Jason Payne solidified his name in the hockey record books with not one but two “firsts”.
In August, Payne was promoted from assistant coach to head coach of the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. That made him the sole Black head coach in North American professional hockey.
On Saturday night, Jason Payne had his second “first” of his career.
In a hard-fought game Saturday night in Indianapolis, the Cyclones scored a tie-breaking goal in the third period, giving them a 3-2 victory over the Indy Fuel.
That gave Payne his first win as a pro head coach.
“Definitely an emotional evening,” said Payne. “I thought the boys played really hard for each other, but it really means a lot to me that they worked as hard as they did. It’s great to come out with a victory.”
A Toronto native, the 46-year-old Payne played professionally for 14-years before becoming a coach. During his career, he played in six different leagues and for 25 teams between 1995 and 2009.
Payne feels his career can bring him closer to his players as he understands their mindset and the uncertainties of a pro career.
“I was never drafted, I was always a free agent,” said Payne. “I never had the luxury of having a long-term contract or knowing where I’m going to play the following winter. These are things I can share with the players and relate on how I coped with it, dealt with it and help them through it and guide them through it.”
On Saturday night, he guided his new team to their first win.
“I’m happy, it’s definitely an honor,” said the new head coach. “I put some time in this game at the playing and at the coaching level constantly learning, constantly developing, proving to people that I deserve to be where I am today.”
Payne has paid his dues during his ascension from player to coach.
He entered the coaching ranks in 2010 as an assistant in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL).
He was hired by the Cyclones in 2018 as an assistant and was promoted to head coach when former head coach, Matt Thomas, left for the Providence Bruins of the AHL.
Now it’s Payne’s show and he plans to demonstrate his talents in hopes of securing a head coaching job in the NHL, where, as we wrote previously, “there hasn’t been a Black coach since Dirk Graham became the first and led the Chicago Blackhawks for 59 games in 1998-99.”
“I know how hard I worked to play pro hockey for 14 years, and try to make it to the NHL,” said Payne when he was promoted. “I only made it to the AHL. But if I fought that hard to play, why would I not fight just as hard, if not harder, in coaching?”
Payne’s first win is in the books and now it’s on the way to even more for Jason Payne, all the way to the NHL.
