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New owner re-charges Lightning

By Ken Wiebe, QMI Agency, Oct 30 2011

Since taking over as owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Jeff Vinick has brought stability, made an important hire and is doing everything in his power to establish a positive environment around the franchise.

The big move was hiring Steve Yzerman to run the hockey operations as general manager, but Vinick was receiving all kinds of praise on Saturday for the things he’s doing off the ice as well.

“He’s really stabilized the organization,” said Yzerman, the longtime Detroit Red Wings captain and Hockey Hall of Famer. “There was uncertainty in the ownership, as far as who was going to own it. He came in and stabilized that immediately. He wants people that are proud to wear the jersey and proud to work for the organization.

“He’s made a lot of changes in the organization and in the community to show the fan base that he’s serious about running a first-class organization and is committed to winning. The community has really bought in and he’s had a tremendous impact.”

The efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.

“Mr. Vinick has done so much for Tampa,” Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier said. “It’s definitely a world-class organization and I’m proud to be part of it.”

With one of his first decisions in the big chair, Yzerman made a very important call of his own, hiring the up-and-coming Guy Boucher as his first head coach.

“We’re a very organized, very disciplined team,” Yzerman said. “Guy is a very demanding coach. Our players feel they’re playing within a system and they’re really challenged by him. He’s an excellent coach, he’s very innovative and he’s a great person. Our players have responded really well to him.”

Boucher had an immediate impact, instilling a solid structure and guiding his team to the Eastern Conference final in his first season.

“He’s very positive and he talks to everybody. A lot of coaches don’t talk to players and I think that’s probably the worst thing you can do,” Lecavalier said. “You know what you have to do when you go on the ice. You’re not wondering what the coach wants. When you’re struggling, he’ll talk to you and when you’re doing well, he’ll tell you ‘don’t get overconfident.’

“Some coaches are good motivators but they’re not good at Xs and Os. Guy is very balanced and he’s sharp in every aspect.”

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