Going to the Dogs?
The BCHL season in Port Alberni is not going to the dogs. That seems to be the message after a change in the General Manager's chair. I talked to the Voice of the Bulldogs Evan Hammond this week (who is quite possibly the best Junior A play by play man in the country) and it appears there is a belief within the organization that they can still make the playoffs.
Bryant Perrier now has the dual role as Coach and GM and if he is going to get the team to the postseason they have to go on a remarkable run.
In my opinion for Perrier to solidify his role in the organization the message he has to send is that he will do the right thing for the organization in the long term. The Bulldogs have some assets that will attract a lot of interest around the league and indeed around the country if they choose to move them.
They have to identify which players are the nucleus, and if those players are going to be back again next year. Getting a playoff spot this year shouldn’t be the main goal.
I know that is a very difficult thing to say to Bulldog fans. They deserve a winner and a team in the playoffs but I don’t think it can happen this year. Looking at last year’s Coastal Conference playoff teams, it took 63 points and 26 wins to make it into the post season. Cowichan even had 27 wins and did not make it in. With 26 games left in the Bulldogs season they would have to 23-13 to get to last year’s magic number and I don’t think that’s realistic.
It’s disappointing that this season is looking very similar to last season but the new guy at the helm does have some credentials. When Bryant Perrier was the Coach and GM in Penticton he was the architect of numerous teams that won 40 plus games, he did bring a team to the BCHL Finals and he did find such future NHL talents as Chuck Kobasew and Duncan Keith.
The critic will say that was a long time ago and note that Perrier has been with the Dogs in one role or another since the beginning of last year. All you can really do is judge what he does now as the weight of the franchise rests upon his shoulders. However, where the team finishes this year isn’t so much important as how the team looks at the 15 to 20 game mark next year.
The things to watch for: What will the recruiting class of 2009-2010 look like? .Have the wins and losses improved??? .What reputation does the team have off the ice in the community??? .Is there continuity with the roster (players coming and going)???
Expectations are high in Port Alberni so you know the fans will hold the new General Manager’s feet to the fire. The blueprint for success though is not that far away. About an hour away in Nanaimo Bill Bestwick has iced one of the best teams in the league for the last 10 years. A little further away in Langley Harvey Smyl has done the same thing for even longer.
Those are two pretty good guys to `borrow’ a few things from. One thing for certain is that if the Bulldogs play the same way they did in their last win in Salmon Arm, the fans will be on board, the players will start believing and the smell of playoff hockey will return to Alberni Valley.
Dan Marshall, the radio voice of the Nanaimo Clippers, will be blogging the BCHL's Island Division during the 2008/09 season. Check back often for Dan's insights and the latest news from Vancouver Island.
