Record breaking Selects can coaching staff

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/07/2016 (2824 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In what smacks as the worst form of hockey parent politics and/or interference, the entire Eastman Selects coaching staff have been released from their duties from the record breaking Manitoba ‘AAA’ Midget Hockey League club.

Let’s see if we can wade through this complicated mess.

Perhaps we’ll start with an analogy. Those of you who follow football, and more specifically the goings on of late of the largely inept Winnipeg Blue Bombers, might find this interesting.

Although it’s possible his firing could come in the ensuing days or weeks, head coach Mike O’Shea (Teflon Mike) has mysteriously hung onto his job despite guiding the Bombers to their third straight season of futility, 1-4 going into last Thursday’s game in Edmonton, and a 13-28 record overall since taking over the helm of that sinking ship at IGF.

But, to many people’s dismay, Mike O’Shea was still the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at this writing.

But not so for Calvin Bugyik and his staff, who guided the Selects to a historic and record-breaking season this year. Wrap your head around this stat: the Selects posted an unbelievable 40-1-3 record this season, by far the best record in franchise history.

The 83 points posted by the Selects tied a single season record for most points ever in the more than 30-year history of the Manitoba ‘AAA’ Midget Hockey League. The Selects would go on to lose the league final to the second place Winnipeg Wild.

But all the success on the ice, including making it to the league finals two of the last three years, proved to be irrelevant when the Eastman Minor Hockey Association (EMHA), who does the hiring and firing of coaches and staff for the Selects, announced their decision to can head coach Calvin Bugyik along with his assistants Steven Jacques and Jon Lawrance as well as manager Chris Smook.

This was the same group that had much success with the Eastman Junior Selects in the Winnipeg Midget City ‘AAA’ Hockey League, who took over three years ago from a disastrous reign by Troy Kennedy, leading the Selects to the biggest turnaround in league history. What Bugyik and company accomplished that season was nothing short of incredible.

Coming off two straight seasons where the Selects were the worst team in the league, they improved to 24-13-7 the first year under Bugyk as the Selects then knocked off the first place Wheat Kings (39-3-2) in a memorable semi-final series.

Over the past two seasons the Selects had a 69-15-4 record and were 93-28-11 since Bugyik and Smook took over the team three years ago.

The EMHA, in making the announcement of the firings, said this, “After completing the yearly process, the Eastman Board of Directors has determined to go in a different direction with regards to the coaching staff, and on Monday, July 11 relieved Calvin Bugyik and the entire staff of their coaching responsibilities with the Eastman Selects Provincial Midget AAA team. The Eastman Board thanks Calvin and his staff for their work over the number of years in guiding the Provincial Team as Head Coach, as well as previous years as assistant coach at various levels.”

That explains it. Asked for an explanation of the firings, Ken Kutzak, Director of the EMHA, said there were a number of reasons behind the moves.

He said the primary reason was the lack of development of the players. “ A winning record is relevant but there was zero development.”

Dennis Senebald, an assistant coach with the St. Malo Junior ‘B’ Warriors last season, who has a long history as a player and coach at various levels, has been hired to take over the team as head coach.

“We have been pushing for more development, this coach will push for more development,” Kutzak said.

Kutzak added, “Calvin told one of our board members he might not come back next season, we didn’t want to get caught, with the Telus Cup coming up, without a coaching staff in place.”

“We tried to schedule meetings with him to discuss the reviews, he kept on postponing, or didn’t respond to the meeting requests so the board decided they needed to act. We also heard he was applying for MJHL jobs in Steinbach and Selkirk, which was a factor.”

Bugyik says he has not applied at Steinbach and Selkirk and in fact Pistons’ GM Paul Dyck confirmed he did not apply for the assistant coach job in Steinbach. Bugyik said he was however a reference for successful candidate Joey Moggach, who was an assistant coach with the Selects three years ago. “I did not apply for that or any other positions.”

As for some of the other accusations and statements made about him by the EMHA board of directors, Bugyik generally took the high road but did indicate he was mystified by it all.

As for the lack of development, Bugyik did point out the most recent example of Brett Howden, who starred for the Selects two years ago, being drafted in the first round of the NHL last month. “We have had a lot of our players go on to play junior hockey and elsewhere, and as for Brett, I like to think we had a small part to play in his success so far. I know I’ll enjoy watching him play in the next 10-15 years, hopefully in the NHL.”

Bugyik said their version of events of him not responding to meeting requests needs clarification. “In May they offered me the job to continue as head coach next season and I accepted.”

He said he did respond to a meeting request “perhaps a day later,” and did ask for a postponement, thinking it wasn’t urgent as he had already been hired.

“I also work full time, and Chris works full time, it is not always easy to schedule these things.” And although he didn’t want to use it as an excuse, as a first time dad, he also has a three-month-old son.

Bugyik said what upsets him the most about all of this, “is the great lengths and extremes some people will go to get what they want.”

As always, there are parents that are upset with the allotment of ice time. To this Bugyik said, “We used more players in more situations than any other team, I am comfortable with the ice time we gave players and I am comfortable with the job we did.”

“Although this is very disappointing,” added Bugyik, “ but I have no problem going home to my new son.”

As for future gigs, Bugyik said since his firing he has had some opportunities presented to him, but he is not making any decisions now.

The Eastman Selects play their home games in Beausejour and will be the host team at the Telus Cup regional tournament next April in Steinbach.