On second thought, it worked for Trevor Stewart, who showed serious chutzpa last January in his interview with the Missoula Maulers hockey team. Not only did the baby-faced 20-something Minnesotan land the head coaching job, he has obliged the Maulers by, in the words of co-owner Michael Burks, “saving us from another five years of making mistakes.”
“He came in with three full pages of things we'd have to change for him to work with us,” Burks recalled. “He essentially said, ‘This is what I want from you. I want to use Missoula and its hockey support to win a (Junior A) championship and go on to the next level.'
The Maulers' debut season brought more than a few headaches for Burks and co-owner Cory Miller. For a couple of guys just getting their feet wet, the migraines were mostly unavoidable.
But the enterprising duo learned valuable lessons. Like the importance of discipline in a coach and character in players.
They've applied what they learned in their sophomore season. The result has been an impressive 6-0 start for the Maulers.
“We had a bunch of guys last year that came to Missoula to hunt and fish and play hockey on the side,” said Burks, whose team finished 18-34 and lost 16 of 23 after coach Brad Swearingen was dismissed for undisclosed reasons.
“We didn't think ahead as far as bringing in 24 hockey-playing 16-to-20-year-olds from all over the country. We had to learn to take care of the personnel and coaching issues. With our struggling season and internal problems, we couldn't wait for it to end.”
According to Miller, the focus and dedication of this year's players has improved. That and an increased scoring punch have keyed the Maulers' fast start.
“We went with a younger team, guys that are starving to win and have something to prove,” said the Big Sky grad, who worked with Stewart in the player recruitment process. “Last year we were forced to rely on two or three guys for our scoring and had to get lucky when they were in there. This year we have a lot more pairings that work.”
So at least for now, the Maulers are a runaway success story, a good reason to turn off the tube and brave the cold. With any luck the team's depth and strong local support will serve it well in the long winter months ahead.
Even when the Maulers struggled last season, they still averaged about 1,200 fans a game. That was roughly four times the average in the Northern Pacific Hockey League.
In four regular-season games at Glacier Ice Rink this season, the Maulers have averaged about 1,500 fans.
“This weekend we had a 9-year-old girl who wanted to have her birthday party at a Maulers game,” Miller said. “You always think of hockey as male-dominated sport, so to see so many females show interest in the team, that's something I didn't expect.
“I think we've also helped the numbers in Missoula youth hockey. We get calls to our office phone asking how a kid can sign up for hockey. When you get those calls, you know you're doing something to encourage the sport.”
Burks stays out of most personnel issues, conceding he's no hockey expert. But it's important to him his players are positive role models. The responsibility carries with it community service and a curfew.
On the ice, the Maulers set their own kind of positive example.
“Compared to last year they don't let their heads get down or give up,” Burks said. “Their conditioning has paid off in the third periods of games.
“Those factors - mental toughness and fitness - have been important. Last week they scored late in a game to tie it and then won in overtime, and I was proud of the way they kept their heads up. (Stewart) has them believing they're winners.”
It takes more than six of victories to be deemed a winner in Junior A hockey. But win or lose, Garden City's slam-banging spectacle on ice certainly beats staying home watching some political analyst spew venom.
Sports columnist Bill Speltz may be reached at 523-5255 or bill.speltz@lee.net.
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