Wednesday, March 12, 2008

FRONTS: BOILING AT THE THOUGHT OF CIMMER

There's a bit of discomfort, nothing personal mind you, about seeing a rumour at Fronts Talk that Tony Cimmellaro will coach the Kingston Frontenacs next season.

It would be unbelievably small-town-cheap for owner Doug Springer just to have everyone take one step to the left if GM-for-life Larry Mavety finally packs in in after this season. Cimmellaro, a long-time assistant coach, is probably just identified with the negativity that's been around the Frontenacs for far too long. A new coach and GM are needed to give the Frontenacs some credibility -- they might have won some back with fans but agents and parents could be another sotry -- as they try to build a winner.

Diehards on the message boards have also squawked about how Cimmellaro portions out ice-time to his defencemen (Justin Wallingford is effective at 20 minutes a game, not so much at 35). The power play, which is often the assistant coach's baby, has been in the bottom quarter of the OHL for two years running.

For Ottawa readers, pray for the draft stock of local midget hotshots Eric Gudbranson and Ryan Spooner to keep rising. The Frontenacs' late-season surge (seven wins in eight games) has dropped them into the No. 4 draft choice, so those kids could get drafted 2-3, before Kingston makes its selection. (It would be nice to see Gudbranson end up in Kingston's black and gold, but Mike Foligno would have to have an out-of-body experience on draft day for him not to go to Sudbury with the No. 2 pick.)

1 comment:

Tyler King said...

Will they have much choice? I mean, what coach, who is already outside the organization, would want to come inside this clusterfudge?