Curtis HUNT???

[Big Ern]

Hey Pats' fans. There were complaints lately that it might be Curtis Hunt's fault the Pats aren't doing so great lately.....anybody up for comments? QUOTING: "Hunt's excuses," "Hunt better start doing something else," "Curtis is beginning to sound like Danny Barrett"......LOL LOL LOL to that one!!
Personally, I think Hunt is one of the elite coaches in the league! He's got a good reputation, and he's going to help coach Canada's team...great, isn't it?
I'm telling you all, nothing good comes out of it when fans start blaming a coach...it's like here in Swift...Dean Chynoweth this...Dean Chynoweth that. Well, nobody has a reason to blame the coach here....really and truly, we will see what this coach's team does next year. We're seeing a much-improved squad this season. If he doesn't do good next year, than I'd maybe be willing to start believing it's the coach. But NOT NOW!!!
SO PATS' FANS! I would not jump at the coach so fast...Curtis Hunt in my mind, is one of the better bench bosses in this league!....ANY COMMENTS? Please respond!

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

This road trip is getting everyone to think so negatively about the team! None of this is hunts fault, I can assure you. He knows what he is doing. He has got us this far, and I would not get rid of him because of a stinky road trip.

You guys need to remember what we have been through on and off the ice on this experience, and that they have not been at 100 percent since the pg game. I think we will get back into the groove after the upcoming home game against PA (?).

For those who are so surprised why we arent dominating, they shouldnt be. I expected a top team from regina this year if we could do 3 things right...hold on to Kalus, have Reekie play like he did in the playoffs to begin the season, and recover from the loss of robo and DT, and have guys step up and fill the void. Obviously Kalus went to the AHL because boston needed him so bad on the P-bruins that they had to screw up his development and throw him in the pros to see him become a healthy scratch on occasions, and we all know how Reekie basically **** the bed to begin the season and Rowat had to step up. As for stepping up, our overagers have done well, but there is still a void left here, and its obvious that are team misses the former OAs, and Kalus.

Though I do have to admit that this worked out good for both goaltenders. :)

Most players are actually playing as good as we expected them to, though there are a few with slow starts(berny, deck, schira(IMO)). Some have played better than expected, like Pyett, the rosses, and our rookies.

Its has become blatantly obvious, however, that we are in need of a scorer. Our whole team, outside of Kyle Ross in my opinion, and bernhardt if he wasnt so lazy :laugh: , are not first line material when it comes to offence yet. Hulak and Eberle definatly will be soon though. This year, we are full of secondary scoring types(festerling, mcdonald, reich, leffler), and despite how good our team looked on paper, we wont be up with the top teams (tigers, rebels, ice, or even brandon) if we dont get a #1 offensive player right away. I like to think we are basically the 2005-06 Calgary hitmen without Pogge. :(

Special teams are another issue, and its just as big of an issue, and that is something that we have usually been horrible at. Not likely to change soon, and that might be hunts fault.

I still think that the pats will be fine, we have just had a really, really bad trip. Any team that goes through what we did is not going to play 100 percent.

Most of this was just alot of bad breaks, and not because the pats stink. Chilliwack was just a case of taking the foot off the gas pedal, Vancouver got 2 pp goals so steal the victory, but we gave them a good, even game. Really close with the top team in the CHL isnt bad.

PG did kick the crap out of us ;) , though we did manage to hold their top scorers to a minimum of points, and as I expected they would, they had got out of their hole. I see them passing the giants easily if they keep up this play, even with their bad start. We could have done better in that particular game though, but I didnt expect to see the win. Any player in their top 6 could be the top scorer on our team this season.

In Kamloops we just gave no effort, by this time we had been shut out for 8 periods of hockey, we were low on confidence, and have had a tough trip on and off the ice. The way we played that game is not a reflection of how we can play at all, or how we stack up against the blazers. If we played like we did when we played the top 2 teams in the CHL(Everett,Vancouver), then we would have probably left with the 2 points.

Kelowna was basically a gimme, even though we got outshot by a rebuilding team dancing pi , and probably would have lost the game if it were against most other teams, and the Kootenay game was also a so-so effort. The guys were exausted physically and mentally, and were not expected to show up with their A game. Ive seen how we can play against them at home, and if we can dominate like that in regina, there isnt any reason we cant beat the Ice. :thumb:

So basically, this road trip wasnt going to be easy either way we look at it. Unless we crap the bed in our home games, and the other stupid 5 game trip after, there is no need to panic.

[nivek_wahs]

http://reginapats.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=693


Pats 'Hunt'ing for answers

Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Let the interrogations begin.

Head coach Curtis Hunt has some tough questions for the Regina Pats, the kind that are usually asked in a dark windowless room and under the glare of a sweat-inducing spotlight.

"We have to spend some time this week talking to our kids," Hunt revealed after Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Kootenay Ice. "We have to re-assess where we're at in the big picture."

The buildup towards an official inquisition began more than a month ago, culminating Sunday night with a miserable 2-4 finish on the team's B.C. road swing.

Now one-third of the way through the season, Regina sports a sub-.500 record of 12-13-1-1, good for third place in the East Division.

Regina's inability to string together a consistent effort has prompted Hunt to question whether the existing group has the necessary makeup to become an elite team.

"You can see we lack some trust on the ice," he noted. "There are guys who work hard and are trying but we're just not working smart. We have guys not ready to play. I guess the question is this: If you have something better to do, go do it. But quit being an impostor!"

Strong words, indeed.

Perhaps strong enough to indicate that a shakeup could in the Pats' not-too-distant future. Without actually saying so, the head coach dropped a strong hint when asked what he learned about his players during their extended absence from the Brandt Centre.

"What did I get out of that trip?" he said, repeating the question. "A better understanding of what we've got here."

It doesn't look good.

The Pats scored just eight times -- plus a shootout marker -- on their six-game road trip, including an ugly stretch during which they failed to record a single goal over a span of almost 12 periods. In the midst of that slump, Regina was shut out in three straight games.

When the dust cleared, the Pats returned home on Monday morning with just a pair of victories in tow. Those wins came against two of the league's worst teams -- the expansion Chilliwack Bruins and the rebuilding Kelowna Rockets.

"You have to do things a little bit harder and it all comes back to playing on the road," explained Hunt, whose team went 2-for-36 on the power play during the trip, including an 0-for-26 slump. "You're never going to get a break on the road. You have to make your breaks. You have to do things right -- plus-plus. That's the frustrating thing. When we did things that were good, we either had bad luck or we didn't create any luck. I think those go hand in hand."

For Hunt, examining the big picture involves a look back at how far the team has come during his tenure, going from a league-worst 12 wins in 2004-05 to 40 in 2005-06. Hunt's frustration with the current group stems from its failure to build on that momentum.

"To me, the most powerful drug is success," explained the head coach. "Man-oh-man, when you come from a year like we had two years ago to a 40-win year ... I would kinda think you'd crave that again.

"The question for the kids is: 'Where do we want to go with this? Are you looking for us to force hands here? Do we just want to line up and skate and have a miserable year? Where do we want to go?"

Some of those answers should be forthcoming.

The Pats will take two days off -- not including team meetings -- before hitting the ice Wednesday to begin preparing for Friday's home-ice clash with the Prince Albert Raiders.

Hunt won't be conducting practice this week due to his participation in the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge. Although assistants Terry Perkins and Todd Strueby will be running the show in his absence, Hunt is placing the onus on his veterans to take charge.

"To me, this is leadership week," he added. "This is when we need our leaders to make sure guys stay the course. We need them to make sure guys are doing the right things to get better and that we're ready as a group for Friday."

[witness]

The west coast trip is ugly and if you don't have success it is straining on all relationships. Hunt's article reflects that. It would be nice to see a few bounces go the Pats' way. How many posts did the boys hit on the trip? 10? Even if half of them found their way to the net, the trip could have had a different story.
Is the fact that the team is underachieving Hunt's fault? I think that it is everyone's fault. People are so quick to give credit to the Coach and GM when the team is winning, it is only fair that they take some of the blame for them losing. I know that Hunt wants to make some changes, so I would suspect that there might be some personnel changes in the next couple of weeks.
Hunt is a good coach, and as far as I know has the respect of his players. He is frustrated. I think the WJC break will be good for him. It will give him a little time to reflect and recharge.
I wouldn't be so quick to write Kalus off. The Bruins will most likely be re-evaluating him in the next few weeks. If they don't like the advancements that he is making and if he is sitting out games, then there might be a chance that he could be sent back to the Pats. It would be surprising, but stranger things have happened.

[nivek_wahs]

The west coast trip is ugly and if you don't have success it is straining on all relationships. Hunt's article reflects that. It would be nice to see a few bounces go the Pats' way. How many posts did the boys hit on the trip? 10? Even if half of them found their way to the net, the trip could have had a different story. I agree. If you go on a trip and you win the odds that the team will come together are way higher... A sub-par trip like this makes the players doubt each other and strains respective relationships.


Is the fact that the team is underachieving Hunt's fault? I think that it is everyone's fault. People are so quick to give credit to the Coach and GM when the team is winning, it is only fair that they take some of the blame for them losing. I know that Hunt wants to make some changes, so I would suspect that there might be some personnel changes in the next couple of weeks.Not Hunt's fault at all. Some players have taken it upon themselves to play more as individuals and not as a team... coaching can't be blamed when it comes to the players taking the name on the back of the jersey as being more important than the one on the front.


Hunt is a good coach, and as far as I know has the respect of his players. He is frustrated. I think the WJC break will be good for him. It will give him a little time to reflect and recharge.I agree.


I wouldn't be so quick to write Kalus off. The Bruins will most likely be re-evaluating him in the next few weeks. If they don't like the advancements that he is making and if he is sitting out games, then there might be a chance that he could be sent back to the Pats. It would be surprising, but stranger things have happened. Fingers are still crossed haha yeehoo