Huska returns to Kamloops

From The Daily News of Friday, Sept. 14, 2007 . . .

Ryan Huska, a Blazer Legend, returns to Kamloops and the site of past victories today.
No, he isn’t making a social call.
Huska, who won three Memorial Cups in four seasons as a player with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, is into his first season as head coach of the Kelowna Rockets.
And it’s the Rockets and Blazers tonight at Interior Savings Centre. Game time for what is the Blazers’ last exhibition game is 7 o’clock.
“It’ll be nice to get back there,” Huska — at 32, the WHL’s youngest head coach — said from the coaches’ office at Prospera Place in the Little Apple. “Kamloops is a place I always enjoy going. It’s been a tough place for us the last little bit because we haven’t had a lot of success. But usually the rivalry is good so it’s always an exciting place to coach and play.”
Huska, a native of Cranbrook, was on the Rockets’ coaching staff for five seasons before taking over from Jeff Truitt during the summer.
“It’s been good,” Huska said of his first training camp and exhibition season as the head guy. “Our training camp was a good one. I thought our returning guys came in and worked very hard and they competed and that was good to see. And they all came in shape.”
The Rockets, who missed the playoffs last season for the first time in franchise history, take a 1-4 record into tonight. The Blazers are 5-1.
The Kelowna victory came Saturday — 6-3 over the visiting Vancouver Giants — after four straight losses, including three at a tournament in Edmonton.
“We learned a lot about the guys who are here in our exhibition weekend in Edmonton,” Huska said. “One game we were average, one game we were horrible and our third game we were actually pretty good. We worked hard.”
The Rockets then met Vancouver twice, losing 2-0 in Ladner before winning at home Saturday.
“Against Vancouver,” Huska said, “we were pleased with our work ethic for the most part. That’s what we’re trying to get across right now . . . bringing that work ethic back.
“It wasn’t a pretty game in Kelowna but we worked hard. We were pleased with what the guys did that night.”
Those two games featured the first coaching battles between Huska and the Giants’ Don Hay, the only two men to have won four Memorial Cups. Huska also won one as a Kelowna assistant, while Hay was on the Blazers’ coaching staff for three and won another last spring with the Giants.
“He’s always been a guy I’ve looked towards,” Huska said. “I’ve watched and followed a lot of what he’s done and how he’s made his teams successful. It’s always interesting and enjoyable when we play against them.”
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: Former NHL D Jeff Finley is the Rockets’ fulltime assistant coach. . . . D Lyon Messier, the 20-year-old son of former NHL great Mark Messier, will be in the Rockets’ lineup. He was acquired this week from the Edmonton Oil Kings for future considerations. . . . The Rockets have both their veteran goaltenders in camp. Kris Westblom, 20, who had his 2006-07 season ended by a knee injury, is healthy. Torrie Jung, 18, is back from the camp of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . Westblom “has been very good,” Huska said. “We put him in both games against Vancouver last weekend . . . and he responded very well.” . . . Kelowna’s third 20-year-old is LW James McEwan. . . . The Rockets, who in mid-week had nine healthy forwards, are expected to scratch LW Brandon McMillan (shoulder) and LW Matt Brusciano (head), while C Justin Bernhardt (groin) is questionable and D Kyle Verdino (shoulder) also has been hurting. D Luke Schenn, who played for Team Canada against Russia, also won’t play. . . . The Rockets conclude their preseason Saturday against the visiting Chilliwack Bruins. . . . Kelowna got C Cody Almond back from a stint with the Minnesota Wild but still is missing D Tysen Dowzak (Philadelphia Flyers) and C Milan Kytnar (Edmonton Oilers).