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It has been a tough three seasons for the president. Taking over from two previous leaders, who failed quickly, is not an easy way to start. It's especially hard to endear yourself to fans. But, this team president has done it.

The players and staff call him "Coach." Just Coach. On and off the ice. He grew up in the Midwest, during the days of the first NHL expansion beyond the Original Six. He watched the St. Louis Blues go to the Stanley Cup Finals the first four years of the team's existence. He was living in New Jersey when Al Arbour and the New York Islanders were winning Stanley Cups. He played a bit as a child, in St. Louis. He later coached on and off ice for several years in north Texas.

Coach has a knack for recognizing talent, and finding ways to build and encourage it. "It's something I realized I had back when I was coaching youth hockey," he said simply. "But, these guys have the talent and experience to make that easy. The real trick, though, is getting all these guys to work together. Keeping that motivation and focus going is my real job. And, it's full time." But, with three season in the league, Coach is showing he can do it.

You want proof? Herman Burks, Jaime Mitchell, and Ronald Eckerdt have been with the team from the beginning. And, they are in the top 10 scorers on the team. With 3 more players in the top 20, and six more in the top 30, it's hard to argue with success. Asked about being an all-American player team, Coach said, "It would be fun to do that," he smiled." But, finding enough talent from a single country to fill a roster is very difficult. Just look at the NHL and the minor leagues. We are not in any better position. Our own Sports Academy is turning out some good players. Yet, for every good prospect we get, there are five that can't make the cut."

Coach has made it his focus to raise up talent as much as possible to build the team. "We are not into day trading players to get money and build," he said early on. "But, we will trade players to build skill and talent." And he has kept that promise. While the roster currently sports a long list of foreign players, they were acquired for their talent. And, they have been around for quite a while.

And, so, after three careful seasons of building, the team is ready to make a real run in the playoffs. There is some question as to whether the team has enough energy to make it through--winning to the top. The team played with more intensity in a lot more games this season than they have in the past. "That's what it takes to make the playoffs," said Egils Leimanis, the current team Captain. It takes grit and effort. We plan to continue to play hard and do our best." Liemanis is the second team Captain this season. Long time Captain, Jaime Mitchell, is currently a scratch.

There are currently no major injuries to the starters. But, recent acquisition Nick Horst, who was supposed to provide playoff depth on the blue line, is out for 17 days with a fractured jaw. Coach has put a lot of consideration into bulding depth on the team. There are plenty of players in the second tier ready to step up and fill any holes.

So, we are now in the playoffs. The expectation was the team would finish in the second tier of the top eight teams. But the upset opener in the first round of the number 2 team changed all that. Fans are hyped. Even the media is excited. And, everyone is watching to see if the team can really make it all the way.

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