Steely-On wondered about Kitimat coaching.

We met tonight to confirm a number of things about this coming season. Our head coach will be Danny Baker, who was assistant coach last season.

The only reason there was any question whatsoever about this position was the Mr. Baker was ill throughout a significant portion of last season. He has confirmed he is ready and prepared to take on the head coaching role for the season and the Ice Demons welcome him into the position.

Danny Baker has long time coaching experience and has served well in advising the Demons in previous seasons before the 2007-08 season. Danny's son, Jeff Baker, has been a valuable mainstay of the Ice Demons defence for a number of seasons.

The team thanks Barry Boudreault, who was head coach last season and assistant coach for three years before that. Barry's contribution will also be missed, but we expect he'll chip in a few suggestions, from time to time, and we look forward to that, as well as any input from Mike Steponavicius, the former head coach. Between the two men, they led the Demons to three Coy Cups, the provincial senior hockey championship, and five league playoff championships.

Danny's assistant coach will be former Demons assistant captain, Craig Hewitson, an Ice Demon since day one, a former MVP of the CIHL playoffs, League scoring champion in his first season, and an offensive leader on the team since its inception.

The team welcomes Craig as a coach but will miss his offensive contribution on the ice.

The team has a new president, Luis Borges, and your servant Kitimatfan, will act as vice-president and publicity manager. Angelo DeMelo will remain as vice-president and treasurer and Mike Whelan will remain as our hardworking general manager. The Demons are thankful for the support of this group of volunteers.

We will have new trainers this season, with former goaltender Rick Taylor and former Kitimat referee, Tom Campbell, stepping into the roles carried out for so many years by Darrell Lowes and Brad Loran, who will also be missed in the dressing room, on the bus, at practices and in a social sense with the Demons.

The Ice Demons have started seasonal fund raising will start the season in good shape in terms of both players and administration.

Tryouts will be held, we expect, Sept. 8, 9, 10 and 11. Dates are not yptally firm at this but are expected to hold up. Dates, times and terms will be advertised and publicized.

The Ice Demons will be restricting tryouts to players 18 years and over.

We are starting the season with the same high expectations as every season -- and while other posters may wish to see the Demons falter this season and some new team emerge and CIHL champions, as far as the Kitimat Ice Demons Hockey Club is concerned, the challenge will be for the other teams to make that happen.

More information as it happens...

Kitimatfan

big loss to the forward group losing Hewy. I'm sure there wont be any defensmen in the league sad to see him go... the guy made alot happen with his speed.

Go Stamps Go!

But in addition to losing Hewey on the forward line, the Demons will be missing Doug Wilson on the d-lines. Dougie was another of the original Ice Demons and he's hanging 'em up -- not quite because he's close to my age -- just kidding -- but Doug is retiring after a long career, extended by his own total commitment to maximum
fitness.

Doug hardly ever missed a game -- to my memory, only one or two in seven years and virtually all due to work, inventory once a year at his job.

He got sat once in a Coy Cup final game, where we won the Coy Cup -- and it's a real testament to Doug's commitment to the team that he sucked it up and made the party a highlight of the week. No way, he was happy, but the team came first...that's why Doug is respected by every player and mgt. guy on the Demons team.

He'll be missed even more on the bus -- wait a minute, what am I saying?

Well, yes it's true - he was by far the most entertaining and noisy Demon on the bus and he really kept the fun going ... bus drivers will find there's still plenty of demand for "two honks, bussie!" as the Demons leave town.

It was best in Smithers and Houston, somehow, I just can't figure out why!!

some big changes in kitimat. sad to see hewey and dougie hang them up. they added a lot to your team on the ice but even more in the dressing room. lots of leadership lost there. cheers to them both.

papa hewey is right about kitimat still needs to be knocked from the top. still a lot of players with playoff and coy cup experience. im sure the rest of the west are up to the challenge. (i kinda like the idea of giving the demons one of those dougie victory cheers after we beat them in there barn.) HERE'S TO KITIMAT SUCKING --- -----!

looking forward to the new season and a quicker start for the rampage. good luck to all the teams.






your gonna need it. lol

Good on ya Josh, bring it on. I seem to remember you taking a heck of a hit on the back boards from Greg Sabey in the opening shift last season. He;ll be back...

So as I say, come and take it west division...

I respect the Rampage organization and all involved, but when guys like this come on the board spouting off it doesnt make anyone in rupert look good

Alittle cross team trash talk on a chat foprum will never do much harm, but will surely crank up the interest. Now, Stamps 1, unfortunately, is something else agauin...

True True... Though it doesn't mean much coming from Rupert.. That's like a super featherweight talking sh!t to the undisputed heavyweight champ of the world haha...

beener's getting a little testy already. I played for kitimat 2 years ago along with colt stava and respect the demons. just poking some fun at old teammates. the main point i was making was i was sad to see hewey and doug hanging them up. maybe not hewey because now i dont have to worry about him burning by me.

yep sabey nailed me good hopefully i'm a little quicker this year cause that guys a monster.
he hurts people with his big hits. but although i read different here last year i have to say i thought he was a clean player. i know he got me clean.
people should check out his fight with chris brlecic. good fight and i think it may be on the rampage sight still.

so take the bee out of your bonnet beener. a little trash talking is good. more so amongst old teammates that know what they are talking about than

no hard feelings there Armstrong, I'm just a fan of the demons matter of fact I'm a fan of all the teams in the league but when it comes down to it you gotta back up what you say. Good luck to all teams and I'd love to see the Rampage have a sucessful Sophmore season. It definitly is the toughest year as now there are some expectations unlike year one. I've been both a player and GM in that situation and it is an exciting time but also stressful. I watched the Wolverines fold under the pressure in their sophmore season, I believe they won just 4 games that year. I've observed other teams in the league deal with the same problems. Bottom line is year two of a franchise is an important one for the fans, community, players and staff. I wish you guys the best of luck in PR....

-B69, CIHL REP.

...and as each season goes by and the fans build their expectations it just gets more difficult. Fact is that there's a hunger for success and wins and when they don't come fast enough, the fans tend to stay home and watch game two on the CBC double header. When it starts costing money it gets tougher to bring 'em back.

So good luck to all the teams, I figure this will be a very challenging season across the board and I wouldn't make ANY predictions this early...not even if I was Rusty!!!

...and as each season goes by and the fans build their expectations it just gets more difficult. Fact is that there's a hunger for success and wins and when they don't come fast enough, the fans tend to stay home and watch game two on the CBC double header. When it starts costing money it gets tougher to bring 'em back.

So good luck to all the teams, I figure this will be a very challenging season across the board and I wouldn't make ANY predictions this early...not even if I was Rusty!!!

it's all good b69

lets look forward to an exciting season.

I wanted to check out the chris brlecic sabey fight. what was the date on it or where can I find it. where on the rampage site is it?

i thought it was on one of the hilights but dont see it anymore. it was game 1 of the playoffs last year. if you have facebook there is a prince rupert rampage fansite and the fight is on there. at the bottom of the page. a better fight then the vid shows.

Thanks I found it. Good fight for both of them. Surprised that Sabey took that big first shot and then keep going. It looked like the refs could have let them go a while longer.