Hall of Famer Brian Kilrea returns to Ottawa 67's for one game, to mark his 80th birthday

Once he got routed properly at the renovated TD Place, Brian Kilrea was vintage forrm prior to making a one-game return to the Ottawa 67's bench in honour of his 80th birthday.

The Hockey Hall of Famer with a major junior hockey record of 1,193 wins flashed his trademark feigned impatience — "what do you guys want?" — as he entered an interview room two hours before the opening faceoff. It felt like it could have just easily been 1984 or 1999, the seasons which Kilrea's 67's capped off with Memorial Cup victories, as 2014. Or 1974, when Kilrea first went behind the bench.

"I got the brown suit on," Kilrea, who retired from coaching in 2009 and relinquished the GM reins two years later, told reporters. "I had to get it out of mothballs. It was always lucky for me. I had to get the lucky suit.

"I'm going to yell once," he added. But I won't be quiet if it's a bad call."

First-year 67's coach Jeff Brown was the one who had the idea of having Kilrea, who becomes an official octogenerian on Tuesday, make a one-game comeback.

Aside from Kilrea, about the only similarity between Friday's game between the 67's and Mississauga Steelheads and his debut in 1974 was that the opponent wore Leafs blue and white. There was no videoboard hanging over the team benches and one need not to check HockeyDB to see if either team had a Russian in its lineup.

Yet there were of high points of Kilrea's 32 seasons on Friday night. Ottawa's second goal came from Erik Bradford — a cousin of Colorado Avalanche forward Jamie McGinn, who starred on Kilrea's last Memorial Cup competitior in 2005. The goal was assisted by left wing Brendan Bell, who has the same name as one of the stars of Kilrea's last OHL championship-winning team in 2001.

Kilrea remains close to the 67's as a special adviser, but he was quick to stress that he would be deferring to Brown and assistant coach Mike Eastwood..  

"I go to training camp. I watch the practices," he added. "I'm getting closer to the players, but not to the point where I'm going to tell them what to do. Luckily we've got two great coaches and they're going to bring our team on."

Here are the other highlights:

Apparently you have some clear memories of your first game? (a 9-5 win over the old Marlboros on Sept. 27, 1974.)

"I remember [Montreal Canadiens gret] Doug Harvey, who was synonymous with success, just a great guy, he had called me before training camp and told me there was a kid in Quebec with no place to play. When a fellow like Doug Harvey recommends a player, you bring him up. Frank Donnelly was his name. We put him in the lineup and he scored in about 10 seconds. We ended up beating Toronto 9-5. I was happy because my defensive system worked, we held them to five."

How tough was it to give up coaching in 2009?

"I missed it the first couple years. There was a lot of 'oh look at that' and you sort of second-guess. I think it was when I was watching us play on the road that I realized how lucky I was to coach so long. When the game was over, I could be in bed in five or 10 minutes as opposed to that six-hours trip home. I remember the good and the bad.

"The bus trips never bothered me. The rules were a bit looser in those days. Now they're a little bit tougher and I don't know if the trips would be as enjoyable."

What were the most memorable moments of your career?

"Notwithstanding, the Hall of Fame has to be No. 1 — who ever thought you'd get into the Hall of Fame with all the great names... Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky. That's why it is No. 1. But coaching, definitely No. 1 is winning the Memorial Cup right here in Ottawa in front of our Ottawa fans [in May 1999 over the Calgary Hitmen on an overtime goal by Matt Zultek]. To me, that was incredible. We won it in Kitchener [in '84] but winning it right in your home city, that was memorable."

Who was the most memorable player you coached?

"I always said there were two because one was a defenceman and one was a forward. Coaching Dougie Wilson and Bobby Smith. Dougie Wilson went on to a great career — Norris Trophy winner and general manager of San Jose Sharks. Bobby Smith, whose scoring record still stands — 192 points [in 1977-78, 10 more than a 16-year-old named Gretzky]. I think of those two."

Were there a lot of good luck calls this week?

"I had a few. One was Tyler Toffoli [who helped the Los Angeles Kings win the Stanley Cup in June]. He called and wished me well and said, 'early happy birthday.' I said, 'It would really be a treat if you scored a goal.' I think it was Sunday. And he got the first goal in his next game. I had a nice call from the league office, which was [vice-president] Ted Baker. But there were a few other phone calls, and appreciative phone calls."

Will it seem strange being behind the bench without Bert O'Brien (Kilrea's long-time assistant who also retired from coaching in 2009)?

"It will be. With Mike and Jeff, I'll overcome it. But all those years with Bert, we never had to go over a game plan. We would talk about what we wanted and it was over. Bert and I were a great combination for a great many years. We fortunate that we had that camaraderie and we also thought alike. I told Bert he should come down [to the dressing room area] but he'll stay in the background, like Bert always does."

How were you able to coach for so long and so well?

"Well, thank you for 'so well.' It was easy. I enjoyed it and I looked forward to every game. Coaching was another outlet of my playing. I enjoyed playing, even though I was with Eddie Shore for eight years [with the Springfield Indians in the American League]. Then when I got coaching, you never knew which game is going to be your last. That's the uncertainty of coaching.

|When I started, you have to remember it was Howard Darwin, Bill Cowley, Jack Kinsella, and Howard Henry [who operated the 67's] that gave me the opportunity. Thinking of that, there was a fruit basket yesterday from Connie Darwin and Nancy [Darwin; the late owner's spouse and daughter]. When you think back they were the ones who got me started and and gave me the opportunity."

How are you staying active these days? (Kilrea had a heart attack in August 12 and underwent triple-bypass surgery two weeks later)

"I was lucky. When I had that little attack, the doctors looked after me and did a great job. I went to a banquet at the Nepean Sports Club as a guest of [Ottawa Citizen columnist] Donnie Campbell. My first line was, 'I think everyone should have that operation because you feel so much better than you did before.' I didn't want to put any pressure on people to rush out and have a triple bypass, but I feel so much better and I can be thankful for the care I got here right in Ottawa."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.