I thought Cole Zahn knocked it out of the park on Monday with his comments about the off-ice issues that plagued the Estevan Bruins this past season.
I had called Zahn for an interview about him resigning as the team's assistant coach to focus on his family.
At some point, the topic turned to the past season and what had gone wrong. It's a question I've asked to several people, but Zahn's answer provided by far the most clarity.
He began by saying he didn't feel some of the players were here "for the right reasons." That's a pretty powerful statement in itself, but that wasn't all.
"I don't want to lump the group together, but I think there were a couple of players that put themselves in front of the team. There were a couple of incidents where I think a lot of the team was looking around saying, 'What the heck were these guys doing breaking rules and putting themselves ahead of the team?'" Zahn continued.
"I think the leadership group has gotta settle that down, they gotta step in and say, 'We're here for one reason, to win a championship, and if you're not here for that, we don't want you here.'"
A lot of people won't be surprised by Zahn's comments. I'm glad he came out and said it.
One such incident this past season came the night before a crucial game in Weyburn on Feb. 23. If the Bruins won that contest, they still would have had a good shot at getting home ice in the survivor series.
The night before, five players went to a party in Alameda until the wee hours of the morning.
All five players were scratched against the Red Wings and the Bruins lost 4-3, ending any hope of getting home ice advantage against Kindersley.
Boys will be boys, and hockey players will be hockey players. No one expects them to keep their nose completely out of trouble.
But a party the night before what was, at that point, the biggest game of the season?
That's precisely putting yourself ahead of the team.
It's become a bit of a cliché to say that teams are looking for character above talent when it comes to recruiting in the summer. But in this case, the Bruins have to.
This team has had more than its share of off-ice incidents and character issues in recent years.
It's also a club that has won just one game beyond the survivor series since 2007.
Coincidence?
Maybe, maybe not.
But this much is clear: the Bruins must focus on bringing in players who will put the team first.
Speaking of Zahn, it's good to see that he'll remain with the Bruins as a scout. He's been an asset to the organization over the last two years and I believe he will make a good head coach one day.
It looks like baseball in Estevan will take a hit this summer. Estevan Minor Baseball president Kent Phillips said Monday that there will be no peewee AA or mosquito AA teams this year.
It also looks as if there will be no senior team in the Saskota Baseball League this summer unless more players show interest and someone steps up to manage the team.
It's hard to maintain a strong, stable minor ball system when you don't have a team at every level. With the success last year's peewee AA team had at provincials on home turf, it's too bad that Estevan's best players won't be able to play at a high level.
And, as we've seen in senior hockey, once a team takes a year off it's tough to get it together again. Some guys have families, some have job commitments, some move away and some just find that they can't play the game consistently anymore.
Here's hoping enough people step up to make the Tower Wolves viable this season.
Contact Josh Lewis at 634-2654 or sports@estevanmercury.ca. Regardless of what Zahn said, Avs goalie J-S Giguere had the best comment of the week: "Some guys care more about their trip to Vegas at the end of the season than playing the games." Oof.
