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Sutter waits for a call |
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Written by Dylan Purcell
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Monday, June 01 2009, 11:29 PM |
Rich Sutter wants to be the general manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The team’s board of directors fired Roy Stasiuk in early May, leaving the job open. At the time, board president Brian McNaughton said the search would be comprehensive but that he had a few candidates in mind.
Sutter is hoping he’s one of those candidates but he’s unsure whether he’ll even get an interview. So he’s gone public.
It’s not something he enjoys but several players have stated they are willing to publicly back him.
“I wish I could just interview for the job," said Sutter during an interview at The Herald Monday. “I don’t want it to look like I’m out here campaigning for the job but I’m worried I might not even get a shot. I know I’m the right guy for the job. I’ve got a list of players willing to tell the hiring committee they want it to be me. I’ve got a list of references like you wouldn’t believe waiting to tell them I can do this.
“I just want a shot. I think it’s time for a Sutter to be a part of things around here.”
Stasiuk brought Sutter in as a consultant last season, hoping to help the team find some consistency. The squad managed a first-round upset of the second-seeded Saskatoon Blades but were swept by the Calgary Hitmen in the second round. Sutter said he loved working with the players and knew he wanted to continue to work with the team. He was disappointed by what he saw in some respects from the team but added that he believes he can work with the team’s board of directors to get the team back on track.
“It’s about communication. You hire a hockey guy to run the hockey team and you get good people around him to handle the business side of operations. I mean, it’s all got to work with the same vision or values, I guess, but if you’re communicating, there’s no problem you can’t work around.
“That’s part of, I think, what went wrong this year was communication started breaking down all over the place.”
Sutter has rallied players to his cause, no small feat considering the reluctance of most players to speak out about something like this. Carter Bancks could be heard across the airwaves pleading Sutter’s case, and Sutter hopes it gets through.
“I think there’s some fear from some people on the board that I’m looking to cut them out of the loop,” said Sutter. “That I’m going to work against them but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that you only succeed at this level by communicating.
“I said one of the first things I noticed when I started working with the team this year was that some doors were closed to me. That’s not how you run a successful hockey team. That’s not how you build an atmosphere where players and coaches and front office staff can work to their full capabilities.
“Communication is the key. It’s a big bonus when you’re trying to pull together and if the board thinks I’m not going to communicate with them, they can call me. They can call me right now and I’ll tell them exactly the same thing. I’m going to leave the doors open.”
It’s that call Sutter is looking for. He played for the Lethbridge Broncos and kept his southern Alberta roots while his brothers moved on to NHL benches and front offices. Sutter said he stayed scouting, working the family’s annual hockey camp in Coaldale, following the minor ranks, because he wanted to learn what he could about scouting and building a team.
“I’ve worked with and worked for some of the best hockey minds on the planet,” said Sutter. “Guys like Brian Burke and Pat Quinn, do you think I don’t watch them, listen to them? I see how they do things and I know I can do them.”
He added that even now, rumours persist that he’s looking to buy the team or undermine the current board but he insisted that’s not the case.
“I’m the right guy for the job. I mean, I’ve got the resumé and they’ve got the resumé so they know who will vouch for me. I can do this.”
He also said in addition to returning players like Carter Bancks, Carter Ashton and Kyle Beach, an important aspect is recruitment.
“Parents don’t want to send their kids to a team where the atmosphere is poisoned,” he said. “I know because Luke is at that age and I wouldn’t let him play for a team that wasn’t good for him.
“I think the reputation of this team has taken a hit but I also know that if I get the job I will bring instant credibility to the team. When you look at my family and the values we represent, you know I’m going to protect the well-being of the kids. That doesn’t mean you’re holding their hands every step of the way, but you do things the way successful teams do them.”
Whether he gets a shot or not is up to the board’s hiring committee, which consists of board president Brian McNaughton, Brian Wichers, interim GM and board governor Herman Elfring and likely one more board member.
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