A LOOK BACK AND A LOOK AHEAD

The Christmas break is upon us and it gives me time to look back at the first half of the season for the Winkler Flyers. The first 42 games of the season have been a grind. It has been a tough year so far for a variety of reasons. And when I say tough I don’t been bad, it’s just been tough.

One of the reasons is that of the 42 games that the Flyers have played so far this season, 24 of them have been on the road. The longest trips of the year to OCN, Swan Valley, and Dauphin are all done. The other team’s rink hasn’t been the most friendly place to play this season. The Flyers are 9-13-1-1 on the road with the bulk of those loses coming in the first two months of the season.

The other reason for the tough start was the injuries, especially to All-Star defenseman Caleb Suderman. He was in and out of the line-up to start the season after getting injured in pre-season. His permanent return midway through the first half of the season is one of the big reasons for the turnout to start the month of November.

The coaching staff also decided to move Jordan Peters back to defense just before Suderman’s return and since then the local pairing has been one, of if not the best D pairing in the league. The more then solid play of Peter Alexander in goal has been a huge bonus this season. He sports some of the best numbers among MJHL netminders with a 17-12-2 record with one shutout. A 3.16 GAA and a .916 save percentage. He has been the difference in a number of games between winning and losing and the tandum of him and Carey Dyck should give us little reason to worry the rest of the way.

All of those things combined and also a few key additions along the way have made the Flyers a completely different team from Nov. 1st on, and it shows in their record. Winkler started the season 8-12-2 and since their Halloween road trip to Swan Valley are 13-5-2.

The Flyers have proven that IF and WHEN they give it their all and play a 60 minute hockey game (or close enough) they can beat anybody. However, if that doesn’t happen they can lose to anybody. The goal and the challenge for the team and the coaches is to figure out how to do that game in and game out.

A few things are on the side of the Flyers coming into the New Year. 13 of the remaining 20 games are at home where they have a remarkable 12-4-2 record. 8 of those games are against sub .500 teams and 7 of them are against Sherwood Division teams so they don’t matter so much in the standings.

Now the January 10th trading deadline is coming up soon after the players return from their Christmas break where teams will finalize their 23 player rosters that they will take into the remainder of the season and playoffs.

As well as things are going for Winkler at the moment there are still some areas of concern. They are not tremendously deep on the blue line. We have seen when the big guys go down there is a bit of a drop off. And I know that big, puck moving defensemen don’t grow on trees but I would say that is the first area to try and improve.

Second is to try and find a legit top 6 forward or maybe even top 3 that can score. Someone who strikes fear into their opponent. Having a player like that will also open up opportunities for others to flourish with being not so much in the spot light or on the other teams radar so much. And the other thing is some toughness. Not necessarily a big idiot fighter but someone who stirs it up and is mean and a little “grey area” once in a while.

If you take a look at the Flyers roster in terms of the quality of the 20 year olds and the way the division is set up this season THIS is the year to make a push. Remember, these suggestions are just my opinion but if you want to get a top notch player you need to be willing to give something in return. I know and realize that is the worst part of the job for the decision makers but winning here and now is the bottom line.

The Orange and Black have 21 players on the roster right now which gives them 4 open cards. So if they use all 4 cards they will need to get rid of 2 players somewhere is the shuffle. Let me know in the comment section what you think should happen.

Recently, the Flyers have not been known as the team that pulls off the big deals, where people around the league and not just within the organization say “WOW, look at what Winkler just did”.

I hope that is the case this year.

Merry Christmas folks and we will talk again soon…

p.s.

just for fun here are some pics that Ray Peters (one of the team photographers) took of me while the Flyers were playing in Neepawa this month and the Flyers took 3 penalties in a row which would explain some of my facial expressions. It is also VERY cold in that arena which would explain the hat....enjoy!!

MEET THE CAPTAINS - CAM STEVENS

Welcome to the 2nd installment of Meet The Captains. A number of weeks ago you got to know Captain Troy Kliever just a little bit better. This time I will focus on assistant captain Cam Stevens.

Cameron Lloyd Stevens (aka Cat) was born May 23rd, 1989 in the City of Brandon. Cam has three sisters, Amanda, Jacquie, and Melody. Cam just became an uncle for the first time recently as Amanda and her husband Tristin celebrated the birth of the daughter Ellie.

Cam has lived in the same house in Brandon his whole life with his mom and dad (Debbie and Kevin). Cam’s inspiration in hockey is his dad. He says that his dad has always been there for him and is his biggest fan and critic.

Cam played his minor hockey in Brandon and left home when he was 17 years old to play for the Chilliwack Bruins (WHL). Cam also played for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Tri-City Americans before returning to Winkler full time this season.

When Cam’s junior hockey career comes to an end after this season he wants to go to school. He has three years of schooling saved up from his three seasons in the WHL. His favorite subjects in high school were History and Social Studies.

Cam’s advice to other young hockey players is that if you want to succeed you have to give it your all every chance that you get. Do all the thing that will help you get better. Get in the gym!

There is also one thing about Cam that you may not know. He is a huge fan of the movie Ratatouille. He even has a figure of Remy (the main mouse in the movie) as his key chain.

ROSTER DEADLINE THOUGHTS

The December 1st roster cut down deadline has come and gone for all Junior A teams in Canada. The deadline forces all teams to get their rosters down to 25 while at the same time leaving as many cards as they can open in order to make some moves down the road before the January trading deadline.

If you haven’t heard already the Flyers lost four players and got two. Gone are Forwards Brett Suderman and Joe Becker, Defenseman Mitch Lutz, and Goaltender Michael Deslauriers. The additions are Forward Anthony Collins and Goaltender Carey Dyck. The trade for Dyck has made the most immediate impact with the injury to Peter Alexander and Dyck has proven to be a great addition to the Flyers crease.

Deslauriers, Becker, and Lutz were all considered import players. An import player is one that did not play the previous year in the province of Manitoba. Each team is only allowed to have eight imports on their roster at any given time so the three gentlemen I mentioned before are just victims of the numbers game.

Suderman on the other hand is a different story. Flyer nation sure does love their local talent and anytime one of them leaves the team it comes with mixed emotions. Brett was also a victim of the numbers game but in a different way. The Flyers now have 21 players on the roster and have four cards open in which to add some impact players before the January deadline, so in that regard they are right where they want to be.

As the December 1st roster cut down deadline approached Brett was asked about the possibility of being assigned to the Pembina Valley Twisters of the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League. Doing this would allow the Flyers to keep his rights while keeping an extra card open and still have the ability to AP him up to 10 times throughout the rest of the season. He would still practice with the Flyers and would be able to get the ice time that he was wanting with the Twisters.

After considering that plan Suderman decided that he would rather play for a different team in the MJHL. The Flyers then granted him that request by sending him to Neepawa for the MJHL rights to Anthony Collins.

There are some who will be put off by the fact that the Flyers traded a local kid but at the end of the day what are we trying to do here? Are we providing a place for each and every local kid to play hockey or are we trying to win. By saying that I don’t mean that we can’t win by having local players I am just saying that sometimes you need to do things like this in order to improve your hockey club.

As of 12:01am on December the 2nd are the Flyers a better team and in a great position to get even better? Yes. Is Brett Suderman getting the chance to play more and produce more with Neepawa? Yes.

The window for opportunity for the Flyers is small. The crop of 20 year olds is better then it has been in many years. This is the year to go for it and sacrificing some of the future for the present is what they have to do. Making decisions like this are not made on a whim. There are a number of things that they take into consideration like how it affects the team on the ice and in the room. They also think of how it will affect their fans and the community.

Flyer fans have been screaming for a winner for many, many years and the people in charge are trying to make that happen. Sometimes in hockey you need to take feelings and personal things out of the equation and do what’s best for the whole.

I am glad truly glad for Brett that he will now get the opportunity to play more. He added that spark every once in a while that will hopefully be filled by someone else (see above picture). I wish him all the best in Neepawa. It is hard to say goodbye sometimes but its part of the business or sport.

Remember this is just my opinion. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think...

HAVING FUN

Hockey is a game!

I think all too often the word “fun” is the most forgotten word in most hockey people’s vocabulary. So much emphasis is put on winning, stats, revenue, systems, match-ups, line combinations, and all kinds of other things that exist in the game of hockey. But what really is the bottom line at the end of the day or at the end of our lives for that matter is how are we going to judge ourselves on how successful things have been for us.

When this season comes to an end some time in spring are we going to look back at all the pressure that the Flyers are under to win and be successful and some of the missed chances or roster moves that could have or should have been made. We will look on them either in a positive or negative light, depending on how the season turns out.

Something that I think has become lost in this game is the question of “did we have fun”. This isn’t just talking about the Flyers but with any team in any sport. For the people who are lucky enough to make hockey a career it can be a little tough with all the business side of thinks tending to be a little consuming at times.

Use Winkler’s own Dustin Penner as an example. A number of years ago he signed with the Edmonton Oilers for over $4.25 million dollars a year after just winning the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks where he made somewhere in the neighbourhood of $400,000 per season. His first couple seasons as an Oiler were not that great and I’m sure if you asked him if he was having fun he wouldn’t say yes.

Watching the Flyers play the Waywayseecappo Wolverines tonight it was evident for the first time in a long time that they were having fun. For at least 60 minutes all the pressure from the coaches, executive, the community, the scouts, and all the other people weighing down on the 23 players on the Flyers roster seemed to be gone. For whatever reason it looked like a bunch of friends getting together on the backyard rink and just having a good time. Now that tends to happen when you are winning which the Flyers have been doing lately but I think winning and fun go hand in hand.

There is so much riding on these people to perform. Not just the players, but the coaches too. The players have scholarship opportunities on the line, the coaches have their jobs are on the line. Everyone is just one wrong move or one back stretch from being gone. So with that being said the only thing that each individual can control is how they handle themselves and how much fun they have. Cause at the end of the day hockey is a game…..and games are supposed to be fun.

please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.

IF IT WORKS....IT WINS

Hello once again and welcome back to another exciting post here on Behind the Mic. The month of November has been a pretty good one. Pretty much everyone is FINALLY healthy and we are starting to see the team that I think we should be seeing.

Four straight wins and one little bump in the road this past Tuesday has turned the Flyers season in the right direction. The goaltending of Peter Alexander has been awesome. The defense has been much improved thanks in large part to the return of Caleb Suderman and the switch from forward to defense for Jordan Peters. And also the offense is clipping along.

The thing though about the Flyers streak ending loss on Tuesday against the Blues is that it became apparent as to why things have turned around. It comes down to two simple words……work ethic.

In the game of hockey, work ethic has the ability to make an average player a good player, and a good player a great player. In November, this has been one of the Flyers strengths. However, during the second period against the Blues that wasn’t there and it cost them the game.

If the Flyers work harder then the other team then they can be one of the best teams in the league, but if they don’t then they are beatable. So the success of this season for the Flyers comes down to one simple yet very complex thing………work ethic.

Happy Movember!!

So since the last time we talked things have been going fairly well. The boys are on a three game winning streak and are poised to keep it going. However, the last time I talked about how things were going great I jinxed it so I will not talk about it. What I will talk about though is my mustache. What?!?!

Across the world the month of November is known as Movember. During Movember we as men are growing mustaches to support the fight against Prostate Cancer. Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer to inflict Canadian men.

Stats show that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and 4,400 men will die this year from the disease.

The point of Movember is to raise awareness for the fight against Prostate Cancer and to raise funds for Prostate Cancer Canada. The money raised will go to education, support, as well as research into prevention, detection, treatment, and a cure for Prostate Cancer.

Remember, every mustache makes a difference...

So just for your amusement I have found some pretty sweet pictures of some guys with some awesome staches……so here they are.

ME!!!!!

Rollie Fingers Lanny McDonald Mike Ditka Hulk Hogan Ron Burgandy Joe Namath I don't know this guys name but WOW!!!!!!! and WOW!!!

SWAN VALLEY ROAD TRIP DIARY

Hello folks…So this past weekend the Flyers made their second northern trip of the season. And unlike the Flyers trip up to OCN at the beginning of October I was able to tag along this time.

There are many things that happen on a road trip and to let you know what those things are I decided to keep a little diary of the weekend events so here it is…..(complete with pictures)

Friday, October 30th
9:35am – The Flyers bus filled with 21 players, 2 coaches, 1 trainer, 1 bus driver, and myself leave the Winkler Recreation Complex and start the 326 mile trip to Swan River

9:55am – Stop in Carman for coffee and to pick up Ernie Sutherland

10:13am – I am already bored (haha) I Am Legend is the first movie on the Ipod.

2:00pm – Stop in Dauphin for a break. Grab some McDonalds goodness and we are on our way.

3:22pm – We arrive in Swan River and pull up to the Westwood Inn

3:30pm – Pre-game meal is spaghetti and meat balls

3:50pm – Everyone gets their room assignments and relaxes and prepares for game #1 in Swan.

5:40pm – Meet in the lobby and board the bus for the Swan River Centennial Arena.

10:18pm – Back on the bus after a big 5-2 win which means a loud rendition of “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive” by Travis Tritt (which is the Flyers victory song by the way)

10:23pm – Back at the Hotel for another meal. Breaded chicken, potatoes, veggies, and various other things (yummy).

11:30pm – In your rooms and lights out by midnight. (that doesn’t apply to radio announcers though)

Saturday, October 31st
9:30am – Breakfast (bacon, eggs, toast, COFFEE)

10:00am – Team takes part in a 40 minute walk just to get the blood flowing. (I did not take part in the walk, I was watching a movie haha)

10:40am – Back in their rooms and settle in for an afternoon of napping, tv watching, music listening, and more napping. (I watched my Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Hamilton game and wasted 3 hours of my life)
3:30pm – Pre-game meal, Fettuccini Alfredo

3:50pm – Player meetings, first the defensemen, and then line by line. (breaking down video from the night before with Ernie)

5:30pm – Meet in the lobby and head to the rink for game #2

10:18pm – Pull away from the arena after a 6-1 loss and head to Subway for some food.

10:30pm – Leave Swan River and begin the journey back home.

12:20am – Stop in Dauphin to fuel up the bus and stop at Tim Horton’s

4:15am – Pull into the parking lot of the Winkler Recreation Complex, boy am I sleepy….GOOD NIGHT!!!!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Friday morning the Flyers and myself will be making the 326 mile trek to Swan River for the first of two games in two nights against the Swan Valley Stampeders. This will be my fourth time on the Swan River trip and let me tell you it is the most fun and most boring trip ever. So I want to let you know what’s going on throughout the weekend. I will be keeping a Swan River road trip diary to let you know minute by minute what happens on these types of events. I will be posting my diary (complete with pictures) in my next post.

Another thing the Flyers started recently is making an effort to connect with their fans. After their game against OCN on Sunday Jordan Peters and Seth Ronsberg came to the lobby immediately following the game to hand out their hockey cards, sign some autographs and just chat. Each and every home game, two different players will be doing the same thing. So if you want to collect the whole set then you better make sure that you are at each and every Flyer home game.

Alright, that is it for now. Don’t forget you can listen to Friday nights game in Swan River on 1570 CKMW with our pregame show beginning at 7:25pm. You can also listen to the game online by clicking on the CKMW tile on winklerflyers.com.

WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM

Well hello once again. First off I would just like to thank all of you for reading my blog and also for letting me know what you think by leaving comments. This is the purpose of this blog and my intent was to give Flyer fans a voice. So thanks for making Behind the Mic as popular as it is.

This post isn’t going to be very long but I hope and I think that it’s important.

As we all know by now things on the ice have not being going well for the good old Orange and Black. And I am not here today to talk about what I think they should do or give suggestions on how to improve the situation. I am here to talk to you.

As fans of the Winkler Flyers we have had to learn patience the last few years and this year is no exception. The skill and talent is there, and unfortunately some key injuries and inconsistent play have also been there.

The team is fragile, they are trying so hard to be the team that they want to be and that we want them to be and it just isn’t happening at the moment.

The last two games against the Kings and Terriers have been very encouraging. The thing they need from us I believe is support. You walk into any store, coffee shop, church, or even bathroom in the area and the conversation always seems to turn into “What the heck is happening?”

What they need from us (Flyer Nation) is support, encouragement, patience, and trust. They need fans that come to the game a cheer their faces off and help anyway they can. And if coming to the game and cheering for the Flyers is the only way you can help then please do it. We need to stand behind them and all be on the same team.

And if you are the type of person to find everything wrong and pick apart the game, the players, the coaches, and everything else then I encourage you to stay home.

I THINK THEY ARE MAD

Are you frustrated with how things are going so far? I know I am. But I also know that there are a few more people that are way more frustrated and upset then we are and it’s the people on the ice and behind the bench.

Watching last nights 6-1 loss to the Saints it was pretty evident in the 3rd period that everyone is kind of ticked at the way things are going these days. The ref didn't help things at all though and was clearly not able to handle a game that was in danger of getting out of control.

Thiess (Head Coach Mark Thiessen as he is known in the hockey circles) made some nice in-game adjustments yesterday. The offence was no where to be seen really in the first and he re-united Ronsberg, Peters, and Lazorko to start the 2nd and they were awesome. They know where each other is going to be and they just have such good chemistry together that it makes you wonder why he broke them up in the first place.

Let’s go back just a few games ago. The Flyers are on a three game winning streak with wins over the Saints, Terriers, and Blues. It was then that they decided to mix up all the lines and bring in a bunch of more guys. And what has happened since then? They are 1-3-1. So why the tinkering? Just leave it alone for a while until these guys get used to each other. Unless there is a deal that is out there that is so unbelievably awesome that you have to make.

And seeing the boys in the locker room and hearing the coaches after the game I sure wouldn’t want to be the Pistons tomorrow night. The Flyers are MAD!!!!!!

****note**** There are some other things that I would like you all to be aware of. Washington Capitals forward and Winkler native Eric Fehr has been awesome enough to do a weekly show on 1570 CKMW each and every Thursday afternoon at 4:15 cst called “From Capital Hill with Eric Fehr”. He talks about himself, how the Caps are doing and takes us inside the life on an NHL player. The reports will be available online very shortly. He also welcomes questions and comments which you can do by emailing him at capitalhillreport@gmail.com. If there is anything that you have ever wanted to know about an NHL player then here is your chance.

THINGS ARE BETTER THEN YOU THINK

When you read the title of this one you may, or may not agree with me. The Flyers have been very consistent this season. They are either consistently bad or consistently good. How do you go from a team that loses four in a row to a team that wins 3 in a row. It is at least good to know that the team that is supposed to be winning the division this year is in there somewhere.

Mark Thiessen (Head Coach and GM) has said all along that the players who start the season are probably not going to be the ones that end the season. In every season and with every team there is tweeking along the way. The thing is that some teams and some tweeks are better then others.

To me, the things the Flyers have done so far have been positive. Bringing in David Lawrence this week will be huge I think. I remember him at the CJHL Prospects Game that took place in Winkler in 2007. He played for La Ronge of the SJHL then and seeing him play for the OCN Blizzard last season he just seems like a player that anyone would want on their team. The skill level is great but now just fitting him into to where he fits best will need to happen.

During the three game winning streak the team chemistry was one of the reasons, I think, for the success and with the showcase weekend upon us that aspect of the team better be back.

So lets just assume that everyone is healthy, which they might be this weekend. These are the lines that I would make if I were the coach (which I would never want to be by the way).

Forwards -
LINE 1
Nick Lazorko Seth Ronsberg Jordan Peters
LINE 2
Shael Hechter David Lawrence Jordan Neduzak
LINE 3
Michael Wilgosh Brock Genyk Kendrew Friesen
LINE 4
Kyle Wells Brett Harder Brett Suderman (or Tim Rollins)

Defense –
PAIR 1
Blair Osiowy Troy Kliever
PAIR 2
Caleb Suderman Josh Martin
PAIR 3
Mac Williams Cam Stevens
PAIR 4
Eric Smith (I will make Kliever double shift…sorry buddy)


Here is the thing that I think when I see these lines. They are a very front loaded team. If a deep run is in the cards this year the balance will need to be shifted a little more toward the defensive side. And if some of the rumours or possibilities happen with the WHL deadline coming up in a few days this problem could either get worse or better. We will have to wait and see.

Let me know what you think and if you have any better ideas or other things you want me to write about in the future please leave a comment.

WHO ARE YOU PLAYING FOR?

As time moved on from when we last talked, a number of things have happened. The Flyers lost 4 in a row including a bad OCN road trip where they showed terrible discipline and lost those two games mostly because they where in the box for over half of the time. Now I know that when things are not going well and the pressure is on like it is this season, every little thing seems like the biggest deal ever. I mean do you think anybody wanted to start the season 3-5.

Lets just assume for a second that the Flyers lost their most recent game against the Saints (which they won 5-1 by the way). What would the questions have been? Cause there does come a time when you stop saying that it’s early in the season so let’s just let them figure it out. When I was watching that game against the Saints I saw a much different team then I did during that four game skid. They seemed to dominate the game from start to finish and they were able to take advantage of the opportunities that they needed to. And most of all the stayed disciplined. I am not just talking about staying out of the penalty box but also doing what they have been taught from day one and throughout everyday in practice.

As I am writing this entry I am stumped about what to talk about. I am watching the Toronto vs Montreal game and all of a sudden an idea popped into my head. The Toronto Maple Leafs are like the Winkler Flyers. Now before you start to think that I am crazy just listen for a second. Why do teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Portage Terriers, New England Patriots, and The L.A. Lakers compete for championships year after year? Is it because they always have the best players or spend the most money or have the best coaches…No! Its about culture. The second you walk into to one of those stadiums or arenas you see the trophies sitting in the trophy case and you see those banners hanging in the rafters and before the team even comes on the playing surface you know you are about to watch a good team.

Now if you are a Toronto Maple Leafs fan or not you have to admit that the culture of the team has changed for the better. And it will take a few years to get to the end goal but it is getting better. The Flyers have won a championship more recently then the Leafs so it should be easier to change the culture of the Flyers.

So to wrap up this rambling mess of an entry you have to figure out a few things if you want to be a member of a team that needs a culture change.

Do you want to do whatever it takes to win? Will you sacrifice your individual goals or stats for the greater good of the team? Just remember what you are playing for……the crest on the front and not the name on the back.

MEET THE CAPTAINS – TROY KLIEVER

Welcome to the first installment of a four part series that I like to call “Meet The Captains”. This season as you already know the coaching staff has selected Troy Kliever as the captain with Caleb Suderman, Cam Stevens, and Shael Hechter as the assistant captains. You know who these guys are on the ice but do you really know them.

For most of you your paths will probably never really cross and I want to let you know who these guys are.

First off we are going to start with this years team captain Troy Kliever. Troy Michael Kliever is entering his third year with the team. He is probably one of the most reliable defenseman that you can ask for in the MJHL. He basically does whatever it is that you ask of him as a hockey player and in my opinion, a great pick to wear the “C”.

Troy was born in Brandon, Manitoba on March 1st, 1990. He grew up in Elkhorn with his older brother Mark and other sister Kristen along with their parents Rod and Laurie. The Kliever family moved to Deloraine when Troy was finished grade one and that is where they still live today.

Troy played the majority of his minor hockey and baseball in Deloraine, which is a very sports minded community. The rink is the hotbed of activity in the winter with plenty of free ice time and the rink is always open for anyone to use at any time.

Troy credits his parents for his successes in hockey as they would always provide rides to practice or games and still to this day will travel from their home in southwestern Manitoba to watch Troy play.

After his junior hockey career is over Troy would like to earn a scholarship for either a NCAA school or CIS. He would also like to have the opportunity to play professionally overseas.

During his school years Kliever enjoyed History and World Issues and enjoys camping and spending time at the lake and on the water during the summer.

And for any of you looking to succeed in the game of hockey Troy offers this advice, “Work hard but have fun playing the game.”

There you have it folks. I hope you enjoyed the first installment of “Meet The Captains”. Stay tuned throughout the season for parts two through four and thank you so much for checking out my blog and feel free to leave a comment about anything and I will be happy to talk about it.

First Impressions

Well another Flyers season is underway and already there is a lot to talk about. As I talked about in my first post there were many questions coming into the season and some already have been answered and some are just different than I thought.

The first one was in goal. When Dayn Belfour decided to leave the club during the summer and try his hand at the U.S.H.L. it automatically left the number one spot open. So the first thought is that Scott Hellyer (last years backup) will just slide into that spot and it would be a situation where it would be his spot to lose.

There were a few guys that played well during camp but no one really took the bull by the horns and showed that they were for sure the number one goalie. But throughout the first two games of the season both Peter Alexander who got the start in game one, and Hellyer who got the start in game two have made it very difficult for the man in charge to pick his man. Or maybe he already has….I don’t know. For the time being anyway that part of the roster will be just fine.

Scoring goals shouldn’t be a problem either. With plenty of experienced fire power on this years team things are looking promising and when they actually find who plays best with each other the Flyers offense will be lethal from top to bottom.

Now here is where I get just a little bit nervous. At the end of last season the entire blue line was eligible to return which made me think that was going to be the best part of their game. And so far it hasn’t. Now I’m not saying that it’s terrible and I know that when you start the season without one of the best d-men in the league it puts you in the hole right off the bat.

Last season when Caleb Suderman missed three months with an ankle injury, it created a big hole and also put additional stress on the guys who have to fill in which in turn can take production away from them. Bad giveaways have been the story early in this season. In game one all four goals were a direct result and a Flyer mistake and the Pistons took a 2-1 lead in the first period in that game thanks to another bad play but the Flyers in their own zone.

You have to wonder if people are trying to do too much in Suderman’s absence or are trying to make an impression early in the year to earn more ice time or are just nervous or excited or both about a new season. But I’ve heard it said and seen it many times that when you are stuck in your own zone with the puck on your stick the most attractive thing in the world is to fire that sucker off the glass and out. You don’t have to make it pretty to make it a good play. There are no style points in victory. You can score 5 highlight reel goals and still lose the game but it might be that hard working second and third and fourth effort around the net that gets you the big win.

I encourage you to make a comment and let me know what you think…

As another Manitoba Junior Hockey League season begins for the Winkler Flyers the questions heading into this, and any other season for that matter are the same. Do the boys have what is takes this year? How do we get back to the way things were back in the early 90’s? I was still living in the great province of Saskatchewan when the glory days of Flyer hockey were taking place so I don’t know how that feels.

I don’t remember when the scariest players in the league were wearing orange and black uniforms, or when championship trophies were being hoisted at center ice of the Winkler Recreation Complex. But what I do know is that look in the players eyes, the talk out of the coach’s mouths, and the general feeling is that the plan is to get there again this season.

The players on the team this year don’t remember Winkler as a winning franchise. Some of the guys on this year’s Flyers roster were still in diapers when they last won a league championship. I’m sorry for making this first entry sound depressing but those are the facts.

Now every so often the right things happen at the right time to make you think, “Oh man, this could be the year.” The Flyers have a better crop of 20 year olds than they’ve had in years, the young guys are good. The rest of the division is re-building. And right now anyway, all the signs are pointing in the right direction and things are looking good.

In the end, will everything work out according to plan? I hope so.

The fans want it so bad. Every person I talk to tells me how awesome it would be if things were the same as the old days. When the team was great, the arena was full, and Flyer Pride was running through everyone that you met.

Please join me on this adventure this season and remember, we’re all on the same team. Lets all get our hands on that trophy.