Long-time teammates, roommates and best friends, Jim Hiller and Scott Beattie are adding a new layer to their relationship as coaches with the Tri-City Americans.

Local products who played together through junior, university and the European pros, they were back in Cranbrook last night behind the Tri-City bench.

Head coach Hiller has experienced a pretty seamless transition with Beattie as his new associate coach.

?It?s great. Over the years we?ve (developed) a bit of a language of our own when it comes to hockey and the way we evaluate players and situations. We?re falling back into that pretty naturally,? said Hiller, after the Americans dumped the Kootenay Ice 4-1 in exhibition play. ?It?s been fun. I can say something that I usually have to explain to people because it doesn?t make a lot of sense and Beats seems to be able to catch that right away, and probably (that works) vice versa.?

First playing together on the junior Cranbrook Colts in the 1980s, Hiller said he and Beattie have developed their language by, ?spending a whole lot of time talking about hockey on the couch and on the bus and everywhere. We see (the game) the same, and he?s been an outstanding addition to our team.?

Working together has been the culmination of a long-held desire, according to Beattie.

?We?ve been friends as well as teammates for a long time. We?ve talked hockey since we were kids, and now we get to talk it professionally,? he said. ?This is a great opportunity for me to be able to learn from Jim, as I learned from Mark (Holick) and Kris (Knoblauch here in Cranbrook). This is a great time for me right now.?

Last night marked Beattie?s first trip back to the Rec Plex after two seasons as assistant coach with the Ice.

?It was fun,? he said. ?It was exhibition, it would have been nice if it was regular season, but obviously (the Ice) come to us this year. It was nice to be able to come back and see my family members for a couple of days.?

There?s a very distinct Cranbrook aura to the Americans this year, starting with general manager Bob Tory, who used to hold the same position with Kootenay. Shortly before hiring Beattie this summer, Tory also brought former Ice trainer Darcy Ewanchuk on board.

Former Colts head coach and Ice assistant Colin Patterson popped in downstairs at the Rec Plex to say hello last night, and Hiller joked that he might just be next to join Tri-City.

For now, Hiller said he?s looking forward to having Beattie share his knowledge and experiences to help the Americans grow.

?There?s a lot of skill there, a lot of ability and determination and I think all those qualities will rub off on our players,? he said. ?Guys have noticed already: he can still play. You go out on the ice and score a few goals in a hurry, guys take notice.?

In fact, Hiller figures they have a pretty good shinny trio between him, Beattie and 6-foot-4 Brent Bilodeau. A defenceman and former NHL first-round pick, he signed on as Tri-City?s assistant coach this summer.

?I think we?re pretty safe to take any three of these punks on,? joked Hiller.