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Bohonos in, Howarth out

Reuben Villagracia, Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, January 31, 2012

The Thunder Bay North Stars named former NHLer Lonny Bohonos as their interim head coach on Monday — one day after letting go of the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s most decorated bench boss in controversial fashion.

Bohonos, 38, has lived in Thunder Bay for the past six years and was coach with the Thunder Bay Kings AAA organization’s bantam and midget teams in recent seasons. The Winnipeg native played 12 years of professional hockey, including 83 games with the Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bohonos will make his junior coaching debut Wednesday at Fort William Gardens when the North Stars face the reigning league champion Wisconsin Wilderness.

“The ownership group . . . welcome(s) Lonny to the team and wish he and the players well in the remainder of the regular season, throughout the playoffs and along the road to the Dudley-Hewitt Cup,” North Stars president and co-owner David Dubinsky said in a release Monday.

The hiring came in the wake of Todd Howarth’s sudden departure from the club. On Monday, Howarth claimed he didn’t step down as the North Stars’ head coach as the team had announced.

Howarth had met with Dubinsky on Sunday and was told he was being let go. A press release came out later that evening stating Howarth had left due to personal reasons.

“They’re using me as a fall guy,” Howarth said in a phone interview in which he says he never received a salary for the past two seasons. “All the years I’ve been here, there’s nobody that spends more time coaching in a year.

“My teams never quit. Ever. And I didn’t either. Let’s be honest here,” he added.

Howarth said management wasn’t pleased with his coaching style — or as he put it, “I’m not politically correct.” The North Stars’ up-and-down record of 21-15-5 didn’t help either.

Howarth admitted confusion arose between himself and Dubinsky when they talked about how they wanted to make the move public.

“I left the meeting saying, ‘Say whatever the (expletive) you want,’” he recalled. “I have the right to be mad.”

Calls made to Dubinsky on Monday night after the announcement of Bohonos’ hiring were not returned.

Bohonos has big shoes to fill. Howarth was the longest serving coach with one team in the short history of the SIJHL.

In nine and a half years, Howarth’s North Stars went 363-94-32 in the regular season and posted a 74-31-2 mark in the playoffs with five league titles and one Dudley-Hewitt Cup (Central Canada championship) under their belts. Thunder Bay is hosting this year’s Dudley-Hewitt Cup tournament in April.

Howarth was also upset with the reputation that’s surrounded his team as too rough and tumble to attract sponsors.

“People are saying that they won’t sponsor this organization because of Todd Howarth,” said the 41-year-old Dryden native. “I guess winning all these years doesn’t count. At the end of the day, you don’t have to like me, but the record speaks for itself.”

When the team was in financial trouble last year, Howarth poured money out of his own pocket for road trips and equipment. The money won’t likely be recovered.

“I’ve got no ill things to say against Mr. Dubinsky (and the other co-owners). I got nothing,” Howarth said. “They stepped up and saved the organization. At the end of the day, I stepped up too. . . . And I’m the one getting hurt here.”

One of Howarth’s assistant coaches, Jason Firth, has also left the team. Howarth said he isn’t aware of the status of the rest of his coaching and training staff. His son, Isaac, will remain on the team, but Howarth confirmed veteran defenceman Kyle Breukelman decided to end his junior career before this coaching change was made.

“I’ve been on the phone with young men all day today,” Howarth said when asked if he’s talked to his players. “I’ve brought kids from all over the country here. They’re pretty upset.”

Bohonos is just the third coach of the North Stars franchise which started in 2001 as one of the SIJHL flagship programs, the Thunder Bay Wolves. Dave Simpson coached the Wolves in the inaugural season before Howarth stepped in before the 2002-2003 campaign.

As the North Stars, the team — with Howarth behind the bench and the late Gary Cook as the general manager — were a powerhouse with three consecutive SIJHL crowns from 2004 to 2006.

The 2006 edition of the North Stars featured current AHL goaltender Carter Hutton and rookie NHL defenceman Robert Bortuzzo. They reached the semifinal of the Royal Bank Cup nationals.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
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