The head coach of the Arizona Coyotes will soon be the husband of a reality television star, but don’t expect him to be the one programming the PVR and firing up the Jiffy Pop to celebrate the premiere of Hockey Wives.
Just because Dave Tippett’s wife Wendy has a role on the upcoming W Network program, which debuts March 18, doesn’t mean he will be making a cameo.
“I have nothing to do with that. Zero. My wife was involved because a couple of friends asked her to be involved,” Tippet told Sportsnet Thursday in Toronto in advance of his team’s game against the Maple Leafs.
Then the 2010 Jack Adams Award winner and the winningest coach in franchise history drilled the point home just in case there was any doubt about how he feels about the project.
“I have zero to do with that. Absolutely zero. I’m sure I’ll see it if my wife is in it, but I’ve had zero contact with them and will not have any contact with them. So you may see other (husbands) in there, but you won’t see me.”
So, what are your opinions on reality TV in general?
“Reality hockey is what I watch,” Tippett says.
A small laugh. An exit.
Watch: Hockey Wives teaser
The appetite for an abundance of off-ice access to NHLers and their families has only increased since HBO debuted 24/7: Road to the NHL Winter Classic in 2010. The league has since partnered with Epix to shoot a mini-series around both of its outdoor games this season. Now the camera is focused on what W calls “WAGs.” Sounds derogatory, but it’s just an acronym for “wives and girlfriends.”
Wendy Tippett is one of 10 significant others on the show, and the only one married to a coach. A die-hard hockey fan and real-estate maven in Scottsdale, Arizona, Wendy has two daughters and two grandsons with Dave.
The other cast members are Maripier Morin (girlfriend of Montreal’s Brandon Prust), Tiffany Parros (wife of recently retired George Parros), Martine Forget (engaged to Toronto’s Jonathan Bernier), Brijet Whitney (married to recently retired Ray Whitney), Kodette LaBarbera (wife of Anaheim’s Jason LaBarbera), Emilie Blum (wife of Minnesota’s Jonathon Blum), Nicole Brown (wife of L.A.’s Dustin Brown), Noureen DeWulf (wife of Vancouver’s Ryan Miller), and Jenny Scrivens (wife of Edmonton’s Ben Scrivens).
A smile dominates Coyotes captain Shane Doan’s face when asked about Wives; he’s curious to see how the show turns out. Doan says his wife, Andrea, was asked to participate but declined.
“That’s a different situation. I’ve got four kids who are [between 16 and eight years old]. That’s a lot of pressure to put on them, so that led into her decision to not do it,” Doan says. “But that’s one of those things where if she thinks it’s okay, that’d be alright.”
Newlywed Sam Gagner has already watched the trailer, and he’s unsure how he’d respond if his wife wanted to appear on a reality show.
“I’d have to see the show before I can comment on it,” Gagner says. “It’s a relatively new thing for hockey. We generally have really good people in our sport. To see that side of it, I think people are going to enjoy it.”
Who knows? Maybe even Dave Tippett.
