The Kamloops Blazers began their WHL offseason by scuttling assistant coaches Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith on Saturday.
Hey, stuff happens when you finish up the creek. Ferguson and Smith both understood the risks when they signed on three years ago, and neither is the least bit interested in slinging mud.
Of course, only time will tell whether those moves are to be followed by more personnel changes.
Obviously, when you miss the playoffs and lose your last eight games changes happen, and when a franchise hasn’t been out of the first round of playoffs since the spring of 1999 — American Beauty won the Academy Award as best picture — there is much work to be done.
Here then is a six-pack of suggestions for those who call the shots for a franchise that is struggling to get up off the canvas . . .
1. Hire a team president.
That someone will live here and oversee every aspect of the operation, thus becoming a face of this franchise.
That was the original plan when the present owners purchased the club in the late summer of 2007.
In October 2007, majority owner Tom Gaglardi said: “I sat down with the league and discussed how the club should be run and that is the advice they have given us — get someone to run the business on a day-to-day basis. We’ll be looking at someone to run the business.”
That, however, never happened.
The new owners separated the hockey and business sides, as they should have, hiring Craig Bonner as general manager over the summer of 2008 and naming Angie Mercuri the executive director of business operations.
Gaglardi is the franchise’s governor and president, but doesn’t live here, rarely attends home games and has more than enough on his plate with his other business interests.
While Bonner runs the hockey operation and Mercuri the business side, there is no one in the office on a daily basis who is at the top of the organizational pyramid. The franchise needs someone there to ask questions — “Why are we doing this? Why aren’t we doing that?” — and make suggestions and to be a sounding board.
Hello, Bob Brown.
The former Blazers general manager, who was fired when the organization chose to go in a different direction after winning three Memorial Cups in four years, scouts for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and lives in the Lower Mainland. Find out what he wants and give it to him. He may resist at first, but you know he would be intrigued by the opportunity to help restore the franchise to some semblance of past glories.
2. Hire some help for the marketing and communications departments.
The personable Dave Chyzowski, whose title is director of sales and marketing, and Tim O’Donovan, the media and communications co-ordinator who also is the video coach, hardly have time to come up for air.
Chyzowski, who came into the position without any experience, is busier than the legendary one-armed paper hanger.
With so much competition for the entertainment dollar and for leisure time, the marketing department should be treated like fine China. A lot of the time, the marketing people are the face of your product in the community, but they need help in numbers in order to fill that role.
3. Ditch the five-year plan.
I don’t know where it came from — perhaps its genesis was in the five-year contract Bonner signed — but this is not a good idea.
Hey, it’s good to have objectives within an organization. But going public with the fact that you have a five-year plan simply isn’t a good idea. After all, what happens if the franchise still is treading water — or worse, wallowing in the mud — when the five years is up?
Do you clean house and start over? With another five-year plan?
Better to have a series of one-year plans and work to improve at the end of each one-year segment.
4. Change the organization’s approach to 20-year-old players.
Each WHL team is allowed to use a maximum of three 20-year-olds. The rule doesn’t say you have to use three. And a wise man once said that good 20-year-olds are harder to find than hen’s teeth. That’s because many players that age have had their NHL dream die and now are starting to think about life after the WHL.
When your team is battling to restore its competitive credibility, when you know you’re not going to finish in the upper echelon, why trade for 20-year-olds who are going to take playing time away from younger players who need to play in all situations?
The Blazers finished ninth with three 20-year-olds. How much worse could it have been with younger players filling one or more of those spots and getting that experience?
5. Stop trying to trade for leadership.
A team needs to draft character and, as those players mature, the leadership will manifest itself. Those players will grow into the Blazers of the future and, by the time they get here, will know the Blazers way.
For too many years now, this franchise has tried to acquire leadership through trades, something that is virtually impossible to do in the WHL. If a player is strong of character and a leader, why would his original team trade him away?
Finding leaders is kind of like getting potatoes — if you want the best, grow your own.
6. Hire a sports psychologist.
Integrate this individual into the program and make regular use of him/her. Make the sports psychologist available to the players on a 24/7 basis. Hey, if it’s good enough for teams like the Everett Silvertips and Kelowna Rockets, it should be good enough for the Blazers.
Oh . . . one other thing.
Y’er welcome.
(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com, or you may follow him at twitter.com/gdrinnan.)
Showing posts with label Scott Ferguson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scott Ferguson. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Ferguson: It's just one of those things . . .
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| The Kamloops Blazers' bench will have a new look next season, now that the WHL team has decided not to bring back assistant coaches Geoff Smith (left) and Scott Ferguson (right) to work alongside head coach Guy Charron. (Photo courtesy Kamloops Daily News) |
Daily News Sports Editor
It was one day in January when the writing on the wall started to become larger and more legible.
That was the day when Scott Ferguson, the Kamloops Blazers’ fulltime assistant coach, went home and talked with his wife, Val, with whom he has three children.
“You know what?” Ferguson told her. “We better start preparing just in case. Because if the team doesn’t make the playoffs . . . potentially there could be changes.”
Well, the Blazers didn’t make the WHL playoffs and Ferguson now is out of work after the Blazers announced Saturday that neither he nor part-time assistant Geoff Smith would be back for a fourth season. Both men are former Blazers defencemen.
“It wasn’t a surprise to me. . . . I could see the writing on the wall,” Ferguson said late Sunday morning. “Now I’m just letting it all sink in.
“It’s just one of those things. You don’t make the playoffs and everybody’s accountable and I’m no different.”
Ferguson, a 38-year-old native of Camrose, Alta., played three seasons with the Blazers (1991-94) and was part of two Memorial Cup winners. During a lengthy professional career, he split 218 NHL games between the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Minnesota Wild. Ferguson played in Germany in 2007-08, and joined the Blazers’ coaching staff the following season.
Ferguson said his three seasons here could best be described by one word.
“It was really disappointing,” he said. “Not just this season, but when I came here I had high hopes. To lose eight straight (playoff games over) the first two years and then not make the playoffs this year, I was really frustrated.
“I think we had a really good team and we just underachieved.”
Asked if that represented failure by the coaching staff under head coach Guy Charron, Ferguson replied: “From my point, I always think I could have done more. We couldn’t get the players to understand or buy in with what we were trying to get them to do.
“Dealing with young players, it’s our responsibility to get them to buy in. We’re telling them, we’re showing them, but obviously something wasn’t working. So it’s a matter of finding a way for them to understand . . . so they can have success.”
When Ferguson and Smith were hired, they worked under head coach Barry Smith. When Smith was fired on Oct. 26, 2009, Ferguson was installed as interim head coach.
At that point, general manager Craig Bonner said the plan was to finish that season with Ferguson and Geoff Smith at the controls. However, majority owner Tom Gaglardi and Bonner travelled to Calgary where they met with Charron, who shortly thereafter was signed as head coach for the remainder of the season. Charron later signed a two-year deal that runs through 2011-12.
The Blazers went 3-6-1 under Ferguson, who feels he and Smith did a good job of getting
“I learned a lot in that month,” Ferguson said. “It was quite a different team. When they let Barry go, there was a lot of uncertainty. It was a matter of getting the guys back believing they were a team. I thought Smitty and I did a pretty good job for the 10 games we had. I would have liked to have gone a little bit further but it wasn’t meant to be.”
One thing Ferguson and Smith did was get defenceman Josh Caron turned around. Caron was ready to walk away from the team, when Ferguson sat down with him and told him, among other things, to relax and have fun with the game.
“It was really nice to see where he went to from that point on,” Ferguson said. “He was a force and he earned his chance with Minnesota.”
Caron went to camp with the Minnesota Wild as a free agent and signed an NHL contract.
This season, Ferguson and Smith got to work with defenceman Brady Gaudet, the 10th pick in the WHL’s 2009 bantam draft.
“Gaudet improved by leaps and bounds. He’s a great talent . . . it was fun working with those young guys,” Ferguson said. “I’m definitely going to miss working with the Blazers. There’s a lot of good people in the organization. I had fun going to the rink every day.
“Obviously, I would have liked to have been able to produce more on the ice. It’s too bad it didn’t work out.”
His stint as an interim head coach gave Ferguson enough of a taste that he would love an opportunity to run his own show at some level. And if that level is the WHL, that would be great.
“I would like to try coaching in this league,” he said. “That’s why I came here, to hopefully get a chance to be a head coach. It didn’t work out. It’s something that definitely interests me but it’s something as a family we’ll have to sit down and discuss.
“With a wife and three young kids, it’s only fair to sit back as a family and try and figure out where we want to go. If that means coaching minor hockey, then so be it. I’d love to help kids that way.
“There’s always an avenue to try and help people out through hockey. Now it’s just a matter of seeing what’s in my heart and what my family wants to do and kind of go on from there.”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Saturday . . .
Boom! Boom! Out go the lights!!!
If you haven’t seen/heard this, check it out right here.
———
The Kamloops Blazers announced Saturday afternoon that their two assistant coaches won’t be back.
Here is the Blazers’ press release, in its entirety:
“The Kamloops Blazers have announced that Assistant Coaches Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith will not be returning behind the bench this upcoming season.
“Ferguson has decided to pursue Head Coaching opportunities. While part-time Assistant Coach Geoff Smith has decided not to return due to other time considerations.
“Smith and Ferguson were both hired by the hockey club in July 2008 and spent the past three seasons with the Blazers.
“The Kamloops Blazers organization would like to thank Scott and Geoff for their efforts and wish them nothing but success in their future endeavours.”
———
SATURDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Chilliwack, G James Reid stopped 26 shots for the shutout as the Spokane Chiefs dropped the Bruins, 5-0. . . . The Chiefs lead the series 2-0 with Game 3 in Spokane on Wednesday night. . . . The arena in Spokane was booked for an NCAA women’s basketball region this weekend, thus the series opened in Chilliwack even though the Chiefs hold home-ice advantage. . . . The series is following a 2-3-1-1 format. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 42 shots. . . . Spokane F Darren Kramer, who scored twice including the winner in Friday’s 3-2 OT victory, added another goal. . . . Chilliwack F T.C. Cratsenberg drew a charging major and game misconduct at 19:33 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 3,217. . . .
In Portland, G Mac Carruth stopped 32 shots as the Winterhawks opened a first-round series with a 4-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Game 2 will be played in Portland today. . . . Everett remains without G Kent Simpson (ankle), so Luke Siemens started and made 41 stops. . . . Portland had a 19-3 edge in shots in the first period. . . . Attendance was 8,363. . . . F Ryan Johansen had a shorthanded goal and two assists. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., D Tyler Schmidt drew three assists as the Tri-City Americans scored a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Americans lead the series 2-0 with Games 3 and 4 in Vancouver on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . F Justin Feser had a goal and two assists for the Americans. . . . Vancouver was 2-for-9 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 3,927. . . .
In Kelowna, the Rockets scored the game’s last four goals, all in the third period, and beat the Prince George Cougars, 7-4. . . . The Rockets take a 2-0 lead into Prince George for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . The Cougars led 4-2 when Kelowna D Tyson Barrie scored at 16:20 of the second. . . . F Cody Chikie made it 4-4 at 7:04 of the third on the PP and F Jessey Astles got the eventual winner at 9:55. . . . Chikie also had two assists, while F Shane McColgan set up three goals. . . . Attendance was 6,085. . . . The Cougars were without F Brett Connolly, their leading scorer and a 2010 first-round draft pick of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. He was injured early in the first period of Game 1 on Friday. Dean Clark, the Cougars’ head coach, said before the second game that Connolly will be evaluated on a daily basis. There is speculation that Connolly has a separated shoulder. . . .
In Red Deer, F Adam Kambeitz had two goals and an assist to lead the Rebels to a 5-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Rebels take a 2-0 lead into Game 3 in Edmonton on Monday. . . . F Brett Ferguson had three assists for Red Deer. . . . Attendance was 6,207. . . .
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice took a 3-0 lead into the third period and went on to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-2 to tie their series 1-1. . . . They’ll play Game 3 in Moose Jaw on Tuesday. . . . F Max Reinhart’s second-period shorthanded goal stood up as the winner. . . . Moose Jaw cut the deficit to 3-2 on goals from F Spencer Edwards and F Quinton Howden. . . . The Ice put it away when F Joe Antilla and F Brock Montgomery scored empty-netters. . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath picked up a charging major and game misconduct at 5:52 of the third period. Warriors assistant coach Trevor Weisgerber also was ejected at that time. . . . Attendance was 2,467. . . .
In Saskatoon, the regular season-champion Blades opened the playoffs with a resounding 8-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . They’ll play in Saskatoon again today. . . . The Blades got two goals from D Dalton Thrower and singles from six others. . . . F Matej Stransky had a goal and three assists, while linemate Chris Collins drew three assists. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford, who once played for the Raiders, stopped 33 shots. He is 7-0 against his former club. . . . Attendance was 8,144. . . . Saskatoon F Brayden Schenn scored once amid speculation that he might be one injury away from joining the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, who selected him fourth overall in the 2009 draft. . . . The Kings have lost F Justin Williams (shoulder) and F Anzi Kopitar (broken ankle) to serious injuries. Were the Kings to experience one more serious injury, they would be able, under emergency recall rules, to recall Schenn. . . . The Raiders will have D Antoine Corbin back for Game 2. He sat out Game 1 as he completed a two-game WHL suspension. . . . The Blades scratched F Ryan Olsen (upper body). . . .
In Medicine Hat, G Deven Dubyk started in place of the injury Tyler Bunz and backstopped the Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The series is 1-1 and heads to Winnipeg for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Thursday. . . . Brandon’s Westman Place, the home of the Wheat Kings, is occupied by the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. . . . Dubyk made 38 saves as his side was outshot 40-23. . . . Bunz, who didn’t finish Brandon’s 7-2 victory on Friday, sat this one out with an upper body injury. . . . Medicine Hat D Sebastian Owuya, who didn’t have a goal in 66 regular-season games, scored the game’s first goal at 4:59 of the first period. . . . Attendance was 3,952.
———
SATURDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Four minors:
Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy (double minor)
Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher (double minor)
If you haven’t seen/heard this, check it out right here.
———
The Kamloops Blazers announced Saturday afternoon that their two assistant coaches won’t be back.
Here is the Blazers’ press release, in its entirety:
“The Kamloops Blazers have announced that Assistant Coaches Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith will not be returning behind the bench this upcoming season.
“Ferguson has decided to pursue Head Coaching opportunities. While part-time Assistant Coach Geoff Smith has decided not to return due to other time considerations.
“Smith and Ferguson were both hired by the hockey club in July 2008 and spent the past three seasons with the Blazers.
“The Kamloops Blazers organization would like to thank Scott and Geoff for their efforts and wish them nothing but success in their future endeavours.”
———
SATURDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Chilliwack, G James Reid stopped 26 shots for the shutout as the Spokane Chiefs dropped the Bruins, 5-0. . . . The Chiefs lead the series 2-0 with Game 3 in Spokane on Wednesday night. . . . The arena in Spokane was booked for an NCAA women’s basketball region this weekend, thus the series opened in Chilliwack even though the Chiefs hold home-ice advantage. . . . The series is following a 2-3-1-1 format. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 42 shots. . . . Spokane F Darren Kramer, who scored twice including the winner in Friday’s 3-2 OT victory, added another goal. . . . Chilliwack F T.C. Cratsenberg drew a charging major and game misconduct at 19:33 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 3,217. . . .
In Portland, G Mac Carruth stopped 32 shots as the Winterhawks opened a first-round series with a 4-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Game 2 will be played in Portland today. . . . Everett remains without G Kent Simpson (ankle), so Luke Siemens started and made 41 stops. . . . Portland had a 19-3 edge in shots in the first period. . . . Attendance was 8,363. . . . F Ryan Johansen had a shorthanded goal and two assists. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., D Tyler Schmidt drew three assists as the Tri-City Americans scored a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Americans lead the series 2-0 with Games 3 and 4 in Vancouver on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . F Justin Feser had a goal and two assists for the Americans. . . . Vancouver was 2-for-9 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 3,927. . . .
In Kelowna, the Rockets scored the game’s last four goals, all in the third period, and beat the Prince George Cougars, 7-4. . . . The Rockets take a 2-0 lead into Prince George for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . The Cougars led 4-2 when Kelowna D Tyson Barrie scored at 16:20 of the second. . . . F Cody Chikie made it 4-4 at 7:04 of the third on the PP and F Jessey Astles got the eventual winner at 9:55. . . . Chikie also had two assists, while F Shane McColgan set up three goals. . . . Attendance was 6,085. . . . The Cougars were without F Brett Connolly, their leading scorer and a 2010 first-round draft pick of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. He was injured early in the first period of Game 1 on Friday. Dean Clark, the Cougars’ head coach, said before the second game that Connolly will be evaluated on a daily basis. There is speculation that Connolly has a separated shoulder. . . .
In Red Deer, F Adam Kambeitz had two goals and an assist to lead the Rebels to a 5-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Rebels take a 2-0 lead into Game 3 in Edmonton on Monday. . . . F Brett Ferguson had three assists for Red Deer. . . . Attendance was 6,207. . . .
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice took a 3-0 lead into the third period and went on to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-2 to tie their series 1-1. . . . They’ll play Game 3 in Moose Jaw on Tuesday. . . . F Max Reinhart’s second-period shorthanded goal stood up as the winner. . . . Moose Jaw cut the deficit to 3-2 on goals from F Spencer Edwards and F Quinton Howden. . . . The Ice put it away when F Joe Antilla and F Brock Montgomery scored empty-netters. . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath picked up a charging major and game misconduct at 5:52 of the third period. Warriors assistant coach Trevor Weisgerber also was ejected at that time. . . . Attendance was 2,467. . . .
In Saskatoon, the regular season-champion Blades opened the playoffs with a resounding 8-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . They’ll play in Saskatoon again today. . . . The Blades got two goals from D Dalton Thrower and singles from six others. . . . F Matej Stransky had a goal and three assists, while linemate Chris Collins drew three assists. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford, who once played for the Raiders, stopped 33 shots. He is 7-0 against his former club. . . . Attendance was 8,144. . . . Saskatoon F Brayden Schenn scored once amid speculation that he might be one injury away from joining the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, who selected him fourth overall in the 2009 draft. . . . The Kings have lost F Justin Williams (shoulder) and F Anzi Kopitar (broken ankle) to serious injuries. Were the Kings to experience one more serious injury, they would be able, under emergency recall rules, to recall Schenn. . . . The Raiders will have D Antoine Corbin back for Game 2. He sat out Game 1 as he completed a two-game WHL suspension. . . . The Blades scratched F Ryan Olsen (upper body). . . .
In Medicine Hat, G Deven Dubyk started in place of the injury Tyler Bunz and backstopped the Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The series is 1-1 and heads to Winnipeg for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Thursday. . . . Brandon’s Westman Place, the home of the Wheat Kings, is occupied by the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. . . . Dubyk made 38 saves as his side was outshot 40-23. . . . Bunz, who didn’t finish Brandon’s 7-2 victory on Friday, sat this one out with an upper body injury. . . . Medicine Hat D Sebastian Owuya, who didn’t have a goal in 66 regular-season games, scored the game’s first goal at 4:59 of the first period. . . . Attendance was 3,952.
———
SATURDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Four minors:
Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy (double minor)
Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher (double minor)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Short on defenders, Blazers doing fine on road
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
When the Kamloops Blazers headed into the WHL’s Central Division a week ago, their defensive brigade had more holes in it than a pair of old work socks.
Austin Madaisky and Brandon Underwood, who had evolved into their shutdown defensive pairing, both were gone with long-term injuries.
And while they were in sole possession of the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot, they only had a one-point lead on the Chilliwack Bruins and were six back of the Prince George Cougars.
Tonight, as the Blazers (27-31-4) prepare to face the Tigers (38-17-6) in Medicine Hat, they still are eighth, but now they are five points ahead of Chilliwack and the Seattle Thunderbirds. Not only that — Kamloops is just one point in arrears of the seventh-place Cougars.
That’s what happens when you go on the road and earn five of a possible six points in three games.
The Blazers won in Edmonton, beating the Oil Kings 4-3 in overtime, then lost 4-3 in OT to the Rebels in Red Deer. And, on Wednesday night, the Blazers surrendered 3-0 and 4-1 leads before beating the Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-4 in OT.
Kamloops played in Lethbridge without another veteran defenceman, Josh Caron having been hit with a three-game suspension for a hit from behind on Red Deer forward Josh Cowen, who suffered a broken hand and will miss at least three weeks.
So, you’re wondering, what’s been going on?
“Corey Fienhage has really stepped up his game,” offered assistant coach Scott Ferguson from Medicine Hat on Thursday. “He’s been playing really well.”
Fienhage, a 20-year-old in his first WHL season, was plus-3 in Lethbridge. He is plus-7 in nine February games, after going into the month at minus-15.
Fienhage has been partnered a lot with Brady Gaudet, 16, who is deep into his freshman season. Gaudet was the 10th overall selection in the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft.
“Gaudet has really benefited from the icetime,” Ferguson said. “He’s playing beyond his years right now.”
Gaudet, from Redvers, Sask., had a Gordie Howe hat trick in Lethbridge, scoring his fourth goal, picking up his sixth assist, and getting into his third scrap of the season.
Ferguson also pointed to veteran Bronson Maschmeyer, 19, as a guy “who has always been back there for us.”
“Those three guys,” Ferguson stated, “have really stepped up their games, and that isn’t taking anything away from (Tyler) Hansen and Caron. All of them have really stepped up their games.”
Ferguson played three seasons with the Blazers before going on to a pro career that included 218 NHL games. He remembers being forced to play extra minutes.
“There were times when I had to play every other shift,” Ferguson recalled. “I didn’t mind it. When you’re doing it, you keep it simple. You know you’re going to get out there and you try to limit your mistakes. But you’re not worried about making mistakes because you know you have to play.
“It was just a matter of knowing you’re going to get back out there, so keep it simple and keep your shifts short. You tend to get into a game a little bit quicker that way. Sometimes it can be beneficial.”
And that, he thinks, is pretty much what is happening with the Blazers right now.
That, along with forwards who have become more conscious of their defensive play and goaltender Jeff Bosch, who has been more than solid. Bosch is expected to make his 15th straight start tonight.
“I really believe defence is a five-man unit,” he said. “As a team we’re really focused on the defensive side of it to help out the back end. The forwards are doing a good job of coming back, and Bosch has been playing really well.
“That’s why I love hockey. It’s a team game . . . it’s all six guys on the ice.”
And it’s also special teams.
The Blazers’ much-maligned penalty killers, who have had the WHL’s worst success rate through most of the season, haven’t been torched once on this road trip. They are 16-for-16, the second time this season they have been perfect for three games in a row. (Coincidentally, the first time they had this success also was in the Central Division, in October.)
Of course, they’ll need all they help they can get again tonight as they play the Tigers and again Saturday when this swing wraps up in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice (39-18-4). The Ice and Tigers are tied for third in the Eastern Conference.
The suspended Caron won’t be available for either game, which means right-winger Jordan DePape will be back on defence. He spent most of Wednesday’s game there, moving up only on the power play and in OT, when he scored the winning goal.
DePape, who is from Winnipeg, played some on the back end during his minor hockey days. And when the Blazers ran into penalty problems during an exhibition game, they moved him back.
“It has been a good challenge for him,” Ferguson said. “He’s a smart player. I think he has learned to appreciate the defensive responsibilities.
“He looks fairly strong. He skates backwards well, he reads the ice well, he’s not shy to go back for pucks and take a hit to make a play. He’s a big, physical guy who skates well and sees the ice well.
“He’s done a good job.”
JUST NOTES: The Blazers continue to be without F Chase Schaber (leg), who now has missed 17 games in a row and 19 of the last 21. . . . The Tigers are showing four players as being out with concussions — D Jace Coyle, D Matt Konan, D Scott Ramsay and F Sam Dezman — while D Patrick Parkkonen (shoulder) also is out. . . . Coyle and Konan are day-to-day, Dezman is indefinite, and Parkkonen and Ramsay will be out another week. . . . The Blazers are at home Wednesday when the Kelowna Rockets are scheduled to pay a visit. . . . F Cole Ully, who made his WHL debut with the Blazers on Wednesday, has returned to the midget AAA Calgary Flames. A post-game scoring change Wednesday gave him his first point, an assist on the Blazers’ fourth goal.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Daily News Sports Editor
When the Kamloops Blazers headed into the WHL’s Central Division a week ago, their defensive brigade had more holes in it than a pair of old work socks.
Austin Madaisky and Brandon Underwood, who had evolved into their shutdown defensive pairing, both were gone with long-term injuries.
And while they were in sole possession of the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot, they only had a one-point lead on the Chilliwack Bruins and were six back of the Prince George Cougars.
Tonight, as the Blazers (27-31-4) prepare to face the Tigers (38-17-6) in Medicine Hat, they still are eighth, but now they are five points ahead of Chilliwack and the Seattle Thunderbirds. Not only that — Kamloops is just one point in arrears of the seventh-place Cougars.
That’s what happens when you go on the road and earn five of a possible six points in three games.
The Blazers won in Edmonton, beating the Oil Kings 4-3 in overtime, then lost 4-3 in OT to the Rebels in Red Deer. And, on Wednesday night, the Blazers surrendered 3-0 and 4-1 leads before beating the Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-4 in OT.
Kamloops played in Lethbridge without another veteran defenceman, Josh Caron having been hit with a three-game suspension for a hit from behind on Red Deer forward Josh Cowen, who suffered a broken hand and will miss at least three weeks.
So, you’re wondering, what’s been going on?
“Corey Fienhage has really stepped up his game,” offered assistant coach Scott Ferguson from Medicine Hat on Thursday. “He’s been playing really well.”
Fienhage, a 20-year-old in his first WHL season, was plus-3 in Lethbridge. He is plus-7 in nine February games, after going into the month at minus-15.
Fienhage has been partnered a lot with Brady Gaudet, 16, who is deep into his freshman season. Gaudet was the 10th overall selection in the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft.
“Gaudet has really benefited from the icetime,” Ferguson said. “He’s playing beyond his years right now.”
Gaudet, from Redvers, Sask., had a Gordie Howe hat trick in Lethbridge, scoring his fourth goal, picking up his sixth assist, and getting into his third scrap of the season.
Ferguson also pointed to veteran Bronson Maschmeyer, 19, as a guy “who has always been back there for us.”
“Those three guys,” Ferguson stated, “have really stepped up their games, and that isn’t taking anything away from (Tyler) Hansen and Caron. All of them have really stepped up their games.”
Ferguson played three seasons with the Blazers before going on to a pro career that included 218 NHL games. He remembers being forced to play extra minutes.
“There were times when I had to play every other shift,” Ferguson recalled. “I didn’t mind it. When you’re doing it, you keep it simple. You know you’re going to get out there and you try to limit your mistakes. But you’re not worried about making mistakes because you know you have to play.
“It was just a matter of knowing you’re going to get back out there, so keep it simple and keep your shifts short. You tend to get into a game a little bit quicker that way. Sometimes it can be beneficial.”
And that, he thinks, is pretty much what is happening with the Blazers right now.
That, along with forwards who have become more conscious of their defensive play and goaltender Jeff Bosch, who has been more than solid. Bosch is expected to make his 15th straight start tonight.
“I really believe defence is a five-man unit,” he said. “As a team we’re really focused on the defensive side of it to help out the back end. The forwards are doing a good job of coming back, and Bosch has been playing really well.
“That’s why I love hockey. It’s a team game . . . it’s all six guys on the ice.”
And it’s also special teams.
The Blazers’ much-maligned penalty killers, who have had the WHL’s worst success rate through most of the season, haven’t been torched once on this road trip. They are 16-for-16, the second time this season they have been perfect for three games in a row. (Coincidentally, the first time they had this success also was in the Central Division, in October.)
Of course, they’ll need all they help they can get again tonight as they play the Tigers and again Saturday when this swing wraps up in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice (39-18-4). The Ice and Tigers are tied for third in the Eastern Conference.
The suspended Caron won’t be available for either game, which means right-winger Jordan DePape will be back on defence. He spent most of Wednesday’s game there, moving up only on the power play and in OT, when he scored the winning goal.
DePape, who is from Winnipeg, played some on the back end during his minor hockey days. And when the Blazers ran into penalty problems during an exhibition game, they moved him back.
“It has been a good challenge for him,” Ferguson said. “He’s a smart player. I think he has learned to appreciate the defensive responsibilities.
“He looks fairly strong. He skates backwards well, he reads the ice well, he’s not shy to go back for pucks and take a hit to make a play. He’s a big, physical guy who skates well and sees the ice well.
“He’s done a good job.”
JUST NOTES: The Blazers continue to be without F Chase Schaber (leg), who now has missed 17 games in a row and 19 of the last 21. . . . The Tigers are showing four players as being out with concussions — D Jace Coyle, D Matt Konan, D Scott Ramsay and F Sam Dezman — while D Patrick Parkkonen (shoulder) also is out. . . . Coyle and Konan are day-to-day, Dezman is indefinite, and Parkkonen and Ramsay will be out another week. . . . The Blazers are at home Wednesday when the Kelowna Rockets are scheduled to pay a visit. . . . F Cole Ully, who made his WHL debut with the Blazers on Wednesday, has returned to the midget AAA Calgary Flames. A post-game scoring change Wednesday gave him his first point, an assist on the Blazers’ fourth goal.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Blazers like their Guy
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It was late October and Guy Charron was enjoying semi-retirement.
A former NHL player and a veteran of the coaching wars, Charron, at 60, was keeping busy with things like the Calgary Flames alumni group. He also was inquiring about various coaching vacancies as they arose.
And as he has done for years, Charron was maintaining his routine of going to a gym six days a week. Which is where he was when his life in hockey took another turn.
“An old neighbour of mine from my previous marriage . . . he came to the gym and said there’s another job that just came available,” Charron said Wednesday.
Which is how Charron found out that the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers had fired Barry Smith, who was in his second season as their head coach.
Charron called Kelly Kisio, the general manager of the Calgary Hitmen, to get Kamloops general manager Craig Bonner’s phone number and the rest, as they say, is history.
“We couldn’t be more excited and happier with the job he has done to date,” Bonner said Wednesday in announcing that Charron has signed a two-year contract that will take him through 2011-12. “He has brought a real veteran leadership to our group.”
Charron’s original deal took him through the end of this season, with both parties having agreed to talk about the future depending on how things progressed.
Unlike many major junior coaching contracts, this one doesn’t include a window allowing Charron to leave for a professional job.
“I really don’t believe that Guy is interested in moving,” Bonner said. “If an NHL head-coaching opportunity arose, I’m sure he would look at it. And I would never hold him back.”
The Blazers, one of the WHL’s youngest teams after Bonner traded away a number of veteran players, are 21-19-0-3 under Charron, who took over on Nov. 23. The Blazers were 8-7-2-0 when Smith was fired on Oct. 26, and they went 3-6-0-1 under interim head coach Scott Ferguson.
Ferguson is signed through 2010-11, with the club holding an option on his services for 2011-12. Geoff Smith, the other assistant coach, and goaltending coach Dan De Palma are on one-year contracts that will expire with the end of this season.
Charron is the 16th head coach in franchise history and one of two French-Canadians to have filled the role. The other, Ron Harris, was the franchise’s second coach, taking over from Lyle Moffat during 1981-82 and going 12-32-0.
Charron and Harris both grew up in Verdun, Que., and later played together with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.
“He’s a really super guy,” Charron said of Harris.
It became apparent early on in Charron’s tenure that he is a good fit here so, as Bonner said, signing him to a longer contract “was a very easy decision for us.”
Bonner especially liked the way Charron dealt with the player moves.
“We made a lot of changes and he was very receptive,” Bonner explained. “He said, ‘You bring in the players and it’s my job to work with them.’ The result has been very positive and we are very encouraged. The dynamics and the attitude of our team have changed for the positive.”
What made signing Charron a whole lot easier was the willingness — nay, the eagerness — of Charron and his wife, Michele, who is from Regina, to become a part of the community.
In fact, Bonner admitted, Michele’s role in Charron’s life played a large role in negotiations in November and again over the last few weeks.
“It was one of the main questions — one of the first things I asked — in the interview,” Bonner said. “I told him it was very important that his wife be part of it and that she be here in Kamloops.”
That discussion took place in November, shortly after Bonner had fired Smith, whose wife and family stayed in Whitefish, Mont., rather than relocate to Kamloops.
“As much as the stress is on him and the stress is on all of us to do well, it’s important to have someone to go home to,” Bonner said. “I think it’s tremendous (that the Charrons want to live here year-around). I think the people in Kamloops appreciate that the coach wants to live here and wants to be part of Kamloops. It’s critical from the Blazers’ point of view because it’s nice to have your coach around if there are events or things we need to do in the community.
“He and his wife have become Kamloopsians and I know that their plan is to be full-time Kamloopsians. We’re excited.”
Charron said that he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“One of the interests I had in pursuing something in the WHL was to be close to my kids and grandkids,” he said. “And Michele is a big part of that.”
Charron’s two children from a previous marriage — Erik and Renee — and Renee’s three children live in Calgary.
“Craig indicated he was hoping that Michele would join me, versus being here by myself,” Charron said. “Of all the time I’ve been involved in hockey . . . I think you need your family next to you.
“Michele is very excited, probably more so than I am, because finally we’ll be able to think about settling somewhere. She has really enjoyed the city.”
Shortly after the announcement was made, Charron had to leave the boardroom that is located off the Blazers’ office at Interior Savings Centre. With the Blazers preparing to play host to the Prince George Cougars on Friday, he had a practice to run. Just don’t call it work.
“I’ve been very fortunate throughout all of my career. . . . I don’t think I’ve ever worked a day in my life because I’ve always been doing something I enjoy doing,” he said.
And it looks like he’ll be doing it here for at least two more seasons.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Daily News Sports Editor
It was late October and Guy Charron was enjoying semi-retirement.
A former NHL player and a veteran of the coaching wars, Charron, at 60, was keeping busy with things like the Calgary Flames alumni group. He also was inquiring about various coaching vacancies as they arose.
And as he has done for years, Charron was maintaining his routine of going to a gym six days a week. Which is where he was when his life in hockey took another turn.
“An old neighbour of mine from my previous marriage . . . he came to the gym and said there’s another job that just came available,” Charron said Wednesday.
Which is how Charron found out that the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers had fired Barry Smith, who was in his second season as their head coach.
Charron called Kelly Kisio, the general manager of the Calgary Hitmen, to get Kamloops general manager Craig Bonner’s phone number and the rest, as they say, is history.
“We couldn’t be more excited and happier with the job he has done to date,” Bonner said Wednesday in announcing that Charron has signed a two-year contract that will take him through 2011-12. “He has brought a real veteran leadership to our group.”
Charron’s original deal took him through the end of this season, with both parties having agreed to talk about the future depending on how things progressed.
Unlike many major junior coaching contracts, this one doesn’t include a window allowing Charron to leave for a professional job.
“I really don’t believe that Guy is interested in moving,” Bonner said. “If an NHL head-coaching opportunity arose, I’m sure he would look at it. And I would never hold him back.”
The Blazers, one of the WHL’s youngest teams after Bonner traded away a number of veteran players, are 21-19-0-3 under Charron, who took over on Nov. 23. The Blazers were 8-7-2-0 when Smith was fired on Oct. 26, and they went 3-6-0-1 under interim head coach Scott Ferguson.
Ferguson is signed through 2010-11, with the club holding an option on his services for 2011-12. Geoff Smith, the other assistant coach, and goaltending coach Dan De Palma are on one-year contracts that will expire with the end of this season.
Charron is the 16th head coach in franchise history and one of two French-Canadians to have filled the role. The other, Ron Harris, was the franchise’s second coach, taking over from Lyle Moffat during 1981-82 and going 12-32-0.
Charron and Harris both grew up in Verdun, Que., and later played together with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.
“He’s a really super guy,” Charron said of Harris.
It became apparent early on in Charron’s tenure that he is a good fit here so, as Bonner said, signing him to a longer contract “was a very easy decision for us.”
Bonner especially liked the way Charron dealt with the player moves.
“We made a lot of changes and he was very receptive,” Bonner explained. “He said, ‘You bring in the players and it’s my job to work with them.’ The result has been very positive and we are very encouraged. The dynamics and the attitude of our team have changed for the positive.”
What made signing Charron a whole lot easier was the willingness — nay, the eagerness — of Charron and his wife, Michele, who is from Regina, to become a part of the community.
In fact, Bonner admitted, Michele’s role in Charron’s life played a large role in negotiations in November and again over the last few weeks.
“It was one of the main questions — one of the first things I asked — in the interview,” Bonner said. “I told him it was very important that his wife be part of it and that she be here in Kamloops.”
That discussion took place in November, shortly after Bonner had fired Smith, whose wife and family stayed in Whitefish, Mont., rather than relocate to Kamloops.
“As much as the stress is on him and the stress is on all of us to do well, it’s important to have someone to go home to,” Bonner said. “I think it’s tremendous (that the Charrons want to live here year-around). I think the people in Kamloops appreciate that the coach wants to live here and wants to be part of Kamloops. It’s critical from the Blazers’ point of view because it’s nice to have your coach around if there are events or things we need to do in the community.
“He and his wife have become Kamloopsians and I know that their plan is to be full-time Kamloopsians. We’re excited.”
Charron said that he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“One of the interests I had in pursuing something in the WHL was to be close to my kids and grandkids,” he said. “And Michele is a big part of that.”
Charron’s two children from a previous marriage — Erik and Renee — and Renee’s three children live in Calgary.
“Craig indicated he was hoping that Michele would join me, versus being here by myself,” Charron said. “Of all the time I’ve been involved in hockey . . . I think you need your family next to you.
“Michele is very excited, probably more so than I am, because finally we’ll be able to think about settling somewhere. She has really enjoyed the city.”
Shortly after the announcement was made, Charron had to leave the boardroom that is located off the Blazers’ office at Interior Savings Centre. With the Blazers preparing to play host to the Prince George Cougars on Friday, he had a practice to run. Just don’t call it work.
“I’ve been very fortunate throughout all of my career. . . . I don’t think I’ve ever worked a day in my life because I’ve always been doing something I enjoy doing,” he said.
And it looks like he’ll be doing it here for at least two more seasons.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Monday, March 1, 2010
Blazers' Caron going from enforcer to defenceman
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Josh Caron, who is threatening to become the WHL’s heavyweight champion, has presented the Kamloops Blazers with something of a conundrum.
Caron, a defenceman who struggled to get ice time last season and early this, has improved so much that he has become more than just another tough cookie.
Head coach Guy Charron “had a pretty good comment,” assistant coach Scott Ferguson said Monday after practice at Interior Savings Centre. “You want your scrapper and physical guy to be a winger. You look at Josh . . . he’s the guy who fights for us but he’s also playing against top lines.”
A native of Campbell River who turned 19 on Feb. 10, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Caron was a healthy scratch in 11 of the Blazers’ first 29 games this season. However, he has been scratched from the lineup just twice since Charron took over on Nov. 23 and one of those was with a one-game WHL-issued suspension.
“He certainly has made some major strides,” Charron said, adding that Caron definitely is one of his club’s most improved players.
These days, the coaching staff has Caron paired with highly touted Austin Madaisky as the team’s No. 1 shutdown pairing, meaning they usually are on the ice against the opposition’s top offensive line.
That will be the case tonight when the Blazers play host to the Everett Silvertips. Game time at Interior Savings Centre is 7 o’clock.
So what happened to turn Caron from a one-dimensional player into one who just may end up hearing his name called during the NHL draft in June?
“It just comes down to confidence and him getting a chance to play,” Ferguson said. “At the start of the season, most of our back end was trying to find their game and he was included. I remember him sitting in my office and wondering if he belonged.
“He wasn’t playing with the edge he needs to play with. I told him it starts in practice, play aggressive, play mean . . . start playing like that in a game. He took off from there.”
Boy, did he!
Caron has only four points in 55 games, and yet he leads the team in plus/minus, at plus-4. That is all the more impressive when you consider that the Blazers have allowed 45 more goals than they have scored. He also is second in the WHL with 184 penalty minutes — although his penalties have resulted in only 21 opposition power-play opportunities. And he and Saskatoon Blades winger Randy McNaught lead the WHL in fighting majors, each with 20.
“We all know he can fight,” Ferguson said. “That same aggression he brings into scraps he has to bring into one-on-one battles, defensive zone coverage and that kind of stuff. But he has really stepped up his game for us.”
As Caron has developed, Ferguson said he has had to deliver a different kind of message to the player.
“There are nights when I tell him you can’t fight and he’s been good at that,” Ferguson explained. “He’s starting to undersrtand there’s a time to fight and there’s a time to play hockey.”
Like most hockey enforcers, Caron enjoys that part of the game.
“I was playing more of the role of enforcer, which I like to do,” he said. “I like to bring that to the game. But I think I’ve come a long way. My footwork has come a long way. I can keep up with the guys.”
Caron’s progress may well have been set back by a broken ankle he suffered that needed surgery, only to have him break it again. That cost him one season of hockey and helped limit him to 21 games with the Blazers last season.
This season, however, he has worked diligently with Ferguson and fellow assistant coach Geoff Smith, both of whom were NHL defencemen.
“They have helped a lot,” Caron said. “Fergy works with me every day. After practice, we do (defensive) drills, simple passing plays, moving my feet, footwork.”
As much as he enjoys his role as a shutdown defenceman, Caron’s eyes light up when the conversation turns to fistic activity.
“I like to throw the fists a bit, get the crowd going and get pumped up,” he said.
It is a talent that the Blazers’ coaches and players appreciate.
“He’s definitely one of the toughest players in the league,” Charron said. “That has a major impact on your team and on the team you’re playing. Not too many guys are going to want to challenge him. They may, because that’s their role so they have to. But I’m sure that’s a situation they’d be thinking twice about doing because he can hurt them.”
Asked who is the toughest hombre he has encountered this season, Caron replied: “Corbin Baldwin is a tough customer.”
He and Baldwin, a 6-foot-5, 210-pounder who is five days older than Caron, have fought three times this season, including two bouts here on Feb. 17.
In his most recent scrap, Caron went with winger Cameron Abney of the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday.
Caron said the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Abney “got me right here on the lip with the first punch. That was probably the hardest punch I’ve taken this year.”
The Oil Kings acquired Abney from Everett in January, meaning the Silvertips don’t really have a hired gun in their lineup these days.
Which means Caron likely will stick to playing hockey tonight.
“Good for him,” Ferguson said. “He wanted to get to a spot where he wasn’t just fighting, he was playing, and that’s what he’s doing now. He’s doing both.”
———
Meanwhile, defenceman Ryan Funk, the Blazers’ captain, continues to work towards a return from a sprained ankle.
Funk, 20, has missed eight games and won’t play tonight. There has been speculation that he might play Friday against the visiting Vancouver Giants, but it’s more likely that he could return Sunday or March 12. The Prince George Cougars will play here on both of those nights.
The Blazers were beaten 5-3 by the visiting Kelowna Rockets on the night Funk was injured. Since then, Kamloops is 4-4-0-0, with two overtime victories and one via the shootout.
“He’s a big loss, on and off the ice,” Charron said. “He took on such a leadership role with our team. When things slipped, he would do everything he could to turn it around. You miss your captain. Any time your captain is gone for a period of time, you know it’s a loss.”
Charron said they will make sure Funk is healthy before he returns because “you don’t want him to start and he plays a game and then he takes one step forward and two steps back.”
JUST NOTES: According to the WHL website, the Blazers scratched F Jake Trask on Saturday night. However, that is in error. Trask played; F Matej Bene was a healthy scratch. . . . The Blazers have three home games left after tonight, with the next one Friday against the Vancouver Giants.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Daily News Sports Editor
Josh Caron, who is threatening to become the WHL’s heavyweight champion, has presented the Kamloops Blazers with something of a conundrum.
Caron, a defenceman who struggled to get ice time last season and early this, has improved so much that he has become more than just another tough cookie.
Head coach Guy Charron “had a pretty good comment,” assistant coach Scott Ferguson said Monday after practice at Interior Savings Centre. “You want your scrapper and physical guy to be a winger. You look at Josh . . . he’s the guy who fights for us but he’s also playing against top lines.”
A native of Campbell River who turned 19 on Feb. 10, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Caron was a healthy scratch in 11 of the Blazers’ first 29 games this season. However, he has been scratched from the lineup just twice since Charron took over on Nov. 23 and one of those was with a one-game WHL-issued suspension.
“He certainly has made some major strides,” Charron said, adding that Caron definitely is one of his club’s most improved players.
These days, the coaching staff has Caron paired with highly touted Austin Madaisky as the team’s No. 1 shutdown pairing, meaning they usually are on the ice against the opposition’s top offensive line.
That will be the case tonight when the Blazers play host to the Everett Silvertips. Game time at Interior Savings Centre is 7 o’clock.
So what happened to turn Caron from a one-dimensional player into one who just may end up hearing his name called during the NHL draft in June?
“It just comes down to confidence and him getting a chance to play,” Ferguson said. “At the start of the season, most of our back end was trying to find their game and he was included. I remember him sitting in my office and wondering if he belonged.
“He wasn’t playing with the edge he needs to play with. I told him it starts in practice, play aggressive, play mean . . . start playing like that in a game. He took off from there.”
Boy, did he!
Caron has only four points in 55 games, and yet he leads the team in plus/minus, at plus-4. That is all the more impressive when you consider that the Blazers have allowed 45 more goals than they have scored. He also is second in the WHL with 184 penalty minutes — although his penalties have resulted in only 21 opposition power-play opportunities. And he and Saskatoon Blades winger Randy McNaught lead the WHL in fighting majors, each with 20.
“We all know he can fight,” Ferguson said. “That same aggression he brings into scraps he has to bring into one-on-one battles, defensive zone coverage and that kind of stuff. But he has really stepped up his game for us.”
As Caron has developed, Ferguson said he has had to deliver a different kind of message to the player.
“There are nights when I tell him you can’t fight and he’s been good at that,” Ferguson explained. “He’s starting to undersrtand there’s a time to fight and there’s a time to play hockey.”
Like most hockey enforcers, Caron enjoys that part of the game.
“I was playing more of the role of enforcer, which I like to do,” he said. “I like to bring that to the game. But I think I’ve come a long way. My footwork has come a long way. I can keep up with the guys.”
Caron’s progress may well have been set back by a broken ankle he suffered that needed surgery, only to have him break it again. That cost him one season of hockey and helped limit him to 21 games with the Blazers last season.
This season, however, he has worked diligently with Ferguson and fellow assistant coach Geoff Smith, both of whom were NHL defencemen.
“They have helped a lot,” Caron said. “Fergy works with me every day. After practice, we do (defensive) drills, simple passing plays, moving my feet, footwork.”
As much as he enjoys his role as a shutdown defenceman, Caron’s eyes light up when the conversation turns to fistic activity.
“I like to throw the fists a bit, get the crowd going and get pumped up,” he said.
It is a talent that the Blazers’ coaches and players appreciate.
“He’s definitely one of the toughest players in the league,” Charron said. “That has a major impact on your team and on the team you’re playing. Not too many guys are going to want to challenge him. They may, because that’s their role so they have to. But I’m sure that’s a situation they’d be thinking twice about doing because he can hurt them.”
Asked who is the toughest hombre he has encountered this season, Caron replied: “Corbin Baldwin is a tough customer.”
He and Baldwin, a 6-foot-5, 210-pounder who is five days older than Caron, have fought three times this season, including two bouts here on Feb. 17.
In his most recent scrap, Caron went with winger Cameron Abney of the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday.
Caron said the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Abney “got me right here on the lip with the first punch. That was probably the hardest punch I’ve taken this year.”
The Oil Kings acquired Abney from Everett in January, meaning the Silvertips don’t really have a hired gun in their lineup these days.
Which means Caron likely will stick to playing hockey tonight.
“Good for him,” Ferguson said. “He wanted to get to a spot where he wasn’t just fighting, he was playing, and that’s what he’s doing now. He’s doing both.”
———
Meanwhile, defenceman Ryan Funk, the Blazers’ captain, continues to work towards a return from a sprained ankle.
Funk, 20, has missed eight games and won’t play tonight. There has been speculation that he might play Friday against the visiting Vancouver Giants, but it’s more likely that he could return Sunday or March 12. The Prince George Cougars will play here on both of those nights.
The Blazers were beaten 5-3 by the visiting Kelowna Rockets on the night Funk was injured. Since then, Kamloops is 4-4-0-0, with two overtime victories and one via the shootout.
“He’s a big loss, on and off the ice,” Charron said. “He took on such a leadership role with our team. When things slipped, he would do everything he could to turn it around. You miss your captain. Any time your captain is gone for a period of time, you know it’s a loss.”
Charron said they will make sure Funk is healthy before he returns because “you don’t want him to start and he plays a game and then he takes one step forward and two steps back.”
JUST NOTES: According to the WHL website, the Blazers scratched F Jake Trask on Saturday night. However, that is in error. Trask played; F Matej Bene was a healthy scratch. . . . The Blazers have three home games left after tonight, with the next one Friday against the Vancouver Giants.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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