When Zach Parise heard that the Minnesota Wild had hired Scott Stevens as an assistant, he immediately texted new coach Bruce Boudreau to say it was an awesome move.

That’s the kind of impact Boudreau wanted to have on his players by hiring Stevens, a Hall of Fame defenseman and one of the most feared and respected players in NHL history.

Stevens has previous coaching experience with the New Jersey Devils and is back in hockey after a year away as a television analyst.

“You look at the presence of him and what he’s accomplished, how can he not be instantly respected, like, over the moon?” Boudreau said by phone Tuesday.

“You don’t get an opportunity to get somebody of Scott’s ilk every day. If I’m starting with a team that’s new, I want everybody to come in thinking, ‘Wow this is a great staff.’”

Parise, the Wild’s biggest star, knew Stevens from their time together in New Jersey and should only benefit from his hiring even though defense is the 52-year-old responsibility.

Stevens, who spent three seasons behind the bench with the Devils, was itching to get back into coaching after working for NHL Network last season.

“I was disappointed I didn’t coach last year after coaching for a few years, but the network was great,” Stevens said. “I enjoy being close to the action and right there behind the bench. It’s as close as you can get (to) being a player.”

Stevens was a co-coach and assistant for the Devils, the team he won the Stanley Cup with three times as a player. He was an assistant for two seasons and was a co-coach along with Adam Oates and Lou Lamoriello after Peter DeBoer was fired midway through the 2014-15 season.