Terrible Timing By The Pats

The Regina Pats have officially announced what many have thought for weeks. Dale Derkatch is no longer the coach of the Queen City's WHL team.

The announcement didn't come as a shock, but the timing did. GM Brent Parker has said all along that he would make a decision after the bantam draft (last Thursday). It obviously didn't take a whole lot of time for him to make up his mind. So why then could he not have done it anytime in the last 7 weeks?

Would this franchise, who will now see a different Head Coach behind the bench for the third year in a row (unless Curtis Hunt comes back), not benefit from having some sort of stability. Parker admitted that part of Derkatch's downfall may be attributed to getting such a late start last summer.

Would it not be beneficial to have your new top man involved in the draft? It could help to know which style of play your team is going to go with so as to draft a player that may help achieve those goals.

This is a fragile bunch of players right now and its going to take some time for whoever the new coach is to rebuild all that was lost over the last year. Getting the new guy in here sooner rather than later could help with that. Athletes are creatures of habit and need familiarity around them to feel comfortable and thus productive.

So while Derkatch is gone, GM Brent Parker must now bare the cross alone. The turn-around must be quick as Parker himself has said the 'talent is there'. There should be no excuses when it comes to getting a top coach and fielding a top team next year.

As for Derkatch, his departure was quiet. In a brief phone conversation yesterday he basically just said that he has 'said his piece' (not a direct quote) and would rather not get into things. Classy.

Dale never seemed to mind stopping by with a comment or two whether it was at practice or before a game. I really enjoyed having a chance to meet and interview him several times this year. It didn't matter whether it was the first or the last game of the year, you could just see on his face that he loved being at the rink. It's too bad it ended this way for 'The Rat', but no doubt he'll be at a rink soon enough with a smile back on his face.