MACON, Ga. — The Macon Mayhem's roster is under new management.
On Thursday, Dave Pszenyczny was introduced to a large crowd of the Mayhem's fans, who were ready to welcome their new head coach.
In his opening statement, he said how excited he is to be in Macon and that he can’t wait to get involved with the community, something he later said is a big priority for him.
“It’s not just about the hockey side,” Pszenyczny said. “For me, it’s about being involved with the community and making sure that the relationship is strong and withheld and know it’s going to be a reflection with our players as well.”
The Sterling Heights, Michigan native played hockey professionally for 13 years.
He played in multiple leagues, but found himself in the SPHL with the Peoria Rivermen in 2017, one of his last seasons as a player. That season, they happened to face off against the Mayhem in the SPHL championship.
The Mayhem swept the Rivermen 2-0 at the Macon Coliseum.
Pszenyczny still feels the sting from that loss seven years later, but is happy to be on the other side of that matchup now.
“It’s a lot better to be on the home side than the opposition,” he said. “Losing that championship here still haunts my nightmares from time to time.”
Pszenyczny said he remembers that the glass shattered in that game due to the noise from the crowd. While he didn’t love playing against it, he’s happy to now have that rowdiness on his side.
In addition to his 13 year playing career, Pszenyczny also coached the Quad City Storm for the past five seasons.
New team owner and CEO Chuck Norris said his nearly 20 years of professional hockey experience made Macon’s new head coach an appealing target for the position.
“I think Macon needed some stability and some culture and that’s really what I was primarily focused on going into the offseason looking for a new head coach,” Norris said. “Dave checks every box. He’s been around, he’s a veteran, he knows the game, he knows the league, knows the city, knows his way around the travel schedule and he knows the culture we want to create. I’m excited about what he’s going to do here.”
Pszenyczny, who became Quad City's head coach the same year he retired as a player, said he’s excited to step into the job now having coaching experience.
He said he learned a lot about the business side of hockey during his time with the Storm, and said he also learned how to develop a team and how to get involved with the community.
The head coach will have to face his old team in January 2025.
“Obviously I’d be lying if I wasn’t checking that on the calendar,” Pszenyczny said. “At the same time, it’s a long season. We always play them twice. Every point matters right? It doesn’t matter if it’s Quad City, Peoria or Birmingham. Those points are at hand and we need those points to achieve our goal here.”
Pszenyczny wouldn’t get too ahead of himself on early success, but said he's excited for the year to get underway.
“October can’t get here soon enough,” he said.