Forging On
Team Staying The Course Without Constantine
By Stephen Flinn

For a long time, the Penguins represented the only hockey in town.

Now, there is another factor in the equation—the Pittsburgh Forge of the North American Hockey League.

The Junior-A, amateur team began play in its inaugural year this past September and calls the Island Sports Center on Neville Island its home.

The driving force behind the Forge was former Penguins' coach Kevin Constantine, who had coached other Junior-A teams in the past.

After serving as the Forge's founder and general manager and building a strong foundation, both in the front office and on the ice, Constantine returned to the National Hockey League once again when he was hired as head coach of the New Jersey Devils.

"Even though I am not able to be directly involved with the Forge now, I still have an affection for the team and follow them from afar," Constantine said.

"Since we started it from scratch, I consider it one of my babies."

The Forge roster is made up of players who are "babies" in hockey vernacular. The age of members of the squad ranges between 17-years-old to 21-years-old with most of the players focusing on improving their skill to earn college scholarships.

"We tried to focus on working hard, developing good fundamentals, being consistent, and paying attention to details while learning the game of hockey," Constantine said, "and I thought I left some good people behind to stay the course and make sure the job is done right."

One such person is assistant general manager Jason Koehler, who was instrumental in the original scouting and signing of players. Koehler also assisted Constantine when he was coaching the Penguins.

"We tried to bring in the best student-athletes to the program because, in most cases, the better their grades are, the better they will perform, and the better our program will be," Koehler said. "Our goal is not only to win a national championship on the team level, but develop the players on an individual level to allow them a better chance to earn a college scholarship."

The man most responsible for developing the players on the roster now is head coach Chris Imes, who was a member of the 1994 Olympic hockey team that competed in Lillehammer, Norway.

"Kevin was certainly instrumental in the team being here because he founded the idea, helped put it all together, and helped us recruit the players," Imes said.

Details of Constantine's system that were left behind and will remain include the system, the scouting and recruiting essentials, the video breakdown, and the coaching style and drills.

"I think Kevin set a strong enough foundation that we are able to build on his fundamentals use them to carry the team to the next level," Imes said. "By participating in organized sports, the players learn at an earlier age how to deal with failure, success, and just gain a lot of preparation to face life down the road."

Out of the roughly two-dozen players on the squad, about half are Pittsburgh natives, and a good portion of the remaining players are from areas near Pittsburgh, such as Cleveland. Ken Trombetta is a 19-year-old forward from Gibsonia. He recently earned a hockey scholarship to attend Yale.

He credits the Forge with allowing him to pursue his dream without having to leave town.

"Had it not been for the Forge, I would have had to pack my bags and travel to a different city, so its great to have a team right here," Trombetta said. "I think we have a great coaching staff and a great group of players."

Another local player on the team is 17-year-old defenseman Dylan Reese, a junior at Upper St. Clair High School. He also credits the Forge for allowing him to develop his skills in Pittsburgh instead of someplace like Sioux City, Iowa.

Reese feels the combination of what Constantine left behind and where Imes is continuing should prove to be instrumental.

"We learned a lot of little things from Kevin, like the best way to stop and start, and better on-ice technique such as how to block shots," Reese said. "I also think after Kevin left, Chris has become a more confident coach."

Stephen Flinn is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh.