Wayne Strachan
I didn’t write a “Coach’s Corner” last week because I wanted to analyze the trades we made and the new-look Lakers before I actually made a statement.
The buzz around town has been anywhere from “What was he thinking?” to “Good job,” to “Strachan should be fired!” All intriguing thoughts to a coach who’s team is 8-24-4 heading into last night’s game against Sioux Lookout.
In the end, it wasn’t just my decisions. And I can say I feel for Pat Quinn in Edmonton and Leafs’ coach Ron Wilson for all the questions they face and the answers they give. I just wish I could be as outspoken as they are sometimes, but I would rather keep it positive.
First, I have to extend a big thank you to our director of scouting, Grant Perreault, for the job he did on trade day in helping me out, and actually helping and making the deals happen.
Right from the first day we knew we were getting a team back in Fort, and knowing the task we had in a short period of time, our quest has been to build and build for the future.
Quick fact. In the last four years, there have been five expansion teams in the SIJHL. We are battling with K&A this season as to who the best expansion team will be. They are ahead of us, so far, but with much more resources behind them.
If you look back to four years ago in Marathon, they won just five games. Three years ago, our own Jr. Sabres won 23 games, with a little help from Marathon dropping out and much more resources than we have at this point in our short tenure.
Last season, the Sioux Lookout Flyers won two games but are in third place this season as they built their team and returned many players from a year ago (and I must say they are second in franchise attendance this season).
So it shows the small community has stood by their plans, progressed as a team, and they are now showing their loyal people rewards.
This season, K&A has 14 wins so far (six more than us although we have some games in hand).
What is my point? For somewhat of an expansion team (or at least a team that started from the ground up), we are not doing that bad if you look at the statistics. We sit ahead of both expansion teams from Marathon and Sioux Lookout, and with some work may catch K&A this season (you never know).
Both Marathon and Sioux Lookout continued their success the year after as a team and as a fan base. Sioux Lookout is still going strong although, unfortunately, Marathon ran into financial trouble in year two and had to bow out of the SIJHL.
But it wasn’t for the lack of support they got from loyal fans or the quality of their team. So, fans, please bear with us!
Let’s get back to the trades on Jan. 10. Why did we do what we did? I talked above about building and getting better for not only this season, but years to come.
Why trade away your top scorer? Colton Kennedy had been our leader, our backbone on the ice, but was a 20-year-old who deserved a chance to play on a playoff contender and a team that would have success in the playoffs.
Colton was very involved in the trade negotiations and knew every minute what was taking place in our minds, and we tried to accompany his needs.
In the end, the Melville Millionaires of the SJHL offered what we thought could best help our hockey team and offered a great place for Colton to end his junior career.
We got a good chunk of financial resources to help further our season. We also got a defenceman, which we turned into more financial resources for the season in trading him to Campbellton Tigers of the MJAHL.
We also were to receive a forward, but he wouldn’t report so we will receive a player to be named next season, which further helps our growth motto/plan we had set out from the beginning of this season.
Colton will do well out west and we, as a team, move forward financially, player-wise, and continue to grow for the future. From a fan aspect, Colton has five-six Division III NCAA teams looking at him for next season, so this trade will help his development in this aspect and we will continue to help him achieve his goal of acquiring a team to play for next season.
He will be missed.
We then traded defenceman Conner Foster and future considerations to the Dryden Ice Dogs of the SIJHL. In return, we received defenceman Brett Williams and forward Matt Caulfield.
As sports reporter Dan Falloon put it, “why would they trade their top ‘D’ man”? Well, Conner may have been our top ‘D’ man, point wise, and no disrespect to Conner (it was a tough decision to let him go) but he was close to minus-50 on the defensive end and we felt the move was the right one to make.
In Williams, we get a younger, more physical defenceman who will take care of our own end first (another motto our team has!) He is a player who will help our future and continue our growth philosophy.
In Caulfield, we get a veteran junior player who will be a mainstay in our future next season—and one we feel can produce more offensively given that role.
Are we throwing in the towel on the 2009/10 season as some might suggest? Not a chance! Do we need to still improve? Yes! Are we improving? Somewhat. Do we need to work harder? A lot!
We will make the playoffs and come that time, I truly believe we will be in a good position to surprise a team or two.
Should our loyal fans give up on us? I don’t see any reason why when most of you said, “Let’s get this started and see where we get.”
Should the staff or I be fired? Why I ask? We have stayed with the plan right from the beginning. We have stayed young to grow for the future—a smart philosophy in my mind and the board’s. We have worked hard to get the players prepared for the season, game in and game out.
Have the players responded? Not all the time! Reflecting back to how Wilson and Quinn feel about their teams, “we can prepare them, but if they are not willing to work hard and play 60 minutes, then we can’t grow or develop as a team.”
Until our young players adopt this mentality, we will progress slowly.
In the end, all of our nay-sayers and the rail birds most likely will be happy. The end product has yet to have been accomplished. Were we suppose to win our first year? I don’t think anyone in their mind would of thought that.
I know winning is expected in Fort Frances but in the game of hockey at this level, it just doesn’t happen because you have a team. Our future will prove this as we grow and possibly return 19 players for next season.
Let’s see how we all feel at this time next season after most of these players return, developing on the ice and as young men.
As one of the quotes in the locker-room states: “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better” (Jim Rohm).
We will improve, we will get better, and I thank all the people who have made this happen, all the people that believe, and all the fans who have been there since day one and continue to be there even through the hard times!
