3-24-99. The Pilots Seat is commentary, written from a fan's perspective, about the Pensacola Ice Pilots
by Scott Gregory
I suppose it's only fitting that we wrap up the Pensacola Ice Pilots' nightmare of a season talking about the issue that started it all: the playoff bonuses.
Nick Stajduhar, Pilot management's designated fall guy and our local poster boy for why fans are disgusted with pro athletes, dragged the issue back to center ice this weekend by taking slapshots on the radio at Pilots brass. In short, Stajduhar said he likes playing in Louisiana where management keeps its promises.
The Pilots reached the Kelly Cup finals last year, and management promised each player an under-the-table bonus as thanks. The players never did get that money by all accounts.
I've heard a lot of fans attack Pilots management for not keeping its word on the bonus issue. That's not entirely fair.
The fact is, the Pilots brass couldn't pay the players. Once the ECHL found out about the bonuses and levied the cash penalty, management was caught in no-man's land. If they paid the players, the league surely would slap the team with penalties again. If they didn't pay the bonuses, the players would be ticked off and the season would start on a sour note. The choice the Pilots made was the lesser of two evils.
The sin was that management promised the bonuses in the first place. They knew it was wrong, and they did it anyway.
When you don't play by the rules, it always catches up with you. Always. In business and in life. You either learn that eternal truth or keep committing the same sins until they ruin you.
The part that drives me bonkers is that neither the bonus fiasco nor the second infraction this month involving Pilot coaches' improper involvement in the players' fund should have happened. Both came out of carelessness, arrogance, or a bit of both.
The fund is legal under league rules, and it exists as a mechanism to circumvent the salary cap and pay players a decent wage. There's a lot of room to move under the rules -- the players get paid, it's all on the up and up, and everyone wins. It just takes a strong fan base, a few boosters with deep pockets, and a little creativity.
This is like doing your taxes; cheating is idiotic and ultimately puts you in jail or financial ruin. But that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of every available tax break under the rules.
You learn the rules, then you play by the rules. It's that simple.
Now, back to good old Stajduhar. I have come to two conclusions about Nick:
1. Pilots management tried to deflect its own failures by placing a ton of the blame on Nick for the team's lousy season, and;
2. Nick deserves most of the venom he receives from Pilots fans.
On the first issue, Nick was made out by management to be the antichrist both on ice and in the locker room.
We know more now than we did two months ago that there are serious problems with both coaching and the way this team is being run, and these problems have had a clear impact on this season. The blame has swung more off ice than toward the players.
I don't know what went on with Stajduhar in the locker room. But here's something to think about: if Nick were that big a jerk, wouldn't one of the Pilots have taken a swing at him in the last three meetings? There were plenty of opportunities. And no one laid a finger on him. Heck, I think there would have been a few hundred fans lined up for that opportunity.
Now, for Nick's contribution to the problem: He clearly had no regard for staying in game shape when with the Pilots this season, he wasn't providing the leadership he was expected to contribute, and he wasn't giving his all on the ice.
The first and third points are direct insults to both the game of hockey and the fans of this city that adored him. Being upset with management was no excuse. If he wanted out, all he had to do was demand to be traded. Coaches don't want players who don't want to be there.
If Nick thinks he's too good for the ECHL, so be it. But for now, he's playing exactly at the level he should be. And if his attitude doesn't change, he's on a beeline for a career outside of hockey.
© 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.
