Stewart Ready For Another Championship Run
June 22, 2006 - SPHL (SPHL)
Florida Seals News Release
[ORLANDO, Fla.] - Three trips to the championship series, three losses.
For Florida Seals' Head Coach Tommy Stewart, will a fourth time be the charm? His answer: "Enough's enough. I can tell you we're going to have a championship team again."
Stewart's comments came during a brief question and answer session with Seals' fans between periods of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals at the Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon in south Orlando. It was part of a watch party thrown by the team for season ticket holders and supporters of the franchise.
The Seals used the break between the first and second periods for Stewart's "State of the Seals Address", bringing the assembled fans up to date on what has been going on since April. Most everyone there wanted to know about player agreements but Stewart had another piece of good news for the fans.
"We did get a new man on board as an owner. The Seals are now stronger than ever as an ownership group," he told the crowd. "Another developer came in with lots of money so the Seals are a very strong organization and are going to be here for a long time."
"The Waronker family has been great," he continued. "They are still on board but another person stepped up to the plate and is definitely spending dollars and is working with the four of us (office staff). It' going to be tremendous for this hockey team."
From then on, the focus turned to on-ice matters.
"I'm probably going to have close to seven to nine returnees on my team," said Stewart, drawing applause from the crowd. "I really don't like to toot my own whistle at all but I pride myself in not making transactions. I pride myself in strong recruiting and giving the guys a chance once they are here. That's a lot of pressure on me because that means I have to do a good job during the summer."
He then announced agreements were in place to bring back rock-steady defenseman Art Mnatsakanov as well as rookie forward Chad Haacke.
"He's going to be penciled in as my second line centerman," Stewart said of Haacke. "Hopefully, he probably gets me 60-70 points; possibly could be a number one center. He's a very tough hockey player as well."
Stewart said he anticipates bringing 25 to 26 players at training camp in October and asked the fans to be patient with roster moves during the summer months.
"We're going pretty much to have the same defensive corps but I'm making a lot of changes up front," the coach explained. "We're going to be young; we're going to be more energetic. We're going to have a good hockey club so Seals fans should be very happy. You're going to be entertained this year."
When the questions started, one player who was specifically asked about was SPHL Rookie of the Year Rob Sich. Sich blossomed under Stewart's coaching, becoming one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league along with being an instant crowd favorite.
"I did talk to Mr. Sich last week and I'm trying to get him an East Coast hockey job right now. He deserves it," Stewart said. "If he doesn't get it, he's not going to go to the other leagues, he's going to come here."
With the addition of the new Richmond Renegades team to the SPHL lineup, Stewart was asked about his view of the league for the upcoming season.
"I feel sorry for Fayetteville. I feel sorry for Knoxville," he said, explaining that due to the unbalanced schedule, the Seals will see the Renegades maybe three times during the regular season. "Richmond will be a good team. They may not be the most talented team but they will be one tough team."
"He (Richmond coach John Brophy) is old school. He'll have six or seven tough guys," Stewart continued. "They'll be an old school type of team. Fayetteville, Huntsville and Knoxville - we won't have to worry about because we won't have to play them that much."
Another question was asked about the dreaded February road trip caused by the annual Silver Spurs Rodeo and if the coach had learned anything that he could use to make this year's odyssey any easier.
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to go 0-6 to start," Stewart quipped. "We went 0-6 and then we went 6-0. We battled back like warriors that the guys are."
"It actually is going to be a little longer this year than it was last year," he added. "As a coach it stinks because of being away from my family for that long but also for the guys. My philosophy is that the start of the year to Christmas, boys can play. In the second half of the season - after Christmas to the end of the season - that's when men play. It proved last year that we were men."
Stewart then left the crowd on a high note.
"It's going to be another great year. We're going to have a fantastic team. Stay patient," he said. "The bottom line is winning and we're going to win. We're going to get the job done this year."
By Don Money
FloridaSeals.com
*REMINDERS*
The Florida Seals are asking the fans to white out the building on opening night, so remember this October - "WEAR WHITE TO OPENING NIGHT!"
First National Bank of Osceola, Xerographic Digital Printing, Coggin Pontiac-GMC-Buick, Pin Promotions Macaroni Grill and many other local businesses are teaming up with the Seals this upcoming season. For more information on how your company can benefit from a partnership with the Seals, please call the Seals office at 407-343-PUCK, email jbartels@floridaseals.com or check http://www.floridaseals.com/partners-opportunities.asp.
Florida Seals Full and Half Season Ticket Packages for the 2006-2007 season are on sale now. The Seals will look to build on their President's Cup Finals run next season. Be a part of the action with season tickets starting as low as $149 a seat. To reserve your seats email: tickets@floridaseals.com or call 407-343-PUCK and speak to a Seals Ticket Representative.
Make sure to check out www.floridaseals.com all summer long to keep up to date on what is going on with your Florida Seals.
• Discuss this story on the SPHL message board...
SPHL Stories from June 22, 2006
- Stewart Ready For Another Championship Run - Florida Seals
- Seals invite fans to join fan club - Florida Seals
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
