By PATRICK KING
sportsnet.ca
It didn’t take long for the first coaching casualty this season.
The P.E.I. Rocket fired head coach Guy Chouinard on Tuesday, just 10 games into their schedule. The Rocket’s record is 5-3-0-2, one point behind Saint John for first in the Atlantic Division, but as team president Serge Savard Jr. told Sportsnet, the results don’t tell the whole story.
"It has nothing to do with the record; it’s the way we were playing," Savard Jr. said. "We’re really not coming together as a team and when you have a feeling that you’re going in the wrong direction like this, the more you wait the tougher it is to bring back. I was not expecting to make a move early in the season but I think it was necessary."
Savard Jr. cited the team’s undisciplined play and lack of unity on the ice as the main reasons for the decision.
The team has been outshot in seven of their first 10 games and had been averaging more than 40 shots against in their past five contests.
"Not looking to put the blame on Guy or any players specifically, but I really think right now we weren’t playing as a team," Savard Jr. said.
Chouinard was in his third season as head coach of the Rocket. He had taken over for Yanick Jean, currently the head coach of the Victoriaville Tigres, in a coaching change that also took place early in that season.
The timing of the move was surprising for a team picked by many to contend for the championship this season.
"There’s never good timing," Savard Jr. said. "It’s very unfortunate because I really, really respected Guy Chouinard as a human being, as a person. I still think he’s a good coach but the situation was getting alarming and we have to move forward with the franchise."
Chouinard is the all-time wins leader among coaches in the Québec Major Junior Hockey League with 569.
P.E.I. was Chouinard’s eighth stop behind the bench, with other stints in Longueuil, Victoriaville, Verdun, Trois-Rivieres, Sherbrooke, Laval and Québec.
Assistant coach Corrado Micalef remains with the Rocket. A replacement is expected to be announced as early as Thursday.
Hodgson returns to Battalion
The Vancouver Canucks returned highly-touted prospect Cody Hodgson to the Ontario Hockey League’s Brampton Battalion last week.
Hodgson, who won gold with the Canadian world junior team, appeared to be a lock to join the Canucks this season. After suffering a back injury while training this summer, Hodgson failed to impress the Canucks long enough to earn a stay in the National Hockey League.
Since being returned to the Battalion, Hodgson has yet to play or join his former team. He was unavailable for comment.
WHL goaltenders shine
Andrew Hayes and Calvin Pickard are both in mid-season form.
Hayes, the starter in Brandon, set a franchise record with three consecutive shutouts for the Memorial Cup hosts. He fell short of the WHL record for consecutive shutouts in his fourth start, allowing six goals in a 6-3 loss to the Red Deer Rebels.
The record is held by Chris Worthy, who set the mark in the 1967-68 season with the Flin Flon Bombers.
"It was really exciting when I heard it was a record for the team," said Hayes, who learned of the league record from his teammates.
Hayes was last week’s recipient of the Canadian Hockey League goaltender of the week award. He blanked the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday, posting his fourth shutout in five starts.
The hot start is a positive sign for Hayes, whom some have suggested might not be the best choice for the Wheat Kings in a year where they host the Memorial Cup.
"I want to be the guy going into the Mem Cup," said Hayes, who stayed in Brandon during the off-season to strengthen his game and lost 25 pounds. "I feel like after last season and our series with Calgary I have a lot more to give than what I did in that last series and I’m just trying to prove people wrong that have doubted me."
Meanwhile, Pickard did everything but score in Seattle’s 1-0 win over Tri-City on Saturday. The sophomore goaltender, and younger brother of former Tri-City goaltender Chet Pickard, made 57 saves for the win.
"My eyes were following the puck pretty well tonight and when that happens things are going to go well," Pickard said in a post-game interview with Thunderbirds play-by-play man Thom Beuning.
Pickard is one of the top goaltending prospects for the 2010 NHL draft.
Blades bring in Stanford
The Saskatoon Blades didn’t look far to add depth in goal.
The Blades acquired veteran goaltender Steven Stanford in a trade with the Prince Albert Raiders on Monday. Stanford, who had been the Raiders’ starting goaltender last season, became expendable when the Raiders acquired another veteran, Dalyn Flette, from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Monday.
"I think the biggest thing is we were looking for a goaltender to complement Adam Morrison," Blades head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken told Sportsnet. "I think we’re very familiar with Stanford because he’s played lots against us. We’ve watched him play lots and we think he’s a quality goalie. It was a situation where we thought we couldn’t pass up on that."
Molleken said his team hadn’t yet decided how many games the duo would split but he likes what he is seeing from his new goaltender so far.
"In the early practices here he looks extremely well and looks like he’s going to fit right in," he said.
Notes: The Québec Remparts received overage forward Mikhail Stefanovich back from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stefanovich has yet to play for the Remparts this season … The Niagara IceDogs acquired overage right winger Josh Moes from the Owen Sound Attack in exchange for a fifth round pick … The Saskatoon Blades traded forward Jamie Crooks and a conditional draft pick to the Chilliwack Bruins in exchange for veteran forward Randy McNaught … Spokane Chiefs forward Mitch Wahl signed an entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames … The Plymouth Whalers added depth with the acquisition of James Marsden from the Kingston Frontenacs … Lewiston MAINEiacs defenceman Eric Gelinas was suspended two games … Portland Winterhawks forward Oliver Gabriel tore his spleen in Friday’s game against Spokane. He will miss the next two months … Regina Pats sophomore forward Jordan Weal was named the WHL and CHL player of the week … Niagara IceDogs goaltender Mark Visentin was named the CHL goaltender of the week … Drummondville captain Marc-Olivier Vachon was named the QMJHL’s offensive player of the week. Acadie-Bathurst goaltender Nicholas Champion is the league’s defensive player of the week while Chicoutimi’s Robin Gusse is the rookie of the week … Windsor Spitfires forward Adam Henrique is the OHL’s player of the week … The Ontario Hockey League has hired Sportsnet Hockeycentral panelist John Shannon as the league’s broadcast consultant.
