Leafs coach Randy Carlyle, once described as cold and frosty as a Manitoba winter night, makes his return to Winnipeg Thursday. (REUTERS/Ina Fassbender)
WINNIPEG — He could be as cold and frosty as a Manitoba winter night.
That’s one of the more complimentary descriptions you get from folks here when asking what Randy Carlyle was like when he first arrived in Winnipeg back in 1984 after being traded to the Jets by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Craig Heisinger’s take is far more blunt.
“He was an absolute prick,” Heisinger said.
Wow ! When it comes to P-words associated with Carlyle, the obvious choice would seem to be “professional.” Or “productive.” Maybe even “passionate.”
But “prick?” How so?
“I was one of the Jets equipment kids at the time,” Heisinger recalled. “With Randy, the stick was never good enough, the water was never cold enough, you name it.
“But, you know what? It actually made us better people. It made me a better equipment guy, Randy taught us to pay attention to detail.”
