It’s the home stretch of the B.C. Hockey League season, and the Victoria Grizzlies are opening the new year as the No. 1 team in the league.
With a winning team, and a soon-to-be-unveiled plan to create more community involvement at Bear Mountain Arena, new GM and part-owner Pete Zubersky was bubbling over with enthusiasm on Thursday.
As far as the on-ice product, Zubersky wasn’t at all concerned that the team, returning from the Christmas break, wouldn’t be fired up and ready to go for home games against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (10-21-2-4) and Powell River Kings (24-8-2-2) tonight and Saturday, respectively. Both games face off at 7:15 p.m.
“I think it’s going to be easy, because we’re battling at the top of the league,” Zubersky said, adding the Grizzlies, 24-9-3-2, will be aiming at finishing at the top of the Island Division through the final 20 contests of the 58-game season. “I’m not really focusing on the entire league, although that would be an awesome goal to achieve.”
Just six games into his tenure as the Grizzlies GM, Zubersky is full of positives. Determined to put the upheaval of the team’s change in ownership and the firing of former coach/GM Bill Bestwick behind the organization, Zubersky had plenty of good things to say about the future.
One of the main items on his agenda is a plan, to be announced in the next 10 days, that should start filling the seats at the Bear.
“It’s in the works — something that’s going to be very big for the entire community,” Zubersky said, redirecting things away from any controversy and toward the players and coach staff, led by new bench boss Craig Didmon.
“I think Craig is doing a great job,” Zubersky said. “I think he has a wealth of experience. He’s paid his dues at Junior B and with the Victoria Royals, he was an assistant here, he’s local, and it’s his turn.”
Certainly, fans attending the Grizzlies games are getting a bang for their buck when it comes to the calibre of hockey. The team is packed with skillful, offensive-minded players, and the GM doesn’t plan on messing about too much with team dynamics come the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
“We trying to get better, but we don’t want to upset the room,” Zubersky said. “If we have the opportunity to get better, we’ll jump at it, but I’m quite content to sit where we are, as well.
“I think we have a lot of depth and leadership.”
The depth, of course, starts with the talented Fitzgerald triplets — Leo, Myles and Gerry. Myles, with 52 points, and Gerry, with 46, lead the team in scoring, and Leo is expected back in action sometime this month. He played just three games before being injured.
“That’s like adding a top-five guy in the BCHL at the deadline,” Zubersky said. “When [the triplets] are together, they’re in a class of their own.
“Those three kids together, they’re the most exciting three players in major junior or junior A in the country.”
Zubersky also pointed to Jesse Schwartz (42 points) as someone with a burning desire to win, and team captain Mark McLellan leads by example on the ice.
“The guy would stick his face in front of a shot to win a game,” Zubersky said about McLellan, equally impressed by the overall team chemistry. “I think the most important thing is the kids are having fun.
“I see a lot of smiles, and when they’re having fun, they’re going to play well.”
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