What a strange season.
In 2010-11 the Everett Silvertips went places and directions we didn’t expect and hadn’t really experienced before. It certainly forced me out of my comfort zone, having at times to try and pass myself off as a medical or legal reporter. It seems fitting that the season ended with a game where it appeared the mother ship was suspended over one end of the ice.
There were more new faces that came and went than in recent memory. We bid farewell to a trio of overagers we hardly got a chance to know. One player only lasted a month in Everett before deciding to pack up and head home.
On the ice we were treated to a team that couldn’t score. It hearkened back to year one when there were times when the Tips were awarded a power play, and I wondered to myself if they could decline the penalty. And then there was the team’s uncanny ability to lose in overtime.
In the end, the Tips stumbled to a 28-33-7-4 record. It was the second-worst record in the franchise’s eight-year history, and just the second time Everett finished with a losing record. The Tips extended their streak of making the playoffs every season, but they were swept in the first round by Portland. Everett now hasn’t made it out of the first round since 2006-07.
It was the type of season no one was satisfied with. Not the general manager, not the coaches, not the players, and definitely not the fans — who displayed their displeasure by staying home for the two home playoff games. Everett was coming off a season in which the Tips tied for the best record in the Western Conference, and there was optimism in Everett’s ranks in September. The final results fell well short of expectations.
In this season-ending blog series, I’ll explore the reasons why this season went awry, as well as where the Tips go from here.
Next: 2010-11 review: what happened? (micro)
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