No regrets for Sam Zajac as he plots bright future for Leeds Chiefs

For the 30-year-old postman from Whitley Bay, it really was a case of taking a big step into the unknown.

He may have known what division his team was playing in but, with regard to everything else, he was starting from scratch. The team didn’t even have a name.

His nine rival coaches in the UK game’s new second tier that would later become known as NIHL National had already stolen a march on him in terms of putting their rosters together for a campaign that fans up and down the country were eagerly-anticipating.

The piece of paper that Zajac began with soon began to fill up with names. Some would remain right through until the season-opener at Sheffield Steeldogs on September 15. Others would be scrubbed out and replaced by different names.

It was a frantic summer for the right-handed defenceman, who endured some long days as he put together his team piece by piece.

Ultimately, that team was to finish bottom in its debut season, beset by the kind of off-ice difficulties and hurdles that most experienced coaches would have had trouble dealing with, let-alone a coach finding his feet in his first-ever season at the helm.

But there are no regrets for Zajac, who despite the many difficulties he encountered, is only excited about what lies ahead for the Elland Road outfit.

“New jobs like this one don’t come around very often,” said Zajac. “We were under no illusions. We knew it was going to be a bit of a manic summer, putting a team together from scratch and that there were going to be a lot of ups and downs.

“For me, the chance to start something from the very beginning, with a clean slate and build it in our image – it was too good an opportunity to turn down.”

That opportunity wasn’t without its problems, however. It was soon apparent that the rink, already a long time in the making as far as people in Leeds were concerned, would not be ready for the new season.

It initially meant the Chiefs would play their first 10 games on the road, with the hope being that they would finally step out on home ice in early November.

In the end, it was the final day in January when that historic moment came, Zajac and his players having already spent more than two thirds of their season playing on the road.

It wasn’t just the weekends where the Chiefs were at a disadvantage, however, they were also limited to just one training session a week. That might not sound too much of an issue, but it was 55 miles away from Elland Road in Blackburn.

Along the way, there were some memorable wins, the occasional humbling but, mostly, the Chiefs were competitive, the double triumph at Basingstoke a sure standout after player exits had left them with just 11 skaters. But while there were what Zajac admits some ‘dark times’ and understandable frustrations – a van full of equipment being stolen, team coaches breaking down are just two examples – Zajac views his first taste of coaching in a positive light.

“You can’t have regrets – I’m so glad I did this,” he added.

“If I’d passed up on it and taken the easy option, stayed where I was and been comfortable – that is where the bigger regret would be.

“You’ve got to challenge yourself and I’m so glad I’ve done that. We’ve got something great to build on here.

“The fans coming into the building towards the end of the season showed that the interest is there and everyone can see that the building, although not quite completed, is going to be a premier venue. It’s a good standard of hockey, too, in a really competitive league.

“Yes, there were a lot of ups and downs, we went through a lot of turmoil and the results weren’t where we wanted them to be but looking back on the whole, we’ve brought hockey to a new city, a city that seems to be embracing it, there are so many positives.”

And as he prepares for a second season at the helm, Zajac is in a much better place in terms of his preparation. For a start, he is beginning his recruitment at the same time as his rival coaches this time around.

It was, not surprisingly, a steep learning curve, for himself, the organisation and his players. Regardless of who is around to continue the Chiefs story in the future, last season – for all its issues – will prove a memorable experience for all involved, something that can never be taken away from them.

“As soon as that puck dropped for that first-ever game in Sheffield and we’d seen how many fans had turned up to see us, all the other stuff kind of disappeared,” said Zajac.

“Every time we were on the ice – playing or practicing – we forgot about all the other stuff that was going on in the background. You were just happy to be doing something that you love and you were getting paid to do it, with guys you got along really well with.

“We can all take a lot of pride from this season and as the summer goes on, even as the years go on, I think everybody who was involved in it, even guys who left during the season, will have a sense of pride in that we did manage to pull it off.”