It’s hard to believe September is a month away and with it the “Return of the Mac” to Des Moines, Iowa. The Brett McLean era begins for the Iowa Wild, the Minnesota Wild’s AHL affiliate. The 2023-24 season is quickly approaching and with it, the excitement surrounding his ascension to head coach.

Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin named Brett McLean the fifth Head Coach in Iowa Wild history on May 30, 2023. McLean (nickname is Mac), gladly accepted the challenge of leading Iowa into its second decade of hockey in Des Moines. He did so with the endorsement of his family, which begins with his wife of 17 years Brenna, and the couple’s three children: daughter Darian, sons Nixon and Nash.

Along with an extensive list of hockey superlatives, it may have been McLean’s decision-making process that made the job offer so glaringly obvious to Guerin.

“I really feel good about this decision for many reasons, but the other one was the time that Mac took to make his final decision of accepting this job,” said Guerin. “It wasn't easy. This is a big move, and they have kids that are very happy here in Minnesota. They did it as a family. To me, those are the type people that we want in our organization.”

McLean, who turns 45 in August, grew up in Comox, British Columbia - a small recreational town on Vancouver Island in far western Canada. Brett was the youngest of three boys, preceded by older brothers Shaun and Kevin. Bob and Marg McLean were both teachers and provided their children with a simple upbringing that was always interesting.

“It was pure chaos, but just fantastic too,” recalls McLean. “It was either curling with softballs in the downstairs hallway, or it was a road hockey game in the carport and there was a baseball games in the yard. And all these usually ended up in a fight. You know how it goes, just three boys, three knuckleheads growing up.”

When the hockey journey really began…

Family has always been at the forefront of McLean’s life, especially when his hockey journey truly escalated at the age of 14. Bob and Marg made the difficult decision of sending their youngest son away to a prestigious hockey school, very similar to Shattuck-Saint Mary’s in Faribault, MN.

Just weeks after his birthday (Aug. 14, 1978), he left Comox to attend Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, located in Wilcox, Saskatchewan. The distance from his boyhood home was 1,185 miles. He was barely 14.

Brett said goodbye to his boyhood home, hugged his parents and older brother Kevin, then began his extensive trek to Wilcox. Shaun, who was six years his elder, traveled alongside Brett for a portion of the journey, as he was leaving to attend a university in Montreal.

In August of 1992, the two McLean brothers departed Comox, BC on a small propeller plane to Vancouver, BC. Then hopped on a “small plane” to Calgary, only to take “another small plane” that landed that evening at the Regina International Airport in Saskatchewan.

After an exhausting day of travel, Shaun and Brett enjoyed a steak dinner at The Keg before turning in at a Travelodge hotel on Albert Street. The next morning, Shaun ordered two cabs; one for himself to the airport and another for Brett to ride approximately 45 minutes south from Regina to Wilcox - a small village of roughly a few hundred residents 25 miles south of Regina.

“I got dropped off in the middle of the parking lot for the rink,” Brett recollected. “I had my hockey gear over one shoulder, and I had a hockey bag full of schoolbooks and clothes over the other shoulder. Then my hockey sticks”

“I walked into the rink and said, “Where do I sign up for school?”

Early on, there were some nights he would cry myself to sleep because he missed home so much. But his parents responded with, “we've already paid for it, so you're going to stick it out.”

He was glad they made him endure the challenge, which has shaped his hockey life.

“It probably explains why I, and we as a family are comfortable moving as much as we are, which you have to in the hockey life,” explained the Iowa head coach. “And when you leave home at 14, you get pretty used to making new friends and finding a way to succeed and find positives in everywhere you go.”

From Wilcox, he never knew the journey the hockey gods had in store for him. After a few years, Brett catapulted from Athol Murray to the WHL’s Tacoma Rockets in 1994. Three years later, the centerman was drafted by the Dallas Stars (#242 - 9th round) and McLean turned pro in the spring of 1999.

From there, McLean would play 385 NHL games over seven NHL seasons from 2002-09. He laced up the skates for the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers. McLean played out his career in Europe from 2009-17, with stops in Bern (Swiss-A), Lugano (Swiss-A) and Linz (Austria). His last appearance as a player in the AHL came in 2011-12, as he suited up 36 times for Rockford.

Brett retired as a player and moved into coaching in 2017. He accepted an offer in August of 2017 to be an assistant coach and shortly after he began his coaching career with the Iowa Wild, Minnesota’s AHL affiliate in Des Moines.

Family Matters

There has always been a special connection for the McLeans to Iowa. Brett and Brenna spent pivotal development years for their children in Des Moines, as all three were under 10 years of age upon arrival in 2017. The McLeans hosted relatives on a regular basis, welcoming grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles.

Brett’s older brother of three years, Kevin was a passionate supporter throughout his younger brother’s early coaching career. Kevin became one of the biggest Iowa Wild fans on the planet. He would follow the team from the beginning of training camp until the buzzer sounded in the spring.

The first Iowa Wild hat Brett gifted his brother never really left Kevin’s head after receiving it. Brett recalled seeing his brother wearing the hat often. It was his last hat.

Brett lost his older brother when Kevin unexpectedly passed in December of 2019. Kevin McLean was 44 years old. Since Kevin’s passing, Brett has held on to Kevin’s old Iowa Wild hat. It was one of the first items unpacked and placed in his new office at Wells Fargo Arena.

“Kevin had the biggest heart in the world, and he was my biggest fan,” said Brett. “I obviously miss him every single day. I’m not kidding when I say he was the biggest Iowa Wild fan.

“Kevin taught me how to care about others, to be unselfish and have hope for others. We all have our own ambitions and want to do our own things but, be happy for others and pull for them.”

He learned so much from his brother and it shows in his coaching strengths.

“That's what coaching is,” McLean passionately explained. “With the best coaches, it's not about you. It can't be about you.

“It's everything we do as a coaching staff is to help these young men. That's our job. I am just a coach on this staff and a member of this this team. And that, I probably learned from him.”

When it comes to coaching, understanding the coach as a person helps you see the impact they can have as a teacher. From what I understand, McLean was destined to return to Des Moines and create his next great hockey journey. Iowa Wild fans get ready, it’s going to be a fun ride.

245 Miles Times Infinity

With that said and keeping within the Pulltab Sports theme of #245Miles, it is important to point out Brett’s extensive familiarity with the ride from Des Moines to Saint Paul.

Having lived in Des Moines from 2017-21, the McLeans have developed incredible relationships in central Iowa, when he was the assistant coach for the Iowa Wild from 2017-20. In 2021, McLean was promoted to Saint Paul to work on the Minnesota bench alongside Head Coach Dean Evason.

During that season, McLean spent countless hours on I-35 between the Twin Cities and Des Moines, making trips when he could to see his family, then venture back up north to rejoin the big club.

This time around, it will be the opposite, as he will be making trips from Des Moines to the Twin Cities to spend precious time with his family when his schedule allows. I am willing to bet, he owns the franchise record for mileage driven between the two cities. He would not be surprised if he has made the trip in the “hundreds”.

He knows the drive so well and has his routine of always stopping in Mason City at the Kwik Trip for a spicy chicken sandwich. McLean enjoys listening to the Y2 Country XM radio station to pass time when cruising up and down Interstate 35. Some of his favorite artists include George Strait, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, and Luke Combs.

Catch The Pulltab Sports Rapid Fire with Brett McLean