in the press conference, then attended extensive meetings with the Blades’ staff to begin building relationships and outline his vision for the team.

However, he brought plenty of homework back with him to Everett. First on tap was connecting with the returning players, as well as watching plenty of video to familiarize himself with their abilities.

“Very positive,” was how Love described the initial contact. “I think they’ve been very receptive from what I gather — of course they’re going to tell you that. I try to bring a little personality and a little bit of youthfulness, and I want our guys to play with that passion and energy, too. I just want to them to understand I’m going to have their backs in terms of getting them better and trying to win hockey games, but I’m going to need the same back from them in their response to the coaching.”

Saskatoon hasn’t made the playoffs in five years, which in a league where 16 of the 22 teams qualify for the postseason constitutes a Sahara Desert-level drought. Going over the video gave Love insight into what needs to change to get the Blades over the playoff hump.

“I think the biggest thing for me is they take too many penalties,” Love said. “Our Everett teams have taken a lot of pride the past five or six years from being a very disciplined crew. Then defensively it’s just too loose when playing without the puck, I think that will be an area we want to tighten up.

“There’s a lot of work to be done all around, but also some nice pieces that we have in place.”

Further complicating Love’s preparations are his commitment to Hockey Canada, as he is serving as an assistant with Canada’s entry into the under-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He’ll be with that team from July 27 to Aug. 12, then have five days back in Everett before leaving for Saskatoon for good on Aug. 18.

“What’s interesting about (the Canadian under-18 team) is it’s going to give me a chance to work with (Blades players) Kirby Dach and Nolan Maier,” Love said. “They should potentially be on that team, so they’ll get a chance to work with me, understand what I am as a hockey coach, and that’s something they can probably relay to their teammates before training camp in August.”

Following his playing days with Everett from 2003-05, Love, a native of Quesnel, B.C., made his home in Everett, returning each summer during his six seasons playing professionally before being hired on by the Tips as an assistant coach in 2011. This season in Saskatoon, Love is renting a house owned by former Portland Winterhawks winger Dan DaSilva, who played with Love in the minors and who is now playing professionally in Austria.

So will Love continue to make Everett his home, or does he intend to relocate permanently to Saskatoon?

“To be honest with you I’m up in the air on that right now,” Love answered. “I’m renting, and eventually (DaSilva’s) season’s going to come to an end, he’s going to come home and want his house back. That will be something that once I get myself acclimated with that community I’ll play by ear. But I’ve enjoyed my 15 years here, it’s a beautiful area, especially this time of year. I have a lot of close friends here, and I’m sure I’ll meet a lot of good people up there in Saskatoon, so time will tell on that one.”

But even if he moves to Saskatoon, at least a piece of Love’s heart will always remain in Everett.

“The people here been very receptive in terms of being happy for me and the opportunity,” Love said about the reaction from the local community to his taking the job in Saskatoon. “I’ve bled the green and white and grey for a long time, that’s not going to be lost on me no matter where I’m at in my coaching career.”

Follow Nick Patterson on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.