MAITLAND, FLA – In the grand scheme of things, having high expectations of success can be a driving force in achieving a lofty goal. Unfortunately, sometimes those expectations can be crushing when they are not met.
Such was the case last Friday when the Orlando Solar Bears announced that head coach Vince Williams had been relieved of his duties. In the end, it was those expectations that failed the second year bench boss.
“We had open lines of communication [with Vince],” Solar Bears President and C.E.O. Jason Siegel said in response to a series of questions regarding the firing. “The expectations were understood.”
The decision to look for a new head coach, which was made by the ownership group according to Siegel, was not a choice made lightly. He said that much like the coaches are continually evaluating players, the ownership continually evaluates how the coaches get their jobs done.
“It is a process that is developed over time,” Siegel said. “We never stop the evaluation process.”
Woven into that process, which Siegel said became a “portfolio of work” are both on-ice and off-ice factors. Those factors included positives such as Williams’ overall record of 80-49-15 (.555 win percentage /.660 games with points percentage) and back-to-back playoff appearances.
The numbers also had a dark side to them. The 2014-2015 Solar Bears under Williams won six fewer games (37 as opposed to 43 in 2013-2014) with the differential all coming at home as Orlando won 18 games at the Amway Center in 2014-2015 after posting 24 home wins in 2013-2014. Coincidentally, the Solar Bears saw their home attendance drop from an average of 6,355 in 2013-2014 to 6,209 in 2014-2015.
So now the search for the franchise’s third different head coach in four seasons in the ECHL. Siegel pointed to four key attributes the team will look for: the ability to coach and be a teacher; the ability to recruit top notch players; having an understanding of the business side of the game and the ability to play the role of the “face of the franchise” and deal with the media.
Danny Brooks, who was Williams’ assistant during the recently concluded season, played a significant role in the team’s success. Siegel said that he and Brooks had not had a conversation to this point about Brooks’ interest in the job.
Siegel said he expects to consult with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Orlando’s NHL affiliate, during the search. Given the fact that the Maple Leafs have expressed an interest in increasing their usage of Orlando as a crucial part of their player development system, it makes sense that they would want a say in the process to guarantee the best situation for their prospects.
“We’ve been told to expect a good number of Toronto players being sent to Orlando,” Siegel said.
Until the search is completed, Siegel said that the front office and hockey operations staff – which at this point includes Brooks – will make decisions on end of season rosters and players who will get qualifying offers as these and other roster benchmark dates come up. He added that no timeline is being put on the search because of how important the decision is.
“Deadlines have to be taken into consideration. We still have to look at early signings and need to allow the entire process to play out,” he said. “I think timely patience is the operative phrase.”
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