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[Dan]

way to go Salmonkings... you {tsk tsk, you should know better...} it up once again! ..

[cdnsailor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFErGPRmPF8

Chek TV interview

[sharkdiver]

i been watching some of the youtube videos on the "new captain" and it seems he is on the losing end of fights. how is the team foing to replace goldie, Latendresse and fillion. that is a huge amount of skill and scoring. plus players talk. i quess they better have a fighting team, cause skill will not be here once again. back to year one.

[stefano]

we have lost Goldie, Filion, Latendrese, Brandt, Wedderburn and Southern so far.. who else is gone?

this is a major f-up by the SK's management and PR staff.  They should announce these "significant" signings before the fans found out about these players leaving!  JMO on how i would have handled it.

[cdn_player]

is wes goldie worth more than Morrison?  Just curious what you all think.  I say yes.

[Max_Power]

Allow me to get philosophical for a minute  

In hockey, your goal is to be THE BEST. This is unlike most aspects of life where if you are very good its okay. In hockey, you have to be #1 and if you're not you have to change things until you get to #1. The Philadelphia Flyers wont be going home this summer thinking that runner-up was good enough. They will make changes until they are number one.

Clearly after four years management felt that under Wes Goldie's leadership, the team has shown its full potential - and its good, but not Kelly Cup Champion-good. As hard as it is, even when you have very good players sometimes you have to roll the dice, or to use another expression, take one step back in order to take two steps forward.

Leadership, especially from the vets and captains/assistants, can play a huge factor in how the rest of the team emotionally and physically responds in a game. What did we all say we needed last year? More grit....a lot of that has to do with leadership and showing the other players by example that you have to pay the price to have success, especially when the games mean the most and especially in our 3-game home sets against other teams where so many games in a short period of time can take its toll physically.

Obviously the plan for the team is to build a playoff-contender because we all know you need a lot more grit to grind out wins in the playoffs...lets see how it goes. Thanks Wes for four great years.... I understand the need for visible leadership of 'paying the price' especially in the playoffs...its disappointing that Wes wont be here, but if making a leadership change is what the staff things is best then I'm glad they're moving forward even if it may be unpopular right now. Individual player accomplishments are very good and full value to Wes for his consistent regular season numbers, but I think what is most important to all of us as fans is playoff success and seeing a Kelly Cup brought to Victoria.

[the gusser]

What professional team in any league picks their captain in the off season? Wes Goldies 41,42,48 and 44 goals to me is the best kind of leadership and I can't count the number of times that Wes had to fight and score goals. All of this doesn't seem to matter as Lloyd and other popular players that the Kings are finished with are still very good in the league. Good luck Wes you were appreciated here in Victoria and I hope you don't come back to haunt us.

[zymurgy]

http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/Salmon+Kings+question+Goldie+leadership+former+captain+cites+lack+respect/3303639/story.html

[sharkdiver]

if he wants to hurt us, he will sign in alaska or a team we play alot

[VicHockeyFan]

Let's look at the other side for a moment.

The issue of "selfishness" came up in that article.  This guy was 44g and 18a this season, and all his past seasons are about the same.  That's nearly unheard of in pro hockey, you will not find Lemeuix or Gretzky with that type of percentage, goals compared to assists.

Secondly, he had a team-third-worst plus/minus of -11 (behind Ellington and Hamilton).

So, he cost our team when we were even-strengthed, and he got only 13 of his goals on the PP.  And our PP was far from good this year.  So while he was netting his 31 even-strength goals, the opponent scored 42 goals.   

I expect him to play in Kalamazoo this year.

[stefano]

Max.. you are right when you say we need to build a Championship winner.  The question i have for the SK's management is this... who are they building this championship team around?  

The fans only have seen the dismantling and decimation of the team, they have not seen or heard of new players coming here and returning player re-signings.

Thanks to the Media, the fans now know that Vandermeer is going to be Captain.  If the SK's were smart, they start making some player signing announcements STATS.  Right now i feel they are in damage control.  And these "significant" signings better be significant indeed.

anyone else notice that last years off season, the management said that speed wins in the playoffs as Utah was speedier than us?  Then the team buils a speedy team, and now we go back to the well and say the we need a more grittier team?

[ziggy]

is wes goldie worth more than Morrison?  Just curious what you all think.  I say yes.

Its a moot point. Players come and go, coaches come and get fired. Its always a transition, especially at the minor levels. We've been saying the same things since year one.
Anybody remember Brad Dexter our first 'C'? Anybody remember old what's his name that was going to lead us out of the wilderness in year 2? Anybody remember Troy Ward (obviously right now in our news sphere) who was going to do great things and walked on us?.
Lets remember, these are the events that will continue to give us fodder for comment and by December we will be second guessing our new roster and  either praising or bashing both players and coaches again.
I respect and appreciate Wes' efforts here and likewise Mo's work, but give us another 9 game losing streak and I'll be calling for someones head. I'm fickle like that. And I'll still be going to as many games as I can.

[WOBNEB]

VHF, with your Hockey knowledge I'm surprised at your comment.

How can you suggest that the opposition scored more goals than we did at even strength, and it was because of Wes poor plus/minus?  Hockey is a 'Team' game, and there's 5 additional Guys on the ice at those times, including the goal tender, ALL of which have responsibility. So let's not suggest that the goal differential is ONLY because of, or an indication of, Goldie's play.

Plus/Minus ratings are only one gauge that refers to a players performance, There are many others. There has not been, NOR will there probably ever be a more exciting, pure goal scorer, than Wes Goldie was during his time with us.  How many TOP NHL players have 'poor' Plus/minuses?

And I agree, Max_Power, Professional hockey is a business, and changes are needed, and can be expected EVERY year, to better the team. It not the changes that bother me, its the apparent way that those changes were made.

Its obvious that Vandemeer was lured here by being given the "C", without even skating with the team. The decision, obviously was ALREADY made when Wes sat down for the 'interview' --  Imagine, an 'interview', not a respectful interactive bilateral meeting, after four years of Captaincy with a Team?? That alone indicated very low or little respect for the former captain.  A player, or Captain will be only as successful as those around him, and Wes' loss of the "C" was due to the Team management's inability to put the right players around him. It was not because of Wes' inability as a leader or his performance.

All in all, I strongly believe that Dakers, Morrison, and the Boys DID NOT handle the situation professionally, and I can understand Wes' unhappiness, and willingness to go public and express his negative feelings for his former Superiors, something we rarely ever see in professional sports.  Will this effect Wes' opportunities for meaningful future employment? Possibly, but I hope not!

That being said, it would appear that we will have a totally different, and if you can believe Dakers, an exciting Team. I just hope that Vandemeer is the player that Mo and the Boys think he is.  Failure to perform as his highest level, play every game in four years, or fail to score as many goals as Goldie did EVERY year, will result in restlessness among the Fans, and a quick exit from his 'Golden Perch'

Myself, and as cdn_player has stated, will still be going to EVERY game that I can --  BUT --

 Mr Vandemeer, " YOU'VE BEEN PUT ON NOTICE "

[cdnsailor]

As stated by Dakers, Jeff will be sending out names within a few weeks to see who is playing/trying out for the Kings.
Last year we had 42 players and goalies play for the Kings.

[cdnsailor]

Here is the link for todays paper with regards to Wes leaving.

http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/Salmon+Kings+question+Goldie+leadership/3302256/story.html?cid=megadrop_story