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When Dave Gove stepped on the ice at the Toyota Sportsplex for the second day of training camp on Sunday, he was following the advance that Dan Bylsma gave him years ago.

That was back in 2008 when Gove, who was captain of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, suffered a season-ending injury. Bylsma, who was the team’s head coach, asked Gove to stay on as an assistant for the remainder of the season.

“I knew my career was over,” Gove said. “But Dan always said ‘Gover, you’ve got to get into coaching. You’re going to be a head coach some day.’”

Seven years later, Gove has taken the first step toward that goal after accepting the job as assistant coach with Wheeling for the upcoming season.

Gove has spent the last few years coaching a high school team back home in Massachusetts and as a real estate agent in Cape Cod. The jobs were nice, but Gove still had the desire to get back into pro hockey and follow Bylsma’s advice.

To be able to do it with the organization where his career ended was an opportunity that Gove couldn’t pass up.

“This job opened up, I put my name in right away and heard back quickly,” he said. “I’m honored to be back.”

Gove came to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a trade at the deadline during the 2007-08 season. He was a key contributor to the Penguins’ playoff run that culminated in an appearance in the Calder Cup Finals, where they lost to Chicago in six games. Gove registered five goals and 12 points in 23 games that postseason, and he became entrenched as a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin.

“I got traded at the deadline and walked into a locker room here not knowing anyone. The guys welcomed me and I fit right in,” Gove said. “It was a group that really cared about each other and the community rallied behind us. We achieved a lot that year.”

Gove said being a part of the Penguins team that made it to the finals is one of the most memorable aspects of his career, and he learned a lot from the experience.

“It was a close group with great coaches. We were a team that excelled because of our leadership, our coaches and the character in the room,” Gove said. “Those are things I’ll try to bring as a coach.”

Wheeling head coach Clark Donatelli is looking forward to the attributes that Gove will bring to the team. Sunday’s practice was the first time Donatelli worked with Gove on the ice, and he came away impressed.

“He’s a leader out there. Real easy to talk to and the players really like him. Very approachable,” Donatelli said. “You can see right off the bat he’s really smart and knows the game. He’ll be a great addition for us in Wheeling.”

Gove admitted it felt a bit different coming to a rink for a Penguins practice and hitting the ice not as a player, but as a coach. Still, it’s a transition he is eager to make.

“You still think you’re going to the rink to get ready for camp and you’re going to pull your jersey on,” he said. “You can’t do that forever, obviously. For me to get a chance to come back here where it all ended, it’s pretty neat.”

Former WBS Penguins captain Dave Gove took to the ice on Sunday as Wheeling’s new assistant coach.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_Gove.jpg.optimal.jpgFormer WBS Penguins captain Dave Gove took to the ice on Sunday as Wheeling’s new assistant coach. Fred Adams|for Times Leader
Former WBS captain is new assistant coach with Wheeling

By Tom Venesky

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