Champion Fury ink Coach Todd Nelson to new deal
Published on May 26, 2004 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release
MUSKEGON, MI.--- In the first major development to transpire since the crowning of their third Colonial Cup Championship in the last five years, the reigning United Hockey League Champions, the Muskegon Fury, have announced that Director of Hockey Operations / Head Coach TODD NELSON has agreed to terms on a new two-year contract to remain behind the Fury bench for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 UHL seasons. Assenting to club policy, terms of the new deal were not disclosed.
In making the momentous, monumental announcement, the Fury Team Owner and Club President Tony Lisman could not mask his elation and exultation. "Todd did an enormously outstanding job in his first-ever campaign as a pro head coach. He did and accomplished everything that we laid-out for him. His head coaching debut has to be considered one of the best-ever in our industry. âNellie' has really been a part of our Muskegon hockey family for a long period of time, dating all the way back to the era of the IHL Lumberjacks. Over those many years, he and his family have been exemplary in their commitment to our community and we of the Fury organization are strongly committed to him." Lisman best summed up his initial important signing of the off-season by proclaiming,"our first major step has been attained in keeping custody of the Cup right here for an extended stay."
As for the Fury Coach Nelson, he is appreciative of the new deal and excited about building yet another team for a successful defense of the UHL's most coveted crown. "To start, I was really happy when receiving the Fury coaching opportunity last year. Tony showed a lot of confidence in me to proceed to get the job done and at the high standards that have always been the trademark of the Muskegon organization. Now comes the task of building next season's team which is something I am really looking forward to doing; especially since much of the past season's title team had been previously assembled before my arrival. I am enthusiastically looking ahead at the new challenges that will be presented as we work, once again, on achieving the many areas of success which we realized this past season."
In becoming the Fury franchise eighth coach on July 30, 2003, Nelson's head coaching debut was one that will forever belong to the ages of Fury hockey lore, legend and heritage. The Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native directed the Muskegon to a lofty third-place finish in the fiercely-competitive, hotly-contending UHL Western Conference as well as the overall 11-teams' league standings with a superlative record of 76(47-20-9) for 103-points. The 103-points represented the second most in franchise history while the 20-defeats were the second fewest of all-team time. Under the doctrine according to "T-Nel," Muskegon emerged prominently and predominantly as the highest scoring aggregation nation in the league, amassing a prolific 298-GF for a GFA of a highly-proficient 3.92.
However, that was merely, the very beginning of the winning for Muskegon's first-year bench pilot and pacer as his club saved its best for last in sweeping through the league's post-season playoffs to capture the franchise second Colonial Cup crown in the last three years and its third in the past five calendar years. "Todd's Team" fashioned an unprecedented, record-breaking, history-making undefeated climb to the crown when it swept through all 11 of its playoff games and a perfect 11(11-0) record. Suddenly, the UHL's premiere offensive machine during the regular season evolved into the league's all-time best-ever defensive team in post-season, playoff history, grudgingly surrendering a meager 14-GA for a GAA of league record, microscopic 1.26.
The 11-games' playoff winning streak also established a new league standard as the Fury ousted the only two teams that finished ahead of them in the league standings; namely UHL powerhouses the ilk of Quad City 3(3-0) and defend-ing kingpin Fort Wayne 4(4-0) before dispatching Elmira in the Finals to celebrate their latest championship.
The perfection under the Nelson influence was so complete, that Muskegon trailed in a playoff game only once, for a grand total of 12:03, which occurred in game one of the opening round series sweep of Quad City. In all, the Fury set or equaled some 44-UHL and/or Fury club records during their season of destiny and history with Nelson at the helm.
Including the final three games of the regular season, the Fury fashioned an all-time club record 14-game winning streak that spanned a 6-weeks' stretch from April 4th through May 14th.
Though it was Nelson's first Colonial Cup title as coach, it also marked his second one as a member of the Fury organization. In his last act as an active player, he was last seen accepting the league's grand prize in 2002 when Muskegon claimed its second league kingship.
The Fury mentor has become a major part of pro hockey history in Muskegon as he is currently enjoying his third separate stint here on the Lakeshore. Originally a fourth round choice, 79th overall of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Nelson's pro playing career commenced with the IHL Muskegon Lumberjacks in 1990. In 1992, he moved with the franchise to Cleveland. He came back to Muskegon to finish his active playing career in the 2001-02 season as a member of the Fury's Colonial Cup II squad. After apprenticing for one year as the Assistant Coach of the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins in 2002-03, he returned to the Fury, again, this time as head coach, earning his second title with Muskegon and his first as the coach.
The Fury's most recent championship was achieved on a late Friday night of May 14th, a mere one hour before Todd Nelson's 35th birthday on May 15th.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from May 26, 2004
- Champion Fury ink Coach Todd Nelson to new deal - Muskegon Lumberjacks
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