scamperdog
10-03-2006, 07:32 AM
Winless, Rockets looking to snap slump against Blazers
By Doyle Potenteau
Tuesday, October 3, 2006, 12:00 AM
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/article_3208.php
Bad starts? Bruce Hamilton has seen his fair share. However, the zero-for-four beginning his current crop of Kelowna Rockets has put up has left him . . .
“Sorta stunned,” said Hamilton, Kelowna’s president and general manager, who can’t recall a worse start by his team in its 16-season history. And for those who don’t know him, his memory is sharp.
“Nope, not that I can remember,” continued Hamilton, whose team visits Kamloops tonight for a 7 p.m. tilt against the Blazers. “In reality, everybody wants to give it to us. And we kinda expected that, considering the way it’s been the last five seasons. And, no, we don’t expect any sympathy, not that we’ll get it.
“In our case, we started 12 19-year-olds last season. Right now, we only have one of them back (captain Chris Ray). Who would have thunk that? We certainly didn’t, but we can’t use that as an excuse. Still, we are surprised nobody’s back, but that’s the way it goes.”
Last week, the Rockets were hoping overage defencemen Alexander Edler and Kyle Cumiskey would be returned to the junior ranks from their NHL teams, the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche, respectively. As the weekend rolled by, though, Hamilton received words that Edler will stay in Winnipeg for now and Cumiskey will likely play out the season with Albany.
The moves leave Kelowna with a young, leader-less defence that will experience growing pains. During the weekend, the Rockets’ normal rock-solid defence gave up nine goals in weekend losses to Everett (4-1) and Portland (5-2).
“It’s gratifying in a sense that kids are moving on, but it’s also frustrating in another sense,” said Hamilton. “Our situation now is that we can’t make a lot of changes because when you start trading away your kids, you’ll be chasing your tail forever.
“The team played better (in Portland) on Saturday, and we’ll be good down the road.”
As bad as Kelowna’s winless start may be, a feat that certainly won’t go unnoticed in the WHL Writers' weekly poll, getting off on the wrong foot isn’t an exact indicator of how the Rockets cross the regular-season finish line. Or how the team fares in the playoffs.
In fact, going back 10 seasons, the numbers almost contradict themselves. Take, for example, 1996-97, when the Rockets went 1-3 in their first four games, finished fourth (35-35-2) in Western Division standings, then lost in first-round playoff action to Spokane.
The next season, Kelowna was 3-1 out of the gates, yet the Rockets dropped one spot to fifth (33-35-4) and lost to Spokane, again, in the first round. Continuing on, Kelowna was 2-2 in 1999-2000, finished fifth (25-43-4) and, again, lost in the first round.
Yet, sometimes early starts can be portents of things to come.
In 2001-02, the Rockets were 3-1 after four games, placed an underachieving fourth (31-26-10-5), then shone in the playoffs, eventually losing out to the Memorial Cup champion Kootenay Ice in the Western Conference final. The next season, 2002-03, when Kelowna won its first league championship, the Rockets started 2-1-1. In 2003-04, Kelowna was also 2-1-1 en route to its Memorial Cup victory.
But, in the same breath, the Rockets were 1-3 in 1998-99 and finished sixth (25-42-5).
“Those stats, they’re in the past; different teams, different times,” said Rockets head coach Jeff Truitt. “This season, we’ve started with three of four on the road and we’ve learned some things along the way. That’s a big plus.”
By Doyle Potenteau
Tuesday, October 3, 2006, 12:00 AM
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/article_3208.php
Bad starts? Bruce Hamilton has seen his fair share. However, the zero-for-four beginning his current crop of Kelowna Rockets has put up has left him . . .
“Sorta stunned,” said Hamilton, Kelowna’s president and general manager, who can’t recall a worse start by his team in its 16-season history. And for those who don’t know him, his memory is sharp.
“Nope, not that I can remember,” continued Hamilton, whose team visits Kamloops tonight for a 7 p.m. tilt against the Blazers. “In reality, everybody wants to give it to us. And we kinda expected that, considering the way it’s been the last five seasons. And, no, we don’t expect any sympathy, not that we’ll get it.
“In our case, we started 12 19-year-olds last season. Right now, we only have one of them back (captain Chris Ray). Who would have thunk that? We certainly didn’t, but we can’t use that as an excuse. Still, we are surprised nobody’s back, but that’s the way it goes.”
Last week, the Rockets were hoping overage defencemen Alexander Edler and Kyle Cumiskey would be returned to the junior ranks from their NHL teams, the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche, respectively. As the weekend rolled by, though, Hamilton received words that Edler will stay in Winnipeg for now and Cumiskey will likely play out the season with Albany.
The moves leave Kelowna with a young, leader-less defence that will experience growing pains. During the weekend, the Rockets’ normal rock-solid defence gave up nine goals in weekend losses to Everett (4-1) and Portland (5-2).
“It’s gratifying in a sense that kids are moving on, but it’s also frustrating in another sense,” said Hamilton. “Our situation now is that we can’t make a lot of changes because when you start trading away your kids, you’ll be chasing your tail forever.
“The team played better (in Portland) on Saturday, and we’ll be good down the road.”
As bad as Kelowna’s winless start may be, a feat that certainly won’t go unnoticed in the WHL Writers' weekly poll, getting off on the wrong foot isn’t an exact indicator of how the Rockets cross the regular-season finish line. Or how the team fares in the playoffs.
In fact, going back 10 seasons, the numbers almost contradict themselves. Take, for example, 1996-97, when the Rockets went 1-3 in their first four games, finished fourth (35-35-2) in Western Division standings, then lost in first-round playoff action to Spokane.
The next season, Kelowna was 3-1 out of the gates, yet the Rockets dropped one spot to fifth (33-35-4) and lost to Spokane, again, in the first round. Continuing on, Kelowna was 2-2 in 1999-2000, finished fifth (25-43-4) and, again, lost in the first round.
Yet, sometimes early starts can be portents of things to come.
In 2001-02, the Rockets were 3-1 after four games, placed an underachieving fourth (31-26-10-5), then shone in the playoffs, eventually losing out to the Memorial Cup champion Kootenay Ice in the Western Conference final. The next season, 2002-03, when Kelowna won its first league championship, the Rockets started 2-1-1. In 2003-04, Kelowna was also 2-1-1 en route to its Memorial Cup victory.
But, in the same breath, the Rockets were 1-3 in 1998-99 and finished sixth (25-42-5).
“Those stats, they’re in the past; different teams, different times,” said Rockets head coach Jeff Truitt. “This season, we’ve started with three of four on the road and we’ve learned some things along the way. That’s a big plus.”