ARE YOU A CHICKEN OR A PIG?

If I have learned one thing about Head Coach John Marks, it’s this. He makes for some great interviews. Many of you have probably heard a number of his funny quotes and analogies. Anything from winning the RBC in one period and then going to KFC the next. Saying that players work harder in the offensive zone then they do in the defensive zone because chicks dig the guys who score goals. Comparing good goal scorers to Jesse James. He has also talked about how it wouldn’t be the best thing to see him in a short skirt and pom poms (I would agree).

But as funny and entertaining and he can be, there is profound and thought provoking detail behind it. By now you have probably heard his analogy about bacon and eggs. If you haven’t here it is. Following the Flyers 3-1 loss in Neepawa last Tuesday, John and I were talking about commitment to winning and that is when he told me this story.

“You look at bacon and eggs. The chicken makes a contribution to the bacon and eggs and the pig makes a commitment and a sacrifice. We need more pigs.”

Now as funny as that quote can be it does hold real truth. When it comes to your commitment and desire to win are you a chicken or a pig? Are you a player that just chips in from time to time when the going is good (chicken) or are you the type of player that is willing to give everything he has for the betterment of the team (pig). The chicken can give eggs and still be perfectly fine and uncommitted and unattached to what is going on. The pig on the other hand gives his heart and soul to the cause and is emotionally and physically invested in the end result.


At the start of the season things were going along really well and I think we are just in a time right now where the team is trying to learn how to be a winning team. You can be a team that wins some games but that doesn’t make you a winning team. Learning how to win and do that on a consistent basis is hard. In a league with parity you can’t afford to only show up in the third period and expect to win. I think this team has the makings of a winning team on the ice but they have to become a winning team in their heads.

Some players (not just on this team but on any team) think that they can do it on their own. They think that success or future opportunities will be based on nothing more than how many points you had at the end of the night. Well that my friends doesn’t always work.

You look at the old saying that one finger is not nearly as strong as your whole hand. Well its the same in hockey. You need all five players on the ice to work as one. The Flyers 6-1-1 start was both good and bad. It’s great to be in first place (at the time) but it can also lead you to believe that you are better then you are.

One of the reasons they were so good at the beginning is because they worked as a team and used each other and didn’t take anything for granted. And one of the reasons that they are 1-4 since is because they thought it would keep on going without being prepared to put in the work to do it.

If you look in the mirror and see a pig, then good for you. But if you see some feathers, then that better change.

It's Wide Open!

The 2010/2011 Manitoba Junior Hockey League season has been underway for about two weeks now and things so far have been pretty exciting. The Flyers are in first place in the Addison Division right now for a number of reasons, none of which I want to get into right now for no other reason than because I don’t want to jinx them.

You look at the standings as of right now and there are some teams in some places that nobody really expected. On any given night anybody can beat anybody and I think that is a really good thing.

Last season the Dauphin Kings hosted the RBC Cup and therefore had a guaranteed ticket into the national championship. Because of that they had absolutely no trouble recruiting top level talent to their hockey club. As a result they were head and shoulders above the rest of the league and made for a bit of an unlevel playing field. I am not saying that is anyone’s fault but if your team was playing against the Kings of 2009/2010 you were pretty sure a win wasn’t in the cards. They are now 4-4-1 to start the year and the OCN Blizzard, who didn’t even make the playoffs last season are 6-0. Who would have thought that hey!

Anyway, to get to my point I want to talk about the shuffle in the league this year and about the exciting parody that there seems to be. Like I said before, any team this season is capable of winning any game. From the top to the bottom there is a lot of talent in this league. Even the teams that are in the bottom of their respective divisions are good, young teams.

I think this does wonders for the league in terms of growing the support in certain towns that may not be used to having competitive teams. It goes a long way to attracting and retaining quality player from both Manitoba and other places. It also makes a much more desirable brand of hockey to spend you more to go and watch.

Having an overall competitive league makes for a more excitement and a higher level of hockey. It sure beats the heck out of a league where you can basically print out a league schedule before the season even starts and be able to pencil in who is going to win and by how many. That is no fun and drops the caring level for a lot of people.

I love going to the league site after the games are over and being able to say “Oh man, so and so beat so and so. That is cool!”.

I think we will see this become more and more evident as we move along here during the season. There will always been those teams (Winkler I hope) that separate themselves but if the younger teams are able to keep improving and becoming more competitive that will be a good thing.

There are a number of other blog topics that I have in mind and if you have any then please let me know. Thanks for checking out “Behind the Mic” and please let me know what you think of the blog or this years team or whatever.....see you around!

AT FIRST GLANCE

Have you ever wondered what the definition of “Old School” is. Websters Dictionary defines the term “Old School” as adhering to traditional policies and practices. In Hockey someone who is called “Old School” is someone who plays the game like they did in the past. Harding working, no nonsense, punch you in the mouth types of people. When Flyers Head Coach John Marks played in the NHL it was in a much different era then today. You didn’t play for the money, you didn’t play for a chance to be on prime time TV. You played for the crest on your jersey, your teammates and for pride.

The attitude that has come with the new man in charge in Flyerland is “No Excuses and No Regrets”. Never once has he said that the team will be more skilled then anyone else or that things will be easy. He has said that the team will work harder, hit harder, and the players that are lucky enough to earn their spot on the team will only receive what they earn. Right from the start of camp everyone has been on a level playing field. Whether you are a 20 year old veteran or a 18 year old rookie you will have to earn your stripes. I still remember one of the first conversations that I had with Coach Marks when he said that “Players must come here and ask me what can I earn, not what are you going to give me”.

Obviously with nearly 30 years of coaching experience and numerous championships along the way Coach Marks has learned a thing or two about deciding what kinds of players you need on a team to be successful.

At first glance the 2010/2011 edition of the Winkler Flyers seems to be pretty good. There is a lot of depth at forward with a good mix of speed, skill, size, and toughness. Goal scoring shouldn't be a problem.

With Peter Alexander and Reed Peters between the pipes I think that the tandem in Winkler will prove to be one of the best in the league. Alexander is a reigning All-Star and enjoyed a bit of comfort in goal last year with no one really pushing him.

Throughout most of last season it was almost a certainty that Alexander would get the start most nights. And that isn’t always a good thing. I think this year will be a lot different. Reed Peters is coming off a great year with the Pembina Valley Hawks. Leading them to the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League Championship and a finals appearance in the Western Regionals losing to the power house Notre Dame Hounds in that game.

According to many, Peters is one of the best goaltenders coming out of AAA Hockey. Coach Marks has assured him that he will get his minutes which will force Alexander to be at the top of his game. The blessing of having two great goaltenders is that the starter will have to be great to keep his job and the young guy will want to prove that he is capable of stealing it and both players will be better in the end. So that situation should be an exciting one to watch as the season moves along.

The defence on the other hand is the weak spot to start the season. Not necessarily because of a lack of talent but because of a lack of experience and a lack of birthdays. For the most part they are a very young bunch. It will take some time to get used to the speed of junior hockey and to the rigors of the schedule. Some of them are coming from High School hockey where their seasons are no more the 25-30 games long. Troy Kliever is entering his fourth and final year of junior hockey and will be the leader back there. Blair Osiowy and Devon Speiss are the only other vets on the blue line. So there are quite a few spots to fill back there and you can be guaranteed that just because the season has started that the search for that all important defensive talent is in high gear. Looking back at Sundays game though there were a few new guys that I thought did really well. A couple of Minnesota boys did really well in their Flyer debuts. Steve Sorensen and Nate Jose especially seemed to pick it up really well. It will be interesting to see how they develop as we move along.

There are a lot of things that make a team successful. The players on the ice is a big one. The coaching is also another big one. But the overall attitude of the team is also just as important as the people. The players are being held accountable for their actions. If you do something that you shouldn’t....you pay. If you are doing a drill in practice and one person isn’t giving it 100%, everyone does it again. They are being held accountable to not only themselves but their teammates as well. If everyone is working for the same common goal and its a goal that benefits the whole bunch then everyone will be more willing to do all they can to achieve it. Accountability and Honesty are two words that I have heard a lot in the first month and it is music to my ears.

Please let me know what you think and have your say by posting a comment. I know that Flyer fans are a passionate bunch and I want this to be a forum for all of us to share our opinions.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I look forward to your feedback.

Thoughts After Camp

(Head Coach John Marks)

The hockey season was dropped upon us over the weekend whether we wanted it to be or not. With temperatures hovering around 30 degrees on Friday 65 or so brave souls stood in line at the registration table and signed up for training camp. And when the two and a half exhausting days filled with 10 mini-games was over, I for one was pretty impressed.

(Mini-game coach Harry Mahesh smiling for the camera)

Trying to get a handle on how this season might go is a little hard to determine. In the past (especially last season) there was a boat load of optimism that didn’t really seem to pan out. And even though a great crop of 20 year olds are gone there is a new group at the core of this team the positive vibes surrounding camp this weekend are there, but in a little different way.

(a very tired referee....nice job Beattie)

The camp started off on Friday with a meeting with all the players, parents, and the coaching staff. And first year Flyers Head Coach John Marks took control of the situation right away. Although this was Coach Marks’ first Flyers training camp this is by no means the first time he has done this. When he began to speak you could get a sense right away that this is a man who knows what he is going to say, knows what he is talking about, and demands respect and attention when he is saying it.

(Ernie Sutherland, Ed Belfour, and John Marks)

The message was simple. You will work for what you get. Marks’ message right from the beginning of his career here in Winkler has been the same. You will have to earn everything that you get. There will be no freebies or undeserved ice time or any people just along for the ride. He relayed that message to the guys before they even hit the ice and almost immediately, it began to sink in.

Even though 13 of the 60 plus players had been here before, they were all brand new in the eyes of the Flyers new coach. There were some instances where some of the veterans seemed to take a few shifts off or didn’t chase down a puck the way they should but overall it was probably the best camp that I have seen. The vets played well, and some of the new recruits were very surprising.

I know its only been three days but for what its worth I think things are looking pretty darn good.

We should get a better look on Tuesday night during the inter-squad game and even more during the first few pre-season games this week as they cut some of the younger and weaker players on Sunday and we should get a better idea of what we have here when they start playing against players that are all on the same playing field.

Well that is a little of what I saw this weekend. Why don’t you let me know what you saw.

Post a comment and let me know what you think.

New Season Is Here

Training camp for the Winkler Flyers begins tonight at the Winkler Recreation Complex.

I hope you enjoyed the four part Flyer training camp preivew on http://www.winklerflyers.com/ that has taken place over the past number of weeks. If you haven't had a chance to read it I encourage you to check it out.

The first blog of the season will be posted on Monday with a bit of a training camp re-cap and I will (time permitting) trying to have a weekly update throughout the season.

I will be writing about my thoughts and I encourage you to do the same.

Let me know what you think about the first three days of camp by posting a comment here.

Thanks and Go Flyers!

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-