Windsor Spitfires 2023-24 Offseason Thread (Part 3)

[OHL 17]

Walter's in.........hopefully he responds with a solid effort.

Defensive & Goalie coach are required, but maybe too expensive to add?

Spits appear to have lots of good 2024 picks, so coaching will be super important for the development of this group!

 

[windsor7]

Goaltending coach to be named sign late in the presser

No big deal they think lol

 

[OHL4Life]

not really surprsed they didnt push on 'what happened', what the issues where, and when he said it wasnt about a player, the suspension revolved around player safety, so obviously it was a player issue,

asked a question and just took his word for it. too bad, is what it is thou, he was hired 6 months ago, just had to wait until now.

 

[ohloutsider]

He was asked. Said he did 30hrs of sports psychology. Said the incident didn't involve a player but a staff member and it will never happen again.

Thanks

1 question, skirted around it, didnt directly talk about it, mostly fluff . bowler and the owner didnt bring it up at all, which is odd

Thanks

 

[Teflon]

EMBARRASSMENT!!

 

[DetSpitsFan]

Interesting hire. I’m curious all the details of the incident. No doubt this has been in place for months, which means all the kids that signed on, were aware along with their parents, so no surprise to them. I’m sure they all got more info on the suspension than we ever will, and if they’re willing to let their kids go play for him, it’s not going to stop me from watching.

It’s definitely a questionable decision given the chaos we’ve had lately, no doubt.

Walters has never had great OHL Coaching Success, made the final 4 his first season, and didn’t make it out of the first round since… I guess that’s fitting for a Windsor coach lol

 

[windsor7]

not really surprsed they didnt push on 'what happened', what the issues where, and when he said it wasnt about a player, the suspension revolved around player safety, so obviously it was a player issue,

asked a question and just took his word for it. too bad, is what it is thou, he was hired 6 months ago, just had to wait until now.

Nobody in the media has stones to push..

 

[frontsfan67]

Nobody in the media has stones to push..

That and they probably don’t want to be negative about the guy they’re bringing in. If they go and say oh he punched a guy on his last team everybody’s going to have the pitchforks out right away.

 

[DetSpitsFan]

I’m sure it was a relatively serious, proven incident since it was handed down by the league and not just an OS issue.

I’m willing to see what happens before I sharpen my pitchfork. He’s coming in with more OHL Head Coaching experience than our last coach, and a winning record to accompany him.

The fact the Wings brought him in for a guest spot in their development camp makes me a little more hopeful.

 

[tomschman]

Lets face it. If he wins the OHL Championship in 2 years, it was a brilliant hire. If he misses the playoffs, it was a terrible hire.

I am underwhelmed.

 

[JRHockeyBUZZZ]

Walters incident occurred last season after Owen Sound' northern road trip. A player on the attack and needed to receive medical attention; When a member of the staff brought this to the attention of Walters- He insisted the player remain on the bench when said member of the staff remain adamant that the player leave to get stiches- Walters and the staff member got into a heated exchange which resulted in some less than professional words spewed from Walters.

The staff member being one of the most respected in the league spoke with Owen Sound's GM & He fired him immediately after this. This was brought to the league and the suspension was handed down.

Given the Spits history with coaches & leaguewide suspensions I thought they may steer clear

 

[tomschman]

Walters incident occurred last season after Owen Sound' northern road trip. A player on the attack and needed to receive medical attention; When a member of the staff brought this to the attention of Walters- He insisted the player remain on the bench when said member of the staff remain adamant that the player leave to get stiches- Walters and the staff member got into a heated exchange which resulted in some less than professional words spewed from Walters.

The staff member being one of the most respected in the league spoke with Owen Sound's GM & He fired him immediately after this. This was brought to the league and the suspension was handed down.

Given the Spits history with coaches & leaguewide suspensions I thought they may steer clear

i don't care about words being exchanged between staff members. Things get heated.

I do care about not caring about the player's welfare. That is my issue.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Walter's in.........hopefully he responds with a solid effort.

Defensive & Goalie coach are required, but maybe too expensive to add?

Spits appear to have lots of good 2024 picks, so coaching will be super important for the development of this group!

Goalie coach to be named soon,either Torres or Newbury will handle the D,while the other does forwards.
Newbury probably on PK.

 

[hockeylegend11]

EMBARRASSMENT!!

Correct me if I am wrong but didnt you express a desire to have Joel Quenville here as head coach ,yet he and couple others with Chicago Black Hawks are coming off 2-1/2 years of suspensions for their actions,seems to be a double standard applied here myself if someone expresses contrition and does what the league wants to get back into the league they deserve a 2nd chance,in other words be a better coach and human being all the better,cancel culture doesn't work for me,correctiveness and reflection does .

 

[OHL4Life]

i don't care about words being exchanged between staff members. Things get heated.

I do care about not caring about the player's welfare. That is my issue.

thats why its funny when he says 'i didnt yell at a player', no, you just wanted to put a player's health at risk.

 

[windsor7]

Goalie coach to be named soon,either Torres or Newbury will handle the D,while the other does forwards.
Newbury probably on PK.

Need alot of help..

 

[OHLTG]

I'm not sure what to think about all of this. A players' health is paramount. Walters knows he messed up, took accountability, and is insistent that it'll never happen again. That's what people want to hear. Is it reality? That's to be determined. The impression I got is that he's happy to be coaching again, relieved that the suspension is done, and wants to move forward with this club. He said the things you'd expect - hard working, tough, defensive, good young group to work with, potential, all that stuff. It's great on paper but it has to translate into action now and he knows that. Nobody wants to relive last season; they require stability behind the bench. This HAS to be a long-term, controversy-free reign. If it's not, Bowler and Walters are both done. I think the term I used earlier was "cautiously optimistic" and, for now, I'll stick with that. I'm not sold that this is the right move, not by any stretch, but I'm willing to let it play out for the time being before getting out my pitchfork.

 

[windsor7]

I'm not sure what to think about all of this. A players' health is paramount. Walters knows he messed up, took accountability, and is insistent that it'll never happen again. That's what people want to hear. Is it reality? That's to be determined. The impression I got is that he's happy to be coaching again, relieved that the suspension is done, and wants to move forward with this club. He said the things you'd expect - hard working, tough, defensive, good young group to work with, potential, all that stuff. It's great on paper but it has to translate into action now and he knows that. Nobody wants to relive last season; they require stability behind the bench. This HAS to be a long-term, controversy-free reign. If it's not, Bowler and Walters are both done. I think the term I used earlier was "cautiously optimistic" and, for now, I'll stick with that. I'm not sold that this is the right move, not by any stretch, but I'm willing to let it play out for the time being before getting out my pitchfork.

"Fence"

 

[Kingpin794]

Beyond the player stuff, I think it’s also a huge issue that he doesn’t seem to show respect to the staff that’s under him (if the story above is true). Look, it takes a ton of people to run a junior hockey team including trainers/medical staff. You can’t go around treating them like garbage and expect to earn the respect of your players. They depend on them. It’s a whole network. Don’t act like you’re above it or that it bends to your will. It’s not going to end well if one does treat those on the periphery in a horrible manner. It’s not an attitude people typically grow out of.

 

[OHL4Life]

I'm not sure what to think about all of this. A players' health is paramount. Walters knows he messed up, took accountability, and is insistent that it'll never happen again. That's what people want to hear. Is it reality? That's to be determined. The impression I got is that he's happy to be coaching again, relieved that the suspension is done, and wants to move forward with this club. He said the things you'd expect - hard working, tough, defensive, good young group to work with, potential, all that stuff. It's great on paper but it has to translate into action now and he knows that. Nobody wants tto relive last season; they require stability behind the bench. This HAS to be a long-term, controversy-free reign. If it's not, Bowler and Walters are both done. I think the term I used earlier was "cautiously optimistic" and, for now, I'll stick with that. I'm not sold that this is the right move, not by any stretch, but I'm willing to let it play out for the time being before getting out my pitchfork.

Beyond the player stuff, I think it’s also a huge issue that he doesn’t seem to show respect to the staff that’s under him (if the story above is true). Look, it takes a ton of people to run a junior hockey team including trainers/medical staff. You can’t go around treating them like garbage and expect to earn the respect of your players. They depend on them. It’s a whole network. Don’t act like you’re above it or that it bends to your will. It’s not going to end well if one does treat those on the periphery in a horrible manner. It’s not an attitude people typically grow out of.

its not like hes got a perfect on ice record with a long history of success. owen sound was suppose to be amazing last year and they were swept in the 1st round. hes never really had great success here

 

[rve24]

i don't care about words being exchanged between staff members. Things get heated.

I do care about not caring about the player's welfare. That is my issue.

Totally agree with the 2nd sentence.
But the 1st, there is a time and place for "conversations" Coaches should default automatically to specialized staff in the moment. It's why they are are there. It's their expertise that's being questioned in that moment. A coach wouldn't put up with a trainer or equipment manager screaming at them on the bench to play a different line or player for a shift and rightfully so.. Just a bad look and undermines the staff hired to do a job. Causes division, mixed messages, hierarchy issues......
Compete gets the best of people sometimes and leaders need to be above that for the better of the team.
Good on the staff member gor running it up the flag pole. ( as hard as that can be for some )

 

[OHL 17]

Do as I say, cross your fingers.

 

[Teflon]

Ok HL ill bite. Yes id take Quennville all day long. His suspension was because he might have known about an incident, wasnt a part of it. You also know full well this isn’t isolated or Walters only issues. He apparently has a few. His resume is not one id agree to ignore indiscretions for either. Your info is always useable but your bias is just brutal dude!!

 

[RayzorIsDull]

The part of him taking over after Smith got fired makes more sense. Then you have the Newbury hire after Xmas but Walters got suspended. Walters is quite happy because most likely he wasn't getting touched by any other OHL team. Torres sticks, Newbury sticks no other addition other than goalie coach.

This has Bowler offering him one last chance to see if he can repair his image but he's not getting any other help. I just don't understand why the Spits have to be the one to give Walters this chance.

Yes my thoughts might be different if Bowler didn't hire Smith but it happened. For a team that lost their last 13 games and Walters being brought in the microscope is going to be large right off the bat. Everything will be magnified which isn't the best for the team either.

 

[punch1943]

It’s great to see a head coach finally signed. I hope things work out well for the team.Whats past is past. No where that I can remember has a trainer /medic had the final say over a coach. He can suggest certainly but the final decision is the coach’s. I wasn’t there and I doubt if anyone here was.Saying the trainer is well respected means experienced to me. Perhaps the player who had his lip cut could have sat on bench till the end of the period.