5-3-99. The Pilots Seat is commentary, written from a fan's perspective, about the Pensacola Ice Pilots
by Scott Gregory
How can the Pilots get it together on and off the ice? I'll need two columns to offer solutions to all that went wrong this season. The suggestions are ranked in order of importance. Here goes Part 1:
1. Reorganize the front office.
The Pilots were owned and managed by the same people this season as the first two, but the addition of the Birmingham Bulls and Jacksonville Lizard Kings to the portfolio left Pensacola clearly undermanaged. And if you think the Pilots suffered from lack of adequate front office attention this season, do you really think things will get better with the addition of the Albany Allergies and three Xtreme football teams to the owners' plate if nothing changes on the management end?
Pilots GM (v.p. of hockey operations) Joe Bucchino stumbled on some salary and personnel decisions (particularly Keli Corpse), and waited too long to solve the lockerroom garbage. But he was asked to do a great deal last year -- too much for one man to do. Something must change.
I have two solutions, and I'll take either.
The first moves Joe Bucchino to the Pensacola area to run the Pilots, and others are hired to run the other three hockey teams. The worst-case scenario has Bucchino responsible for * two * of the organization's teams.
The other idea has Bucchino running other teams and a new GM being hired in Pensacola.
If there's a new GM, he should be local (helping with the absentee landlord perception that fans are growing tired of) and a fan favorite.
How about Al Pedersen?
He knows hockey, he loves hockey, he seems to like it here, and he/s hard-working. If he's learned his lesson from the off-ice problems, consider promoting Beach to GM and hiring a new coach (trying to do both would present similar management problems to last year).
2. Purge the roster.
After last season, this team needs a makeover worse than Mimi from Drew Carey. If the over/under were set at five on returning players, I'd guess the organization will go with under.
On offense, I'd like to see Pierre Gendron back, but there are fears he might be too expensive. Sheldon Gorski had an off year and still had 31 goals -- despite being 34, he'd be a good guy to have around if he can still score 25-35. I was hoping the consistent Mike Sullivan might change his mind and return, but it looks as if he'll be playing in Germany next year.
Shane Calder had no interest in playing hockey after the All-Star Game (4 goals in last 38 games), and let's hope all involved admit this and decide the Calder era has passed in Pensacola. He has proven he cannot commit to playing day in and day out, and his popularity has taken a nosedive as a result. This would be his fifth season with the
organization.
On defense, try to sign Joe Harney and perhaps Kirk DeWaele. Pedersen was clearly disgusted with his defense this year, and I don't envision many other faces returning.
In goal, I'd guess Darrin Madeley is done here. He's ticked at management, and no one in the organization is begging him to return by all accounts. Here's Pedersen's quote about Madeley in the final issue of Flightline: "We wanted Darrin Madeley because we needed some experience in net. He was the best goalie available, and so far it has worked out for us." Now there's a vote of confidence!
Madeley had fantastic numbers (3.08 goals a game, compared to Sean Gauthier's 3.62 and 3.74 the previous two years) on a lousy team and is great with kids and fans, but did anyone else get the feeling nothing was quite right with this fit? He was hurt from Day 1 with this, that and the other, teammates weren't backing him on the ice, the bizarre charge of the Birmingham bench in the last weekend of the season, he
claims he was told his contract was "lost" by the organization ... something's odd here.
Plus, Bucchino clearly was ticked about getting talked into the failed Craig Brown experiment, and Bucchino will be tempted to go out and get his own hand-picked goalie for 1999-00. If Madeley goes, the Pilots better get a big-time goaltender to replace him, or fans will quickly take it out on management for running Madeley -- one of the few bright spots this season -- out.
Also on the shopping list ... one board-certified goon (no goon wannabes), forwards and defensemen with size who aren't afraid to put the body on people, speed, offensive punch ... just about everything.
3. Commit to Integrity.
The Pilots' cheating was more disappointing than the losing this year. And it's darned fortunate that 10-point penalty from the ECHL didn't cost the Pilots a trip to the playoffs, or I, as a season ticket holder, would have screamed at the organization until I was blue in the face.
In both instances, those caught by the league knew that what they were doing wasn't within the rules. Beyond that, the organization ticked quite a few people off around the league last season for one thing or another. The ECHL is watching. Other teams are watching. Players with a grudge will get even through the league's whistle-blower program. And if anyone in the Pilots organization tries any funny business again, they're going to get nailed. You can count on it.
I don't want to hear the "everybody's doing it" argument or the "It's OK -- it's for the boys." You don't have to cheat to win -- let's not justify that position. And I have a solution I'll offer next week in Part II.
© Scott Gregory. All Rights Reserved. Gregory is a Pilots season
ticket holder from Navarre. He is a former Florida Gators football beat writer and sports editor for Copley Newspapers. He can be reached at scott@thefivehole.com. Comments are always welcome.
