SLBAM: I disagree with the general battle this week

Hi everyone, I didn’t have time last week for my article of the week, for which I apologize. But here I am, stronger than ever, and let’s get right down to your questions of the week.

I could put Newfoundland in the question too. A lot of people write to me asking for news and what I know.

To be honest, we coaches don’t know much. At least, we don’t have the inside track. I often “feed” my coach what I see on social networks. Because we’re not the ones in the meetings or anything.

What happens is unfortunate, but it’s part of the business of hockey and especially of the ECHL. You need a good portfolio and excellent management.

Don’t forget that at any given time, the same owner has 3 teams. This is nothing new in the league, since many people/organizations own more than one team.

You saw it coming last year with the comments of the people in place who said they had no money for meals and so on.

Could management be better? When there’s a failure, you have to question and rethink everything. The fact that the teams are far away doesn’t help either, from what I can understand.

Now, the new buyer will have very little time to get the team back on track, because from what we can read and understand, the Lions have to give an answer by the beginning of the week at the latest.

Now, I don’t know enough about it, but is Trois-Rivières a good place for the ECHL market? Would a move simply be better? It’s hard to say, you’d need figures to back it up.

But I’ve always said to myself, when you spit at the top, chances are it’ll come back to bite you too.

I’m not getting into this trick question at all. Look at the messages on social networks. If we have a different idea, we’re less than nothing.

So I’d rather abstain and continue to do my best that when I’m in Quebec, I give my experience to players and coaches to continue to progress. To be able to do something over which I have control, not the other way around.

Funny question, since I had a lunchtime column on BPM Sports last year with Laraque and Truman. I love radio and when I was younger, I wanted to study in Jonquière so I could do television or radio.

Unfortunately, the path led me elsewhere and I don’t regret my choice.

To come back to BPM. Things were going well, it was my first experience in radio on a regular basis. I appeared several times a year on BPM Sport, Radio-Canada, 98.5. I loved the experience, but the click just wasn’t there.

I love George more than anything, but for us, it clicked more off-air than on. I had to be away for what I think was 2 or 3 weeks, at which point we simply agreed that it would be too long a break and I left.

Would I like to be a regular somewhere? The answer is yes, but now, more than ever, I don’t have the time with my schedule.

But here in Wheeling, we have our weekly team radio show. I’m lucky enough to participate once in a while. I think it’s a lot of fun. Not to mention the interviews we do before, during and after the games.

For me to get back on the radio on a regular schedule, to make it work. We’d have to pre-record or change the schedule every week to accommodate. Which doesn’t make sense.

You’ve probably seen what’s been going on around here. If not use the internet and write Wheeling and you’ll see.

Flooding here is no laughing matter. Wheeling Island is flooded and the water has entered our arena parking lot. Luckily for us, I’m 10 minutes from the arena and my family and I are safe. No danger there.

How much does this affect our daily lives and, above all, our end-of-season playoff hopes? It affects it greatly, but we have no choice but to deal with it and find solutions.

We had a game against Fort Wayne scheduled for this Sunday at home, but it’s been postponed until next Wednesday. So we’ll have a game on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, our last of the season.

It’s a good thing we didn’t have anything next Wednesday, otherwise it would have been a nightmare.

Now, for practices, we don’t have access to the arena and in Wheeling, there’s only one arena in town. So minor hockey, unfortunately here, is very difficult and there are hardly any players or teams.

So, with no access to the arena until our game on Sunday, the other teams continue to practice and play. So we have to find a solution, because we want to make the playoffs, and it’s a four-team race for the three remaining positions.

So on Friday, we’ve booked an ice rink in Pittsburgh for a practice session. We’ll be doing some video once we get there, using a projector and portable screen. Then it’s off to practice and back home.

Extension

NOW LAVIOLETTE AND GREEN ARE GETTING AT IT pic.twitter.com/z3V9tsoQU3

– B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 3, 2024

You’ve all seen the images this week. But what I want you to watch here is different, because I’m convinced that the context you’re thinking of is not the same as mine!

I’m against a general battle. As much as I don’t hate 10 players on the ice in a fight, I find it ridiculous and unnecessary.

I’m by no means against battles, far from it. But 10 players on the ice was out of place. The issue here is the decision on the first face-off of the game.

We all agree that Rempe had to answer for what he did last game. Like it or not, it’s a reality. So we can see Laviolette putting him in the starting line-up to make sure everything gets sorted out at the start of the game and everyone gets to play.

As you can see in the video. The Rangers don’t seem to like the situation. Quite understandable, as the Rangers want first place in the conference and all points are important, not to mention having traveled the day before.

As far as the Devils are concerned, they have no hope of making the playoffs. So for the Rangers, after two seconds of play, you see yourself losing four players from your line-up for the rest of the game.

I can kind of understand the coach’s reaction, pointing at the opposing coach and questioning him as to why they were fighting so hard on the same play. And yet, they had put Rempe on the ice to move on quickly.

When they say sometimes there are funny regulations. I’ve just learned of a new one with the ECHL and let’s just say that many “fans” don’t agree with this. But we have to live with it.

As you know, we’re in the middle of a battle for a playoff spot. Four teams for three spots, and everybody’s playing everybody else.

Should we finish^4th in our division (the top four in each division advance), we unfortunately – or fortunately for some – have the Monsters Trucks in our arena for the whole week.

ECHL rules stipulate that the home team, if it can’t come to an agreement with the opposing team, has the right to host all seven games at home.

So you’ll understand that Toledo, who are a favorite team, will concede absolutely nothing and have therefore officially announced that there will be no way to come to an agreement, so all seven games at their house.

I can assure you that the entire organization is not happy, and in the event that we finish^4th, we are looking for solutions.

A huge thank you for your questions and we’ll see you in two weeks. @Mitch_Giguere.