10-11-99. The Pilots Seat is commentary, written from a fan's perspective, about the Pensacola Ice Pilots
by Scott Gregory
Six months ago, Coach Al Pedersen sat in his office and
complained of nothing to do. The ECHL playoffs were in
full swing, Pedersen's Pilots were done for the year,
his job status was uncertain and a long summer was
ahead.
What the future held was hope. Hope that Pedersen would
have a chance to redeem himself after his Pilots
finished dead last in the league. Hope that better days
were ahead come October.
Today, Pedersen is at work and surely wishing for just
a handful of that time he had all too much of in April.
With final rosters due in a little more than 24 hours,
he is scrambling to find experienced, talented players
he can add to his squad to avert the disaster that
clearly lays ahead. He knows it, and anyone who watched
the Pilots during the exhibition season knows it.
Pedersen got more than his job back. He was given the
authority by GM Joe Bucchino to pick his team, to do it
his way. Pedersen achieved his goal of filling his
roster spots with young kids with plenty of heart and
desire, qualities lacking too often last year.
Heart. Spirit. Desire. That these kids do have. What
they do not have as a whole is enough talent to compete
at this level. Not yet, anyway. And by not yet, I don't
mean not until November, December, January. The team,
as it stands, cannot compete with the Mysticks much
less the likes of the Ice Gators and the Sea Wolves.
The offense is a mess. The defense is inconsistent. It
was the right approach to recruiting by Pedersen, but
the wrong balance. Pensacola owned the rights to
defenseman Vince Williams and tough forward L.P.
Charbonneau. Pierre Gendron, the team's leading scorer
last season, publicly stated that if he's going to play
hockey anywhere, he wants to play hockey here -- and
that he DOES want to play despite rumors to the
contrary.
And it looks as if all three of those talented players
will get away, as the Pilots couldn't reach contract
terms with any. And the Pilots are paying for it.
"It's more or less a salary thing (with Gendron),"
Pedersen said. "He had a pretty good year last year,
but we finished in last place. Does that justify a
30-percent pay raise? Even if it does, does it fit our
salary cap? It's one thing that makes you want to get
out of this league.
"Too often, you're preoccupied with all these other
things, like recruiting."
So many issues here. First, Gendron. He's a big reason
the team was on the plus side of .500 the second half
of last year. He puts the puck in the net. He is
needed. Desperately. Cut a deal and get him on the next
plane.
Second, the salary cap. The collective bargaining
agreement between the players' union and the ECHL is
expected to include a $9,000-per-week-per-team cap.
Look at the rosters other teams are putting together.
Look at the Pilots roster. If anyone should have room
under the cap, it should be the Pilots.
Third, "it's one of the things that makes you want to
get out of this league" ? Preoccupied with recruiting?
What kind of talk is this heading into a season?
Pedersen knows what his job as coach and director of
hockey operations entails after four years. He WANTED
more control, he got it, and now he's complaining?
The rules are the same for all ECHL teams. These
excuses have to stop. It's time to get down to
business.
"I banked on having Charbonneau when I should not have
banked on it so heavily," Pedersen said.
Pedersen said Sept. 23 that Charbonneau had not even
contacted the team and could not be reached. The Pilots
traded for his rights Sept. 3. That should have been a
good sign he might not be coming, and that Pedersen
needed a backup plan.
While the official end of camp is looming with the
roster deadline tomorrow, Pedersen has the schedule on
his side. The season starts Saturday at Mobile, but
that's the only game in a 12-day span, and there are
just two games in an 18-day span before the season gets
cooking.
It's time to spend a few bucks and get this roster in
shape. The long summer has narrowed to days.
