Solution to Leafs saga was classic McCrimmon

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/06/2015 (3738 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As it played out, the decision on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ recent bid to lure away the Brandon Wheat Kings’ boss turned out to be quintessential Kelly McCrimmon.

When many prognosticators had the Wheat Kings’ head coach, general manager and owner ready to jump to the National Hockey League, McCrimmon did the unexpected, opting to keep his loyalties right here with the junior club that has been his passion for so long. As media and public speculation swirled, McCrimmon, true to form, did his own due diligence behind the scenes and came up with his own path.

That doggedness and ability to go against the flow when he believes he is right is part of what makes McCrimmon so good at what he does.

Considered a master of the trade in the Western Hockey League, McCrimmon’s moves don’t always pay off, but more often than not they do, and it’s one of the reasons the Wheat Kings have been one of the WHL’s most consistent franchises.

He’s right again in this situation. Despite being among the WHL’s all-time leaders in coaching wins, McCrimmon has been lauded more for his ability to build a team than to coach one. While it certainly would have been an interesting experiment to see what a loaded Wheat Kings squad would do this season under someone else’s guidance, it’s also fitting that he sees this particular group of players through to whatever awaits them next spring.

From an opportunity standpoint, there’s no doubt it would be an enticing challenge to help try to turn around one of the NHL’s most storied franchises.

But, if the Wheat Kings can accomplish everything we think they can this season — or even most of it — there’s no doubt there will be multiple NHL suitors showing up on McCrimmon’s call display next spring. The opportunity to work with the Canadian national junior team this winter —McCrimmon will be an assistant coach — is just one more reason to stay.

For anyone with an interest in the Wheat Kings, this season is not one to be missed.

DRAFT DAY: Another exciting NHL draft for the Wheat Kings and their fans has arrived.

When Ivan Provorov’s name is called early tonight in Florida it will mark the third year in a row a member of the Wheat Kings has gone in the first round.

Provorov will follow in the footsteps of John Quenneville (30th overall last year), Ryan Pulock (15th in 2013) and the 2009 duo of Brayden Schenn (fifth) and Scott Glennie (eighth) to give Brandon five first-round NHL selections in the last seven drafts.

Ranked 24th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Provorov’s defence partner Ryan Pilon is also a longshot to be picked in the first round although it’s more likely he could follow Jayce Hawryluk, who was picked two spots after Quenneville last June, to give the Wheat Kings a second-rounder for the second year in a row.

The streak of high picks might not end anytime soon. The Future Considerations draft guide has given Brandon blue-liner Kale Clague an early nod as the 13th-best prospect for next year, while looking into the crystal ball to rank WHL rookie of the year Nolan Patrick No. 1 overall in 2017.

BOBCAT BONANZA: One of the criticisms of BU men’s basketball coach Gil Cheung has been his recruiting, particularly his failure to land a big man last year as the Bobcats slid to 2-18.

To his credit, Cheung has hit the recruiting trail with a vengeance this year, bringing in five newcomers, including college transfers with size (six-foot-11, 265-pound John Paul) and scoring potential (guard Chris Stanhope) as well as a player with CIS experience (Troy Grant, formerly of Thompson Rivers University) to fill the BU’s void at the point.

There are too many variables to know how they will all pan out, but it appears that Cheung is on the right track.