Merlin Malinowski – Head Coach, Huron Perth Lakers Major Bantam (1999)
What are your expectations for attendance, arrival times and dress codes for games and practices?
My overriding philosophy as a coach is that a team will be a mirror image of its coach. A coach who is on time, prepared, works hard, dresses and carries himself professionally and puts the team first is going to eventually have a team of the same character. I ask that players be at the arena 45 minutes before practice and 60 minutes before games. I realize that there will be times when a parent will be unable to have their son or daughter at the arena on time due to extenuating circumstances. I will take tardiness on case per case basis. However, if parent is having trouble on a regular basis getting their son or daughter ready to leave in good time, come to me and we can work out a way of motivating them to be ready to leave on time. This is part of being PREPARED an important attribute to possess in life.
I will dress professionally for games, meaning shirt and tie, black slacks, black shoes and Laker jacket. Players will be dressed the same, shirts will be tucked in, if shoes have laces they will be tied up. Looking professional translates to acting and conducting oneself professionally. What a player wears to practice is not a high concern of mine but I do want each player to have a dry land outfit with appropriate track shoes in their bag all season. If players are asked to warm up they will wear a team dryland outfit so that they look like a team.
How do you plan to distribute ice time?
I will do my best to roll three lines and six defensemen until at least Christmas. I believe that in order to build a team everyone has to feel that they have an ownership in the success and failures of the team. To that end everyone will get special teams play as well as the opportunity to play in the so-called meaningful minutes of a game i.e. last 2 minutes of a game with a one goal lead or vice versa. I want everyone to feel the pressure of a game on the line or the need to score a goal on the power play or kill a penalty with the game in the balance. As I said by Christmas I will change gears a little and start to coach the boys more like a Jr. team where certain individuals will be more valuable to the team in different situations. Ice time will be used as a tool to change negative behaviours i.e. lack of discipline selfishness, lack of effort, lack of respect for teammates, opposition, coaches and referees, any and all things that work as a detriment to the development of the individual and the team. TEAM FIRST.
What are your tournament plans?
Toronto RedWings, Sept. 6th-9th
Waterloo Gold Puck, Dec. 13th-15th
Toronto Marlies, Holiday- Dec. 26th-30th
Port Huron, Silver Stick, Jan. 10th-12th
What initiatives, objectives and goals do you have for your team? Our goal as a team will be to learn to work together for the good of the team; to do what we can for one another to make each other better hockey players and win the Alliance Championship.