RIP 2012-2013

[Derek Sutton]

I said it before and I'll say it again. Kris Knoblauch for Head Coach.

[Bocephus]

I said it before and I'll say it again. Kris Knoblauch for Head Coach.

He's a head coach in the OHL for Erie Otters I believe.

[HURRICANE'S ROCK]

that scares me is the same people who hired Preston are going to hire our next coach!

[Derek Sutton]

He's a head coach in the OHL for Erie Otters I believe.

You're right, I didn't know he took over, last I knew he was still the asst. coach. Well then how about Jesse Wallin? I think the team needs a young coach who can really relate to the players. Who else is out there? Lets throw some names around.

[Bocephus]

You're right, I didn't know he took over, last I knew he was still the asst. coach. Well then how about Jesse Wallin? I think the team needs a young coach who can really relate to the players. Who else is out there? Lets throw some names around.

I think it starts with a new GM since that post would need to be filled first. I think the Assistant GM Robson would be a leading candidate. Then from there the coach would be hired.
Wallin wouldn't be near the top of my list.
Travis Green from Portland would be someone to consider. He is an assistant who has been filling in for Mike Johnston who returns next season.
I'm also a big fan of the Nanaimo Clippers coach in the BCHL. Mike Vandekamp, 40, has been a winner wherever he's been. He was fired by the Cougars after barely a season after a slow start. It was the Cougars so I don't put much stock in it.
How about Dean Bronkman from the Humbholt Broncos. Winner
How about Jeff Truitt?
Convince Bill Peters to come back to the WHL.
Also I think 3 assistants are needed. It seems all the successful teams have three assistants. Just look at the Hitmen.
There's plenty of directions to go in.
Of course I remind myself that RP is still steering the ship and nothing has indicated that will change from the organization.

[TooLoud]

Well, the proverbial fat lady has finally stepped up the podium and belched her final song for this year. The questions now are the following. 1) Will the BOD finally clear out the present scouting staff and bring in somebody that can take us to the next level. 2) Will the BOD finally admit their mistakes and put the team up for sale. 3) Will the BOD ( and governor) all step aside and let another crew in to run this team as a WHL hockey team and not their own little project. 4) Will the Hurricanes start to build a "team" rather than a bunch of cookie cutter players that are all small and fast. Players like these are great but they need support from a few grinders and size.
There are so many different avenues in which we can go. One thing however is for certain, the status quo is not working any more. I have no idea as to what will work as I am just a fan, but there has to be somebody out there that can make a difference. Who ever you are, will you please step up NOW?

BB

1) I don't believe that the scouting staff is to blame. There are lots of "good" players that these scouts have found (Pilon, Duke, et al) and some real wins like Hackman in the 5th round. That is a good "hockey guys'" find. I believe it is more of a "development" thing.

2) While the private thing is a tantalizing option, and one that I have advocated on occasion, I am still not sure it is is the answer. While having private money making business decisions based on what works, and not allowing some of the business debacles that this team has created over the years is an intriguing possibility, the possibility of a private owner pulling up stakes and leaving for greener pastures is still a very real concern, and one that I do not want to go through again.

3) I do agree somewhat with this team being run by an "old boys" network, and that many business decisions and hirings have been made with a nepotistic flare, but I kind of like the business acumen that the current BOD posesses. With all of the crap that has gone on the past few years, and with the tenuous financial position that this team is in currently, there are a lot of eyes on this group. I believe that the majority of this group knows what it takes to have a successful business, and will do everything in it's power to achieve this, in an up-front and transparent manner. As far as the hockey operations side goes, as hard as it is to consider, I believe that our current head coach must be relieved, and allowed to operate soley in a GM position, where I still believe he can flourish.

4) I believe that this team is a team. I cannot explain what has happened to them since the Christmas break, but, IMHO, when they are on their game, they are fantastic. I firmly believe that a skilled, fast, intense team of "small" guys are exactly what is needed to be successfull. Additions of players like Hood and Derko keep the "big guys" on the opposition honest. The game tonight showed what small fast guys can do when they are motivated. Mackechnie, Maxwell, and Sofillas were buzzing around like chainsaws tonight, and stripped the bigger Ice players of the puck on a regular basis. Their speediness ensures that they will not get "pasted" too often, and their tenacity makes them play like much bigger guys. While I appreciate what Derko brings to the team, players like Maxwell and Yakabowski and Mackechnie are the heart and soul of this team. As they go, so does the team.

I too am stymied as to what needs to change. This team has proven this year that they are capable of playing very well against the best teams in the league. They have shown some defensive soundness. They have shown that they can put pucks in the net. They have show that even though they are small, they can be tough, tenacious, and fearless. They have also shown that when they don't all show up, when they don't play with desperation, when they don't play in the dirty areas, and when they don't play physical, they are, at best, average. The simple fact that they played oh so well tonight, when there was nothing on the line, kind of confuses me, and until that little nugget is figured out and dealt with, this team will be dealing us suffering fans more of the same.

[Derek Sutton]

I think it starts with a new GM since that post would need to be filled first. I think the Assistant GM Robson would be a leading candidate. Then from there the coach would be hired.
Wallin wouldn't be near the top of my list.
Travis Green from Portland would be someone to consider. He is an assistant who has been filling in for Mike Johnston who returns next season.
I'm also a big fan of the Nanaimo Clippers coach in the BCHL. Mike Vandekamp, 40, has been a winner wherever he's been. He was fired by the Cougars after barely a season after a slow start. It was the Cougars so I don't put much stock in it.
How about Dean Bronkman from the Humbholt Broncos. Winner
How about Jeff Truitt?
Convince Bill Peters to come back to the WHL.
Also I think 3 assistants are needed. It seems all the successful teams have three assistants. Just look at the Hitmen.
There's plenty of directions to go in.
Of course I remind myself that RP is still steering the ship and nothing has indicated that will change from the organization.

Or how about Ryan Paippeanniauoaiounuoonaia(sp?) The coach and GM from the Bandits? The best AJHL team fro the past 2 seasons, also a former player. He also use to work at Bert N Macs, so we know the goalies would be fitted properlly for their equipment

[lethbridgefan83]

In response to what TooLoud added:
1. I too agree fully that the scouting staff is not to blame. We have done a good job drafting with the likes of Pilon, Duke, Hackman, Wong, etc etc. Development is the issue, and that is squarely on the coaching staff.
2. I have spoken at great lengths as to the franchise being a Business like any other. The Issue with public ownership and the way our BOD gets elected (4 in one session, 4 in the next I believe, I may be out on the numbers, but its half and half anyway). Something VERY drastic would have to happen in order to dislodge the Good Old Boys as even if one of them loses their seat or two etc, they end up back again when the next elections come back up. I believe that last years BOD was probably the most open we have had in recent memory, new President etc, and that only lasted one year. The WHL has strongly said on many occasions that Lethbridge is a WHL city and will remain a WHL City, even through adversity we have maintained a reasonable attendance, and we have good corporate support (not great, but good enough). That being said a Private Owner can dump money in to pay for Fan Type Promotions (Something we are awful at, but that may be more of a money thing then an idea thing in my thoughts), Get GREAT Corporate support, have the Money to go after a proven Coach/GM, etc etc. And if he is willing to sign a 10 year lease with the City and provides us with a product worth paying good money for, then it becomes up to the City and its Area residents to support the team. There are just too many things that I think simply there is no money to do in the Public Community Owned methodology.
3. As much as I hate RP as a coach, and I think as much as I would like to see him gone in both roles. Your probably right in the fact he can still maintain the GM position. We are going to have to pay him at least for the next 2 Seasons after this one, we might as well try and salvage that, and only have to pay a coach to be a coach. In that respect it would probably be a good move. Your worst case scenario is you fire Preston as the GM, and see what happens from there, your going to have to pay him his next 2 years contract anyways, unless he finds other employment (which seems unlikely).
4. Having coached a lot of youth sports, consistency is sometimes hard to achieve, and it comes downright to coaching. Junior Sports your always going to have Peaks and Valley's, its up to a coach to try and limit how deep those Valley's go, and keep the team focused when its on the peak. Preston has shown that he is not able to keep the team out of the Valley's as we have had some MAJOR losing streaks over the past few years under his coaching. And we seem to have a very hard time recovering from the Valleys as well (bump along, win one, lose on, etc). This is where my fire him from both position's hat comes back on because he is solely responsible for the team that is put on the bench, and the way the team plays on the ice, in that case sometimes you need to do a shakeup, or scratch a guy, etc etc. That is all on Preston, and he has not done a very good job, along with his coaching staff shaking things back on track.

I feel that we need to have a winning culture, and the team has come out on numerous occasions and said they are in the "business" of developing players. Which in my mind is just a cop out. If we were in the business of developing players then the City would donate the Ice, the coaches would be volunteers and people would be paying 10 bucks for a ticket, and a burger wouldn't be 9 bucks at the concession.
But since its a business that needs to at least not lose money, tickets are 24 bucks, the city needs to get paid for the facility and everyone employed by the Hurricanes is hopefully at least paid somewhat average for the league. And just like when a crappy movie comes out, no one goes to see it. When the team is doing crappy, same thing happens. Why should we pay for a team that they are not trying to make changes to develop a plan that can both make money to put back into the team, and also have a product that is worth paying the money for.. Regardless of whether ticket prices are on par, lower, higher then the league average is irrelevant, if you don't have a good product, and you don't have any kind of relationship with the people that you are trying to charge for the product, then most business would not be around too long, enough said.

Once again just my 0.02..

[Bocephus]

Or how about Ryan Paippeanniauoaiounuoonaia(sp?) The coach and GM from the Bandits? The best AJHL team fro the past 2 seasons, also a former player. He also use to work at Bert N Macs, so we know the goalies would be fitted properlly for their equipment

I think you nailed the spelling.
Seems like he would be a nice fit. I like it.

[HURRICANE'S ROCK]

The Canes have the absolute worst win/points percentage in the entire league since the trade deadline. The Canes are only 0.292% since then. Those are some horrible numbers. No one else is really even close to being that bad. Even Prince George is almost 0.100% ahead of us at 0.375%.

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