Andrew Brunette did not know what was going to come next. It was a feeling he had before: When he retired from the NHL after 1,110 games and 268 goals in 2013, he thought about coaching, going to work in a front office or maybe even getting on television — just something to stay in the hockey world.
This time was different. It was 2019 and the Minnesota Wild — the team with which he became a cult hero, fan favorite and even, on a couple different occasions, a captain — cast him aside as part of a front-office purge. After two different stints in the Wild’s front office and one as an assistant coach, Brunette was unemployed after seven years in St. Paul, Minnesota. Once again, he had to figure out what was next.
It was then Joel Quenneville called. He was putting together a coaching staff for his new job with the Florida Panthers and he wanted Brunette, who played for Quenneville at multiple stops, to be part of it.
