Tech T-Birds will take right turn
The change of the guard is taking place within the ranks of the two-time Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League champion Soo Thunderbirds.
Now under the command of The Tech 1921 Ltd. and its handpicked director of hockey operations Denny Lambert, the new-look Thunderbirds have moved on from former lieutenants Kevin Cain and Jamie Henderson while erstwhile assistant coaches Kyle Brick and Jeremy Rebek have parlayed experience gained into head-coaching positions elsewhere.
So just how does The Tech 1921 Ltd. duplicate the success of the previous Thunderbird stewards?
With Lambert at the helm and with plans for an academy-style, minor-hockey program in the works for The Tech 1921 Ltd., don’t expect win-at-all-costs championships to be on the agenda.
Player development will be the main focus of The Tech 1921 Ltd. with the academy eventually providing a feeder system to the Thunderbirds and in turn to routes that include major junior and college hockey.
Not to say that the past version of the Thunderbirds was lacking in development.
Because, to be sure, the Thunderbirds scored well in the development department as evidenced by the recent advancement of goalie Mario Culina and forwards Boris Katchouk and Nicolas Sicoly to the Ontario Hockey League and defensemen Owen Headrick and David Radke to the Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks.
It’s just that I think as The Tech 1921 Ltd. moves ahead with the Thunderbirds, local players will have first priority for roster positions as was the case several years back when previous operators Pat Egan and Al Jones only went outside the Sault Ste. Marie area for talent when the Soo pool was drained.
Let’s face it, while the Thunderbirds championships of the past two years were well-deserved and something to write about, a number of good local hockey players were overlooked and bypassed in favour of out-of-town talent that was purchased with thousands of dollars of sponsorship money.
Again, there is nothing wrong with the championship mentality that has been a mandate of the Thunderbird franchise over the past several years. But at the end of the day, the multiple championships did not bring in that many more fans nor did they increase awareness in the team locally.
Having said all of the above, the aforementioned Lambert is a competitive fellow who as an un-drafted player scratched and clawed his way into the OHL and then on to the National Hockey League where he defied all odds to skate in more than 500 games.
Lambert, without question, is as intense and driven an individual as one will find in the game of hockey.
But he’s also a guy with a passion for developing young people and players and maximizing their potential on and off the ice.
Lambert is also someone minus the arrogance and swelled ego that way too many in the junior and minor hockey game have as part of being full of themselves.
A proud man who is a husband, father and mentor first and foremost, Lambert isn’t the type of person who will put a championship ahead of present and future development.
He’s just not that guy. And under his watch, The Tech/Thunderbirds will not be that program.
There is little doubt that the Thunderbirds will be winners with Lambert. But winning will not come at the expense of education and hockey development.
Just my 2.5 cents worth.
It remains to be seen whether the New Ownership can ice a product and successfully market the Thunderbirds that will attract fans. Last year Greyhound fans had the option of purchasing a Seaseons ticket for $99….a huge discount. With a large roster of Sault players attendance still did not increase.
As to whether the T-Birds will be a “Winner” under Lambert, it remains to be seen. We can only hope that they retains Jordan Smith as Coach. Unlike Lambert, Smith has proved he can win.
I don’t think the Thunderbirds will have a winning team next season after they fired the scouts and general manager. It was a big mistake on their part, but unwilling to admit it and Blind River will just add discarding scouts and coaching staff from the Soo. The Thunderbirds will end up folding or moving to the outskirts of Sault Ste. Marie.