Sput
03-24-2005, 04:57 PM
ZIMMER BACKS COACH
by JIM SWANSON
Citizen Sports Editor
The head coach of the Prince George Cougars has the backing of his captain.
Myles Zimmer stepped to Lane Lambert's defence, much like Lee Zalasky did a few weeks back when a fan carried a 'Fire Lambert' sign around the Multiplex.
"Lane's done real well here. Obviously the record doesn't reflect that, but he's an intense coach and that's what you need in a league with junior hockey players," Zimmer said the night the Cougars were eliminated from playoff contention - and a week after Zimmer was a healthy scratch for a key game against the Vancouver Giants.
"The former coach (Ed Dempsey) was good to me, but it was a complete opposite when Laner came in. He runs a much tighter ship, and he runs it really businesslike. I've never been a part of a team where a coach prepares as much as he does for a game. He's lost a lot of sleep over this himself, and I don't know - I'm not the one making the decisions. He prepares well for every game, gets us what we need to know, and it's not up to him on the ice. The players have to be better on the ice."
Zimmer's time with the Cougars has coincided with three last-place finishes, the only playoff appearance coming in 2003 when Prince George took the fourth seeding in the short-staffed U.S. Division and promptly lost in five games to the Seattle Thunderbirds. When Everett joined the league that fall, that loophole closed for good.
Zimmer, an overager if he's back next season, finds it hard not to take that record personally.
"Wearing a letter and being seen as a leader the last two years, (finishing fifth three years in a row) is not something you want on your resume," said Zimmer, who missed the first three months of the season due to an abdominal injury.
"It's been a tough few years, and I don't know what's going to happen here. I don't want to comment too much on that, the offseason and what's coming up in the fall, but a pretty big group of us has been here for three years. I take it pretty personally, it was tough to not be able to do what I normally do, to help out the way I normally would.
"I don't know, we didn't pull through and maybe we simply don't have the tools here to get it done and maybe it needs to be totally revamped. That's for someone else to decide."
The person making many of the decisions is general manager Dallas Thompson, who singles out Zimmer's injury as a main contributing factor to the lowly spot in the standings.
"Right off the bat, Zimmer's injury didn't help," said Thompson.
"If we have the 20- to 25-goal Myles Zimmer, that's a difference right away. Injuries played a part and in the lineup a lot of guys didn't play up to their potential."
Zimmer himself could be one of the decisions. He's among a group of six 19-year-olds in consideration for three overage spots. Kris Deines and Devin Featherstone - the latter with 199 WHL games under his belt - are not the usual 20-year-old material, while Dustin Byfuglien led the team this year in scoring as a defenceman. Zimmer's leadership was sorely missed, and Brett Parker, who slumped in the second half, did not fully take his place wearing the 'C'. Parker recorded his 100th career point on March 15 in a 4-3 overtime loss in Vancouver when he had a goal and an assist.
Colin Patterson is the other potential overager, and may be the only lock at this point based on his team-leading 27 goals, and the fact he's a solid citizen and a perfect fit for Lambert's system-style coaching. Patterson has 60 career goals and 104 points in 203 games.
Byfuglien is a special case. The team's leading scorer also dragged the team down on many a night with his who-cares attitude fouling the air. After the final game, the Chicago Blackhawks draft pick stated openly that he wanted to be somewhere else next season.
"Well then, he'd better sign a pro contract," said Thompson. "I'm the guy who will make that decision."
And there will be plenty of decisions to make.
by JIM SWANSON
Citizen Sports Editor
The head coach of the Prince George Cougars has the backing of his captain.
Myles Zimmer stepped to Lane Lambert's defence, much like Lee Zalasky did a few weeks back when a fan carried a 'Fire Lambert' sign around the Multiplex.
"Lane's done real well here. Obviously the record doesn't reflect that, but he's an intense coach and that's what you need in a league with junior hockey players," Zimmer said the night the Cougars were eliminated from playoff contention - and a week after Zimmer was a healthy scratch for a key game against the Vancouver Giants.
"The former coach (Ed Dempsey) was good to me, but it was a complete opposite when Laner came in. He runs a much tighter ship, and he runs it really businesslike. I've never been a part of a team where a coach prepares as much as he does for a game. He's lost a lot of sleep over this himself, and I don't know - I'm not the one making the decisions. He prepares well for every game, gets us what we need to know, and it's not up to him on the ice. The players have to be better on the ice."
Zimmer's time with the Cougars has coincided with three last-place finishes, the only playoff appearance coming in 2003 when Prince George took the fourth seeding in the short-staffed U.S. Division and promptly lost in five games to the Seattle Thunderbirds. When Everett joined the league that fall, that loophole closed for good.
Zimmer, an overager if he's back next season, finds it hard not to take that record personally.
"Wearing a letter and being seen as a leader the last two years, (finishing fifth three years in a row) is not something you want on your resume," said Zimmer, who missed the first three months of the season due to an abdominal injury.
"It's been a tough few years, and I don't know what's going to happen here. I don't want to comment too much on that, the offseason and what's coming up in the fall, but a pretty big group of us has been here for three years. I take it pretty personally, it was tough to not be able to do what I normally do, to help out the way I normally would.
"I don't know, we didn't pull through and maybe we simply don't have the tools here to get it done and maybe it needs to be totally revamped. That's for someone else to decide."
The person making many of the decisions is general manager Dallas Thompson, who singles out Zimmer's injury as a main contributing factor to the lowly spot in the standings.
"Right off the bat, Zimmer's injury didn't help," said Thompson.
"If we have the 20- to 25-goal Myles Zimmer, that's a difference right away. Injuries played a part and in the lineup a lot of guys didn't play up to their potential."
Zimmer himself could be one of the decisions. He's among a group of six 19-year-olds in consideration for three overage spots. Kris Deines and Devin Featherstone - the latter with 199 WHL games under his belt - are not the usual 20-year-old material, while Dustin Byfuglien led the team this year in scoring as a defenceman. Zimmer's leadership was sorely missed, and Brett Parker, who slumped in the second half, did not fully take his place wearing the 'C'. Parker recorded his 100th career point on March 15 in a 4-3 overtime loss in Vancouver when he had a goal and an assist.
Colin Patterson is the other potential overager, and may be the only lock at this point based on his team-leading 27 goals, and the fact he's a solid citizen and a perfect fit for Lambert's system-style coaching. Patterson has 60 career goals and 104 points in 203 games.
Byfuglien is a special case. The team's leading scorer also dragged the team down on many a night with his who-cares attitude fouling the air. After the final game, the Chicago Blackhawks draft pick stated openly that he wanted to be somewhere else next season.
"Well then, he'd better sign a pro contract," said Thompson. "I'm the guy who will make that decision."
And there will be plenty of decisions to make.