Ten months ago Steve Young was the toast of Moose Jaw, having guided the Warriors to their first Western Hockey League Eastern Conference championship in 22 years of existence.
But Young found out first-hand last week just how fickle the sporting world can be.
Young became the second coach fired this season when he was relieved of his duties last Wednesday. Assistant coach Rene Lemire took over head coaching duties on an interim basis.
“I don’t know if you can put it on any exact situation,” Moose Jaw general manager Chad Lang told the Moose Jaw Times-Herald about the firing. “I think people need to realize that making a decision of this magnitude is very complex. It’s more than about wins and losses.
“In saying that, I felt we as a hockey club just weren’t responding in a manner I believed we should.”
Young took over as Moose Jaw’s head coach midway through the 2004-05 season, when he was promoted from assistant coach after Parry Shockey was fired. Last season, his first full season as head coach, he guided the Warriors to a 44-20-5-3 record, a first-place finish in the East Division and the Eastern Conference title before they were swept by Vancouver in the WHL finals.
However, Moose Jaw suffered heavy losses to the professional ranks in the offseason, had to deal with the tragic Garrett Robinson car accident early in the season, then traded away several key veterans, including current Everett Silvertip defenseman Jesse Zetariuk. The Warriors were 19-30-3-0 and 10 points out of the playoffs when the axe came down.
Young was 75-74-16 overall as Moose Jaw’s coach.
“(Lang) did what he felt he needed to do for the organization and from that standpoint, I kind of respect the decision that was made, even if I don’t necessarily agree with it,” Young told the Times-Herald.
Lang said the team would re-evaluate its coaching situation after the season.
Slap shots: Four more teams punched their playoff tickets over the weekend. Tri-City, Spokane and Seattle all clinched to round out the U.S. Division’s contingent – though the order is still to be resolved – and Medicine Hat became the first team to clinch in the Eastern Conference. … Kelowna goaltender Kris Westblom was diagnosed with tears of both the medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament in his knee and is likely done for the season. … Vancouver sparkplug left wing Garet Hunt suffered a broken femur when he missed a check and went crashing into the boards in Friday’s 5-1 victory over Kamloops. The injury ended Hunt’s season. … Kootenay right wing Curtis Billsten was named the WHL Player of the Week. The former Silvertip had four goals and five assists in four games as the Ice went 3-0-1-0.
League leaders: Points – Ryan White (Calgary) 77; goals – Colton Yellow Horn (Tri-City), Reid Jorgensen (Kamloops)39; assists – Peter Mueller (Everett) 52; penalty minutes – Mike Gauthier (Prince Albert) 206; wins – Matt Keetley (Medicine Hat) 34; goals against average – David Reekie (Everett) 1.74; save percentage – Leland Irving (Everett) .933.
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