Providence Bruins coach Scott Gordon is said to have a great rapport with his players.

The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

PROVIDENCE — Providence Bruins coach Scott Gordon has spent seven seasons — three as an assistant and four as head coach — developing talent for the Boston Bruins.

He’s spent a lot of time tucked away in the tight confines of the coaches’ office at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, toiling over line combinations, starting goaltenders, special teams, off-ice issues, crabby veterans, immature rookies and everything else that comes with coaching in the minors.

Through it all, the P-Bruins have had success under Gordon’s watchful eye as an assistant under former coaches Bill Armstrong and Mike Sullivan, and now as a head coach working with his assistant, Rob Murray. During Gordon’s tenure in Providence, not only has he helped many players develop into top-caliber NHL talent, he’s become one of the best and well-respected coaches, not only in the AHL, but in all of professional hockey.

After completing his collegiate career (Boston College), Olympic career (1992 Winter Games) and nine-year pro career (IHL, ECHL, AHL and NHL) the former goaltender began coaching in 1994. He arrived in Providence in 2000 and became a defensive specialist for Armstrong and Sullivan.

There were questions, however, if Gordon could be a successful head coach in the AHL.

He’s proved his critics wrong and, entering tonight’s game, he carries a 153-116-13-10-15 record with the P-Bruins. Now, it’s unanimous around the hockey world that he could coach at the NHL level. “Absolutely,” was the resounding response from numerous players, coaches and front-office personnel.

“He’s as knowledgeable of a guy in hockey that I know,” said Boston Bruins assistant general manager Jeff Gorton. “He’s prepared and has good communication skills with the players. There isn’t a week that goes by where I don’t talk to an agent or player who says how much they like playing for Scott. In the NHL, you have to know the game, work hard like Scott does, and you have to be able to relate to the players. He’s able to do all that.”

After Sullivan was named head coach in Boston, he asked management if Gordon could serve as one of his assistants. The Bruins organization denied that request, apparently thinking that it would be better off having him coach in Providence.

After all the changes the Bruins made on and off the ice last offseason, new general manager in Peter Chiarelli evaluated the job Gordon and Murray were doing in Providence, and it was an easy decision to keep them on board.

“He’s done a good job developing players and winning at the same time,” said Gorton. “He’s done a real good job of that. He’s kind of gone under the radar a little bit, but people are starting to realize how good of a coach he really is.”

The focus of any minor league organization in any professional sport is to develop prospects to improve the parent club. In a results-oriented business, some coaches find it very difficult to place the emphasis on development and put winning second. Gordon has done a superb job in both aspects.

“When you’re able to do both it says a lot about you and your program,” said Gorton. “He can do both as well as anybody in the American League.”

The turning point for Gordon’s coaching career came during the 2004-2005 NHL lockout season .

He had a ton of talent in Providence, including Patrice Bergeron, who had just completed a sensational NHL rookie season. . He agreed to spend the lockout year in Providence, and it helped tremendously with his development. The same can be said for Brad Boyes, who played all 80 games for the P-Bruins that season. Goaltender Hannu Toivonen also had a solid year for the P-Bruins, as did defensemen Andrew Alberts and Milan Jurcina.

Gordon forged a special relationship with that team, and the feelings were mutual.

“He is one of the hardest working coaches,” said Boyes. “With X’s and O’s he was great. It seemed like he was still learning the game when I was there, but at the same time I was amazed how hard he works and how bad he wanted to win. Those are the things that immediately jump out at you.”

The talent level in the AHL that season was at an all-time high due to the NHL stoppage, and Gordon was able to get the most out of the P-Bruins as the club advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals only to lose to the Philadelphia Phantoms.

“Gordo was the perfect coach to lead those guys,” said Boyes. “He was working hard and at the same time guys respected him. If we weren’t playing well he definitely let us know. If we were playing well and needed a day off, he would give it to us. It was a good give-and-take relationship.”

Last season, veteran goaltender Tim Thomas, who has spent parts of five seasons in the Bruins organization, was dealing with a tough situation. During the lockout he enjoyed tremendous success in Finland and the Bruins promised him he would have a chance to compete for an NHL job, so he returned last year only to be sent to Providence after training camp when Andrew Raycroft and Hannu Toivonen earned spots in Boston.

Thomas arrived in Providence frustrated and his play was affected. Finally he had a closed-door meeting with Gordon in early December of 2005. From then on, Thomas’s play was spectacular and it earned him a call-up to Boston when Raycroft was injured.

Thomas hasn’t been back with Providence since.

“I got to see him as an assistant coach who turned into a head coach, and I’ve seen him grow as a head coach,” said Thomas of Gordon. “When I came back from Finland after the lockout, he had matured as a head coach and he got better the entire time I was down there.”

This season, the P-Bruins’ roster is loaded with young talent, probably the most Providence has had in recent history. For getting those players to Providence, the credit goes to the Bruins’ scouting department; turning those prospects into NHL-caliber players comes from Gordon and Murray.

“A lot of guys have gotten better,” said Gorton. “That says a lot for what they’re doing down there.”

A problem in some NHL cities these days is the lack of communication between old-school coaches and young players. A lot of the time the young guys don’t know where they stand. That approach doesn’t always work in today’s pro sports landscape. There needs to be constant interaction, and Gordon knows that. He keeps the lines of communication open with his players.

“He understands hockey very well,” said Jurcina. “Guys respect him, for sure. He has a lot of courage, he’s smart and he’s straight with guys. It won’t be a problem for him to coach in this league.”

Led by Gordon’s initiative, the coaching staff in Providence gives individual attention when needed as well, as group lectures. Gordon is honest and up front with his players, and even though he can be hard on them sometimes, the players respect what he’s trying to do for them.

Gordon works countless hours preparing inspirational videos and his bookshelves are filled with motivational periodicals from legendary coaches. He breaks down the game in a Bill Belichick-type of way, calling face offs his team’s line of scrimmage.

A wall in the P-Bruins’ locker room is filled with hand-chosen pictures showcasing the proper way to do things on the ice, a practice borrowed from Belichick and the Patriots. Gordon absorbs information from every resource available and translates it into his coaching.

The relationship between parent and affiliate should be a strong one. The affiliate’s systems play should mirror what the parent club does, but that’s not necessarily the case with Boston and Providence. Gordon does follow the basic blueprint set up by Boston, but his team plays more of an up-tempo style of play and is much more exciting to watch.

Gordon has made such an impact on their lives and careers, former players still call asking advice. After former P-Bruins pugilist Brendan Walsh decided to hang up his skates and became an assistant coach at Northeastern University, he stayed on constant contact with Gordon. Walsh, a Dorchester, Mass., native, is now a cadet in the Boston Police Academy. More recently, another former player has called Gordon seeking advice.

As a coach, if you’re unable to communicate in an honest manner with players, you’re never going to make it to the next level. Gordon doesn’t hold back and the players respect him for that.

“He’s gotten better and better at the level he’s at,” said Thomas. “He’s had success down there and has grown as a coach. He’s learned when to react, and when not to react. When to get mad, and when not to get mad. I definitely think there’s a future for him.”

jmcdonal@projo.com