ESTERO. FL – Is this the year? The NHL currently this slogan running in one of their commercials. In South Florida, home of Florida Everblades, that same question is being asked. Is this the year the Kelly Cup finally finds a home in Estero, Florida? Is this the year? According to many in the hockey industry, that is a strong possibility. The reason? A strong, new Head Coach, a new philosophy, a new attitude, strong franchise management, and just plain hard work and determination. Malcolm Cameron is the third Head Coach in Florida Everblades History. He was preceded by Bob Ferguson and Gerry Fleming. The Blades have qualified for the playoffs in each season in the teams 11-year history. Unfortunately, they have never been able to win the Cup, even with two Kelly Cup final appearances. Coach Cameron presents himself as quite an imposing force to be reckoned with. A very pleasant man with a definite no-nonsense attitude. You immediately feel as if the Blades were in good hands when you meet him. Cameron’s initial thought of the Blades team is that there is great chemistry. “We have very good players that have good ties with each other. Some of the former Texas players have been friends with the Blades. They are familiar with each other and their style”. Creating a new “Dream Team” is nothing new to Cameron. He has done it four times now, in Cincinnati, Long Beach, Texas, and now Florida. The Blades preseason roster has seven former Texas Wildcatters (who are no longer in the ECHL) and three former Florida Everblades. The fans have been referring to the new team as the “Evercatters”. “It’s great to see all of your work from the summer months, all of the phone calls and strategy bear fruit in the fall when the season begins”. The term “defense” will be redefined and strengthened during the reign of Coach Cameron. “Defense needs to be taught as a concept, not as a position,” Explains Cameron. “The team must be defensive. The forwards need to buy-in to the system for the team concept of defense to work”. Although Cameron did not confirm or deny it, but it sure sounds like he is adopting some of the philosophy of the reigning Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. “We are going to be a strong puck possession team. No more dump and chase. The players need to have the flexibility and freedom to be creative. Our style will be strong and very aggressive in handling the puck. Once we lose the puck, we are going to get it back”. In the past, the Blades have had trouble letting the opposition dictate the tempo of he game by failing to clog the neutral zone. Cameron knows that will have to change. “We will be controlling the puck possession. We will be able to steal the puck in the neutral zone by aggressively forechecking the opponents. We’re not going to be a one-dimensional team. We’re going to be real tough to play against in all three zones”. Another area that the Blades have had trouble with lately is scoring consistently on the Power Play. “We will enter the zone with the puck solely in our possession. It will be very different from the style of play in the past. We will maintain possession with the man advantage.” Cameron’s couching philosophy is simple: Have a strong work ethic instilled in all of his players. The team cannot always be perfect or play a perfect game, but he will demand a perfect effort every single game. Players will need to come to work ready to play every single day. That’s the key to both individual and team success under coach Cameron. While he does have other interests besides hockey, such as playing golf when he was 25 (he is “addicted” to it), he used to love to play rugby, but unfortunately it got in the way of playing hockey. He also loves the ocean and outdoor bar-b-queuing (to which he claims he has his own secret mixture of sauces and marinades that will delight any crowd). If his recipe for success in hockey is the right one for the Everblades, than watch out, the Kelly Cup just might come to Florida in June. Contact the author at: sharon.weatherhead@prohockeynews.com
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