PEORIA, Ill – “A refreshing change is coming your way.”
That prediction inside the fortune cookie Rick Wamsley opened on New Year’s Eve came true just 36 hours later, when Wamsley was named interim head coach of the Peoria Rivermen.
The opening came about when Peoria’s parent club, the St. Louis Blues, made a coaching change, replacing Andy Murray with Davis Payne. Payne had been serving as Peoria’s head coach for the past year-and-a-half.
This opened the door for Wamsley, who spent much of his career opening doors for others.
“I’ve served in the backup role most of my career,” Wamsley said during a press conference a few days after his promotion.
Wamsley split time or served as a backup goaltender during his NHL career, but that time was not wasted. He observed his coaches and is trying to take bits of what he saw and apply it in his new role. He lists Brian Hoover, Pat Burns and Andy Murray, among others, as coaches he has learned from.
“I’m taking ingredients from all these guys,” he said, when asked about his coaching influences.
The Simcoe, Ontario native has come quite a way from when he skated on Silver Lake in the middle of town as a kid during the winters. An all-sport athlete, he has tended goal since third grade and made a career in the crease that spanned 15 seasons in the NHL, etching his name on Lord Stanley’s Cup with the rest of the 1989 Calgary Flames.
Now, Wamsley is the caretaker of the Blues future. The players in Peoria include recent call-ups like Derek Armstrong, Jonas Junland, Ben Bishop, Yan Stastny, and Lars Eller. In spite of the turnover, Wamsley knows that Rivermen fans want wins.
“Player development and winning – those lines don’t always cross,” Wamsley points out, “but I want to make sure the fans get their money’s worth.”
Fans certainly got a bargain during Wamsley’s home debut when the Rivermen scored four power play goals as they shellacked the Toronto Marlies, 5-1. Folks in Peoria and St. Louis hope that Wamsley’s good fortune continues.
Contact the author at shaun.bill@prohockeynews.com
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