Wintoneak interview

I know I promised to get this audio up last night. Unfortunately, a headache kept me out of commission. So I'll give you the quotes from yesterday now.


On the Team West camp in Penticton:


When you put that jersey on, whether you play or coach, it's a great privilege and an honour. You have a responsibility. There was some real good hockey players there, 41 in total. It wasn't an easy task. Some of these kids basically played five games in six nights, they travelled through the night, got in at 2:30 or 4 a.m., then up at 7:15 and start our routine. They were long days. Both teams practiced twice and then we played at night. It was pretty intense and we're real happy about the outcome so far.

We want to create an identity. When you go to a camp like that, it's a short-term event. There really is no time for teaching. You're not molding a player into the kind of player you want. They have to fit a certain role and be able to play the way we ask them to play.

It's a fantastic facility. It's an $80 million complex. The dressing room is a pro room, it's the best Junior A dressing room that I've seen in my hockey career. It's well put together, well organized and they treated us first class. Where we stayed was on Okanagan Lake so you wake up in the morning and the view is breathtaking. You'd have a coffee on the deck before you start heading out. It was a fantastic time, but hockey was the priority and that was the second priority. We didn't get to socialize too much.

On Sean Flanagan's performance:


Sean was a little nervous at the beginning. I thought he fought the puck a little bit, but I think he wasn't the only one. Even some of the veterans who played last year struggled a little bit. I think Sean will fit. He's solid defensively and I think he's got some offence. He moves the puck well and does a lot of good things. Time will tell, I guess. We've had our meetings and discussed it thoroughly. It was a long night, Tuesday night after the game. 

On being back in the West Central Events Centre:

Pretty exciting. Today was the first time I got to step on the ice and I felt pretty good. It's a good rink. When you're away from a place for a little bit, it really gets a lot of complaints sometimes but you come back here and step on the ice and you're pretty happy with what you see now and where we're at. Being on this side of the rink is the best thing that could ever happen to this organization. The way the whole scenario is looking with the room and the fitness room, it's hard to put in words. I sat in the stall today and just looked around and I got goosebumps.

When you build something within your space, there's some glitches and you live with it. But I think it's great. The people who have worked here put many, many hours into this and it's going to look good. I think the people of this community should be proud of what we have, not only about our room but the whole facility now. Even the flooring adds a little touch to the rink. It seems brighter in here, I really noticed with that white wall in the back, it looks pretty cool. I can't wait until we play on Saturday night.

I'll have to go for a tour. I've been through it a couple times now, but I think the whole facility has got a real positive uplift now to it. This facility is going to be taxed out this year with everybody using it, and I think the community sees how lucky we were, having two ice pads. Sooner or later we'll get that second one but I really think we need to make sure we keep this place tidy and looking respectable. When I was in Penticton, there was no garbage on the floor, the stands were pretty well spotless. I would hope that our kids have some respect and some responsibility to take care of it.

On Riley Down's injury status:

I know Riley and I know he wants to play Saturday night, and I don't think he's ready. My feeling is he's a guy that would do anything for the hockey team, but you don't win a championship in September and October. We need him on the ice when he's 100% healthy. I think sometimes it's fear that he's going to be released or cut and that's not our intention. We're not going to release a player because of a health issue. It would be because of his performance. He's probably a week or two away, in my opinion, but I don't think he likes to tell the truth sometimes. But that's the way hockey players are, and you gotta like that in a player because he wants to be here.