RALEIGH, N.C. — For all the ink spilled over Kyle MacLean’s local connections, thanks to his father, John, being a Devils great, he might be more comfortable here in Carolina.
Yes, Kyle MacLean was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and yes, John MacLean spent time on the Devils staff, although he played his last game with the team before Kyle was born in 1999.
But Kyle’s 14U AAA team happened to be the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. And one of the coaches he worked with was Rod Brind’Amour.
“He played with (my son) Skyler,” Brind’Amour said Sunday. “I trained him. He was here every summer training with Skyler. He has been doing this for many years. We are definitely good friends in the summer. Not so much at the moment.
When Kyle MacLean was 12-15 years old, John was on the Hurricanes staff. So there was an added bonus to the goal he scored in the first game Saturday, an eventual 3-1 loss for the Islanders — the second time in a week he’s scored in a building he had access to when he was a child, after the Prudential. Center.
“My dad coached here, and obviously I watched a lot of games here too,” Kyle MacLean said. “Two buildings, it’s quite funny how that happens. I watched a lot of games here when he was coach of the Hurricanes.
MacLean’s rise to regular player and key piece at center for the Islanders has caught the attention of his former coach, who now must game plan against him.
“I didn’t like seeing how he got us (Saturday) night,” Brind’Amour said. “I saw how hard he worked. Everything he’s doing right now, he deserves it. It’s nice to see. I obviously have a connection with him over the years.
Islanders coach Patrick Roy did not say whether Jean-Gabriel Pageau would return to the lineup in Game 2 Monday, but he seemed optimistic about the possibility.
“Still day to day,” Roy said. “Definitely a good chance for him to play (Monday).”
Otherwise, Roy seemed pleased with the way Simon Holmstrom performed at center on Saturday despite the Swede winning just one of five faceoffs.
“He was heavy with pucks. I thought he did really well at center,” Roy said. “Not easy for him, but I thought he was very reliable. Obviously, he was playing with (Cal Clutterbuck) and (Matt Martin), two really solid veterans. But I thought he did really well.
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