BY LANCE HORNBY
TORONTO SUN

AUSTIN, TEXAS - Like that Johnny Cash road ballad, I've Been Everywhere, Man, Steve Spott could rhyme off some unusual hockey addresses.

Colgate, Newmarket, Richmond, Seneca, Heerenveen, Markham, Plymouth, Kitchener ... you get the drift.

"This year, more than any, I've drawn upon those past experiences," said Spott, whose current post with the Toronto Marlies has him three wins away from the Calder Cup final. "I've thought of those places, the coaches I've had or worked with, and asked myself what would they have done differently. This has been new territory."

But the new farm team coach of the Maple Leafs is getting the lay of the land in his first pro job. In a year in which the Marlies were supposed to deal with the growing pains of a younger lineup, Spott has turned a team with a wide age range into a division champion with a playoff record of 8-0.

Long before Spott was considering a change after 13 years with the OHL Kitchener Rangers, Leafs hockey operations director Dave Poulin was watching him.

"You do your homework for these positions long before they're open," said Poulin. "Through (the Leafs hockey department) meetings, when you're scouting, watching how people work in certain environments. You always file away things. When you see a junior team or an AHL team play, you're watching the discipline of the team, how they look in playoffs."

To view the entire article, visit the Toronto Sun Website.

Spott also featured on CBC Radio's Hockey Night in Canada.