Welcome Back!

Hello my friends and welcome back to the blog after a bit of a off-season hiatus. I had started to think about what to write after the season came to an end many times but always become distracted with stuff. Even at this moment I am sitting in my basement watching a movie with my wife (Valentines Day if you really want to know. It’s really good you should watch it).

Anyway!!! Before I get to the goings on since the season came to an end I just wanteed to talk about the playoffs for a brief moment if I could. The last time I wrote a blog the Flyers were in the midst of not doing so well in their Addison Division Final series against the Winnipeg Saints. Quickly without getting into too much detail I think the quick end that was that Saints series comes down to a few things. It is the same that I talked about a good number of posts ago. The culture of winning! The way that the Flyers beat the Steelers in the first round left the team and all their fans on such a high that it almost appeared good enough.

Now don’t get me wrong. Nobody wanted to lose in the division final. But changing the culture when things haven’t gone well in recent memory is a tough job. Now lets hope that with the changes that have been made in the last couple of months can turn things around. Not just for the next few seasons but for years to come. And honestly I think they can.

When Mark Thiessen decided to step away from the role of Head Coach and G.M. it allowed the organization to try and turn things in a bit of a different direction.

Hiring Henry Siemens as the new General Manager was the first move that was made. And I know there was a lot of people who came up to me and said “What does Henry know about hockey players?”. Well his job isn’t to know anything about hockey players. His first job was to find someone who does. And I think he did.

The next move that was made was the hiring of John Marks as the new Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations. If you haven’t seen Marks’ resume you can check it out on the Flyers website. And I know that we can’t really judge the man until he actually coaches a game but here are a couple of things I have picked up on in the few times I have talked to him.

He is a straight shooter. He says it like it is and likes it his way and if you are not on board with that philosophy then you better get out of the way. He is a players coach and has their best interests at heart. If they want to get better and eventually go to a school of there choice he we get them there, but only if they earn it. An interesting quote that he said to me the other day was that so many kids now a days come to an organization and say “what can you give me?” And He said the words that should be coming out of their mouths should be “What can I earn?”.

When the hiring process began I think there was a lot of pressure to hit this one out of the park. Many people felt that the talent was there but there was just something missing in terms of trying to get this storied franchise back to the glory that it once had. And any time you are able to land a coach that has a resume longer then most of ours put together there is absolutely no way you can pass up on that opportunity.

John Marks according to the people I have talked to (not just Flyer people but hockey people around the country), Marks has a lot of contacts. He is able to recruit well based on his history and name and on the other side of the coin, he will be able to get the kids (who deserve it) a scholarship at the end.

He will get the most out of his players and will not put up with those who don’t work hard and expect things they don’t deserve...bottom line.

I know he has only been here a few weeks and the first impression always seem to look good but I am really excited about this upcoming season. The players I have talked to are excited and so are the fans.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and check back every once in a while to see if anything is new....ALSO please click on the Facebook link either on this site or the Flyers homepage to become a Facebook fan of the Winkler Flyers and be instantly updated on whatever is happening.

Thanks and have a good one!

It's Coming!

I know it has been a long time since I updated this thing. Apparently after a busy, busy hockey season my kids want to spend time with me and my wife has a "to-do" list longer then my arm. I am working on a post that will include some post season reaction, thoughts on the new coach, and general off-season stuff. If you have any suggestions please feel free to comment and let me know what you want to talk about.

Thanks for your patience.

-Matt-