Q and A with Rockets G.M Bruce Hamilton

I spoke to Rockets G.M Bruce Hamilton this morning about his team failing to make the playoffs this season. This is what he had to say:

RB: Bruce for the first time in franchise history your team won't be playing in the playoffs. Is it a tough pill to swallow for your organization?

BH:"It's kinda how our season went is the way the season is ending here. We were very inconsistent,we didn't get enough things done earlier in the year in terms of points when we had chances. The first half of the season is a lot easier to get points than the second half, and I think that's what caught up to us.
I can go back to some of the games against Kamloops earlier in the year where we had games where we were right in it or had a lead and then give it away late. I remember saying to Jeff Truitt after the game a few times that those are the games that we wish we would have later on.
With this group of guys we were a very young team, and it's not an excuse, but it's the fact of what we had".

RB:Bruce only 6 road wins this season. Was that just a matter of a young team?

BH:"That's a pretty good indicator of a very young team. That's the hardest thing for these guys to do is play away from home. But you have to learn to win on the road, and we didn't learn how to win those games after Christmas, we had a trip to Alberta where we really had to come out of there with a win or two and we didn't. Those are the things that catch up to you at the end of the year when you start looking for two points - four points and we had our chances to put Chilliwack away and we didn't.
Credit to them, they had a great year in a European in Oscar Moller and Mark Santorelli came out of no where for their hockey club and had a tremendous year, so they have got mileage out of those guys they brought in, and credit goes to them with that".

RB:What did you see from your power play this year, which really struggled all season long?

BH:"We didn't score a lot of goals because it stems from the defense, and that is the way it is. For your power play to succeed your defense have to be able to handle the puck and shoot, and that wasn't the case here.
Towards the end of the year probably the two best guys were Tyler Myers and Luke Schenn.
When we didn't get Cumiskey and Edler back, that had a huge impact on our hockey club but that's just the way it goes.
The industry that we are in, if guys are good enough to move on it it's time for them to move up and move on and we are not going to use that as an excuse, it's that's the hardcore facts that if you have guys like that."
Hamilton added, "If you go back over the the last four or five years whether it be Tomas Slovak,Josh Gorges, Shea Weber or Brett Palin, those guys are the differences in those games and they all started at the same age these guys did, like Schenn and Myers,and worked there way into being pretty good players."

RB:The inability to put the puck in the net. Does the skill level on the team need to be upgraded?

BH:"When I look back at it, their was really not a lot we could do with that other than trade for a few more older guys, but I don't think trading for some older guys that would get you 10 or 15 more goals was going to help us. I think what's important is we need to look at next year and the year after and not simply dwell on this year. It's done and we can't do much about it now. We laid out a plan where we wanted to get our young guys into the lineup, and kodus to our fans for sticking with us all year long. I am sure they will be back and I know are hockey club will be back as a winning hockey club in a hurry here".

RB:What do you see from your 18 year-old's that will be 19 next season. Often times those players are the impact players for you?

BH:"To be on this team they are going to have to contribute, and I think their are a couple of them like Bernhardt and MacRae, those guys have to compete and give us something more than what they did this year. Those guys are going to be in a position next season to put up or shut up when they are back. Time will tell on who we have back from our older players because the expansion draft will take place and Edmonton is going to pluck someone from our team for sure"

RB:Everyone wants to blame the coaches. The fans would say the coaches didn't get enough out of this group?

BH:"I am not going to criticize the coaches.
I think two years ago Jeff (Truitt) took the team to the Memorial Cup, and last year we finished 2nd in our division. Certainly their were good players, and I've heard all the talk about they were the last of Habscheid's players, but I think if Jeff and his crew had something to change we would probably change the way we addressed this group of guys once we found out we weren't getting the defense back that we thought we were.
It totally changed on the ice,but in the dressing room with maturity and things like that. I think we would have spent more time on skill development and just fundamentals of the game, which when you have this many young guys, they are not as advanced as the kids that come in and have been here for two years.
The 16 year-old's coming back will be so far ahead of guys that came in at 17 from playing midget or whatever last year,so our development will be fine.

But for the coaches, I feel for them. It's a tough task to take on, but you know what, your evaluated by wins and losses in the public's eye and I am no different than them.
Unfortunately in my position I have to make the decision, but they all have a year left in their contract and today I have no plans of making any changes anyways".

For an audio version of this interview go to www.okoldies.ca