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Following a 14-year National Hockey League playing career that included three seasons in San Jose, former defenseman Rob Zettler enters his sixth year as an assistant coach with the Sharks. One of Zettler’s main duties on Head Coach Ron Wilson’s staff is working closely with the team’s defensemen. Last season, only two teams allowed fewer goals than San Jose (199). Zettler, along with Head Coach Ron Wilson and fellow Assistant Coach Tim Hunter, are among the most technologically savvy NHL coaches. The three utilize a laptop computer on the bench for replays and a tablet personal computer for real-time statistics. In addition, the staff also uses a SMART Board digital chalkboard in the locker room, which has video streaming and telestrator capabilities. Zettler spent his final three seasons in the Washington Capitals organization, where he played for Wilson and Assistant Coach Tim Hunter. He spent portions of the 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons with the Portland Pirates, Washington’s American Hockey League affiliate, where in addition to his role as a player, Zettler worked with the organization’s prospects on the ice and helped prepare them for the rigors of the NHL. Zettler, 39, returned to San Jose in 2002 following his retirement from the NHL as the Sharks radio hockey analyst. In that capacity, he added his experience to home game broadcasts, as well as assisting on SharkByte, a weekly, 30-minute magazine-style television show devoted to the Sharks on FSN Bay Area. He also helped to create the Sharks Alumni Association, in addition to assisting The Sharks Foundation and the team’s Fan Development Department with its programs, clinics and events. Claimed by San Jose from Minnesota in the 1991 NHL Dispersal Draft, making him an original Shark, the steady, stay-at-home defenseman posted 70 points (five goals, 65 assists) and 922 penalty minutes in 569 NHL games with Minnesota (North Stars), San Jose, Philadelphia, Toronto, Nashville and Washington. In a Shark uniform, he posted 19 points (one goal, 18 assists) in 196 games.The Sault St. Marie, Ontario native, who has made his offseason home in San Jose since 1991, was selected by Minnesota in the third round (55th overall) of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. Zettler, along with Hunter, recently became the first professional sports coaches to receive certification from the Positive Coaching Alliance, an organization dedicated to using sports as a character-building experience based in Stanford, CA. He also recently created Zettler Pro Hockey Camps, a week-long camp in South Lake Tahoe for youngsters ages 8-11. For more info, visit www.zettlerhockey.com. | 