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MIDSUMMER RAMBLINGS
By Killer Bee Hockey | July 21, 2008
Well friends, here we are in mid-July and we’re looking for a coach. Reminds me of 2006. As usual, I’ve been up to my ears in Dorados af2 action, but have been keeping a pulse on all things hockey. By the way, I’ve been battling a summer cold. How the heck do you catch a cold in July? I guess it’s been going around the office, but how does that happen?
The league schedule is out, although somewhat unofficially. There’s still a few I’s to cross and T’s to dot, but what you’ve seen on Pointstreak is pretty much what the deal is.
For what it’s worth, here’s my thoughts on the coaching situation…
1. Fixter was not fired, forced out or anything like that.
2. He did not leave the team in a lurch. The recruiting process is well along.
3. I can’t blame someone for taking a gig in their hometown.
4. I’ll sincerely miss working with him on a daily basis. He was always available, always honest and up front with me and always kept me informed.
Will the Bees be better off without Fixy? Time will tell. He obviously caught a lot of heat for the team’s performance last season. Since I don’t have to work with the guy anymore, now would be a great time to place all the blame squarely on his shoulders. But I won’t do that. Having had the time to reflect on the season, I can point to a few things that went wrong…
- The team lacked toughness and got pushed around too much.
- The goaltending did not live up to expectations. Of course, when you are seeing 40-plus shots a night, it’s hard for me to point the finger at the goalies. That said, the goaltending seemed to let up bad goals at the worst times while otherwise making big saves.
- The team defense, as a whole, was awful. The team did not buy into the systems the coaching staff had in place.
- There were too many players who simply didn’t care. The fans deserve better than having guys who are here to collect a paycheck, pick up girls and go out all the time. Because of our location, weather and how well the organization and the fans treat the players, I’ve found that this can be turn into a “country club” atmosphere, especially when you have guys who are here for the wrong reasons to begin with.
My thoughts about Fixy and his future are that he will excel at the junior level where he can actually teach players who want to learn. I remember having dinner with him and his wife and a few friends and the idea of him coaching college came up. I also think he’d do well there. Is that an indictment of him coaching at this level? No.
The reality is that coaching at the AA level and coaching in the AHL, NHL and juniors/college can be two totally different animals. Players at this level are motivated differently than guys who have a legitimate shot of playing in the AHL/NHL. Which of course isn’t to say the guys here don’t have a shot of moving up, but we’re here mostly to win, not so much to develop talent. For Fix, working with players who truly want to learn and commit to playing hockey is where he needs to be.
Onto the coaching search…
The amount of calls and resumes that have come in are truly mind-blowing. There have been some great candidates and some, well, not so great candidates as well. I can say that Ken McCrae would have been welcomed here. I’m happy to see he got the job with Peterborough in the OHL. Like Fixy, I know Ken will do well there with young, hungry kids.
Sean Gillam would be an ideal fit here. He has the knowledge of the league and knows how to recruit at this level. Gilly may not come across as the most talkative guy in the world, but when he talks, you know it’s important. He has a great hockey mind. If it’s not his time to become a head coach, it will come soon. It’d be a shame if that has to be elsewhere.
There are a few other names the team is considering and one in particular that has brought a lot of interest. I’m not at liberty to say who it is at the moment but from what I know would be a solid fit as well.
At any rate, my understanding is that we’ll have this settled within a week or so.
Stay tuned.
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