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Greg Johnston part of new leadership team with Provincial Junior Hockey League’s Innisfil Spartans; exhibition game scheduled for Aug. 15
Hockey is anything but Greek to the new leadership team at the Innisfil Spartans.
The Provincial Junior Hockey League squad is getting geared up for another year — its first exhibition game is planned for Aug. 15 — but this time it has overhauled the coaching staff with the goal of creating a new atmosphere and winning outlook.
Randy Butineau, returning vice-president of hockey operations, recently announced the hiring of new general manager Ed Garinger, head coach Graham Pickard, assistant coach Greg Johnston and goaltending coach Ian Andriano.
“It’s really grassroots hockey,” said Butineau of the Junior C squad, which plays its home games at the Innisfil Recreational Complex. “You can go down to a town like Norwich, which has a population of 8,000, but they fill their rink every Friday and Saturday night. It’s loud. It’s good hockey. And they’re very successful.”
Historically, the Spartans have run “middle of the pack,” but that should improve over the long term with a solid hockey operations side in place, he said.
“They’re all top-shelf, quality people,” Butineau said. “I’m excited for the season. We’ve done well here.”
He looks to clubs like the Alliston Hornets and Stayner Siskins as examples of how to run a franchise the right way.
“That’s the goal for Innisfil; we want to build a successful program,” Butineau said. “It’s all about winning — I want to win a (Clarence) Schmalz Cup. I want a ring. We think we’re in a goldmine area. In order for us to do that, we need to have strong leadership and a focus on winning and at the same time providing some structure. It was important for me to bring in a really good hockey operations side. I believe I’ve done that. The foundation of what we’re looking to do — it’s going to be about transparency and accountability.”
You can tell they all get along — during a recent roundtable interview with this reporter, where everyone but Andriano was in attendance, several off-the-cuff jokes were cracked about soda, hot dogs and each other.
Butineau hopes Innisfil can embrace the Spartans through increased sponsorship, packed crowds and enhanced partnerships with local minor hockey organizations.
“These players are heroes to kids,” Johnston said. “They want the broken stick or a puck. You have to take that responsibility seriously. It’s a privilege to have somebody look up to you and idolize you. That’s how we’re going to build our community.”
Garinger is a Carruthers Division coach of the year and two-time champion. He has also captured the North Division and has a .732 winning percentage as a head coach in junior.
Pickard has earned coach of the year and captured both divisions twice.
Johnston is a Barrie Sports Hall of Fame inductee who played more than 1,000 professional games, including 209 in the National Hockey League. He competed in the Stanley Cup finals and won a World Junior title with Team Canada.
“We’re trying to make Innisfil a destination, a place players want to come to,” Johnston said. “We have a lot here to draw from. There’s lots of hockey in this area. It’s an easy commute and a great facility. We take pride in what we do. Come watch the kids work their tails off.”
Andriano has more than 10 years of experience as a goalie coach and played in 133 Junior A games.
“It’s an exciting time,” Pickard said. “This market hasn’t been tapped into as much as it could be.”
While there are many factors that help determine a squad’s success, the guys believe prosperity is achieved through scouting, teamwork, and setting the tone of making hockey enjoyable — whether you’re a rookie trying to earn ice time or an older player finishing a Spartans career.
They hope to emphasize that last point through a consistent approach that resonates from the top of the organization to its bottom.
The guys also stressed that a winning culture stretches well beyond the scoreboard. Achievement, in this leadership team’s eyes, should be seen through the positive effect they’ve had on their players. They’re trying to build a tight-knit family here, where they can be trusted to act as an ear while a player is navigating a tough personal situation, or where players who have graduated from the program return to show off pictures of their babies or invite staff or ex-teammates to their special occasions.
“We should all be pulling the rope together,” Pickard said.
Fun, they say, is a sign things are going well.
“We don’t always agree on the hockey stuff,” Garinger said. “But we respect each other enough to speak our minds and move forward. Our goal is to build a foundation of stability. When you are recruiting players … you want (them) to know there will be this consistency throughout the season. We’ve got an opportunity to build something here.
“Luck favours the prepared.”
The team is currently looking for billets for the upcoming season. For more details, email [email protected].
Further information on the team can be found at innisfilspartans.com.
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