Eight days before LeBron James brought the city of Cleveland its first major sports title in more than five decades, Lake Erie Monsters head coach Jared Bednar stood at center ice in Quicken Loans Arena and hoisted the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup above his head.

When the Monsters steamrolled their way through the Calder Cup playoffs — going 15-2 in the postseason and winning their final nine games — with a sweep of Hershey in the finals, Bednar became just the second coach to win titles in the ECHL and AHL. The Monsters clinched the title with a 1-0 overtime victory over the Bears in Game 4 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,665 at The Q — the largest crowd ever to witness a professional hockey game in Ohio — and in the same arena where James made Cleveland history.

The only other head coach to accomplish the feat is the Minnesota Wild’s Bruce Boudreau.

Bednar, 44, was also the first person to have his name engraved on the ECHL’s Kelly Cup three times, winning twice as a player with the Stingrays in 1997 and 2001 and as the head coach in 2009.

“It was an unbelievable feeling,” said Bednar from his home in Cleveland. “We had a great team. We really came together. It was something special. The support we got from the city of Cleveland was incredible. The city gets a bad rap sometimes, but it’s an incredible city.”

The lessons he learned as a player and later as an assistant and head coach with the Stingrays served Bednar well during the Monsters’ run to the Calder Cup.

“I’m learning every year, every regular season and every playoff series,” Bednar said. “No question the experience I had with the Stingrays played a huge role in what I’ve been able to accomplish.”

The night the Monsters captured the title, Bednar’s cell phone was bombarded by former Stingrays teammates and coaches.

“You never lose those connections,” Bednar said. “The bond you have with those guys you battled with every night will last the rest of my life. The guys I played with in Charleston were some of the first to congratulate me. It meant a lot.”

While each season and each team is different, Bednar said there are common threads between all the championship teams he’s played on and coached.

“The championship teams all had some similar characteristics,” Bednar said. “They all had a ton of character in the locker room. Great leadership. Those teams didn’t have any passengers. We had everyone pulling the rope in the same direction. Even when there was adversity, they stuck together, they didn’t quit, they didn’t put their heads down. They fought through it and found a way to make it work.”

Three days after winning the Calder Cup in the same arena where James helped lead the Cavaliers to their first major sports title, the Monsters were honored during Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

“The energy in The Q when the Cavs play is unbelievable,” Bednar said. “I’ve never seen an atmosphere like that before. This community is just hungry for a championship. The building was electric. When (Monsters defenseman) Zach Werenski raised the cup, the fans just went crazy. That’s something that I’ll never forget.”

Along the way to the Calder Cup, the Monsters swept the Ontario Reign, whose president is Darren Abbott. Abbott is the former president of the South Carolina Stingrays and gave Bednar his first head coaching position.

In the finals, Lake Erie took on perennial AHL power Hershey, which has won 11 Calder Cup titles. Former Stingrays head coach Jason Fitzsimmons serves as a scout for the Washington Capitals, Hershey’s NHL affiliate, and helped put together the Bears’ roster. Fitzsimmons was also Bednar’s boss when he served as an assistant coach with the Stingrays.

“The hockey community is pretty small and very tight-knit,” Bednar said. “You always seem to run into guys you know or coached with or played with on other teams. I think that’s what makes it so much fun. It makes for fun series. Before and after those series, it was great to catch up and see those guys again.”

Bednar was no overnight success in the AHL. After leading the Stingrays to the Kelly Cup title in 2009, he took a job as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat the following year. A year later, he was named the head coach in Peoria, and in two seasons, he compiled an 81-63-12 record. His contract with Peoria was not renewed for a third season. He was able to catch on as an assistant coach with Springfield in 2012 and eventually became the Falcons head coach in 2014. The Falcons, who moved to Cleveland in 2015, missed the playoffs in his first season as head coach, but like in South Carolina, won a title in his second year in charge.

“The business side of hockey can be frustrating at times, but I never doubted myself,” Bednar said. “At the time you might not like what happens, but I think everything happens for a reason. You have to roll with the punches. It’s a pretty fluid business.”

Bednar would like to add a Stanley Cup to his trophy case one day. But if he jumps to the NHL next season, it’ll have to be as an assistant coach. Glen Gulutzan filled the final NHL head coach opening when he was hired by the Calgary Flames earlier this month.

While Bednar is perfectly content to be the head coach of the Lake Erie Monsters, his ultimate goal is to coach in the NHL. Winning the Calder Cup has been used as a springboard to the NHL. Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay), Jeff Glashill (Detroit) and Willie Desjardins (Vancouver) were each Calder Cup champions from 2012-14 and parlayed those victories to NHL head coaching spots.

Will Bednar be next?

Columbus head coach John Tortorella has said publicly that NHL teams have already contacted him about Bednar.

“I love it here in Cleveland and I enjoy being a head coach,” Bednar said. “If the right situation comes along, then I would definitely consider it. I want to coach in the NHL, but I really like what I’m doing here and I like working for the Columbus Blue Jackets.”

Bednar, who recently built a home on the Isle of Palms, plans on spending many more summers in the Lowcountry.

“I love my summers in Charleston,” Bednar said. “I’m not leaving anytime soon.”