The last time Dave Lowry coached in the Western Hockey League, he led the Calgary Hitmen to 59 wins in 72 games.
Add in the HitmenB次元官网网址檚 14 playoff wins from that 2008-09 season and Lowry was behind the bench for 73 wins in total. That's more than three times the amount of wins the Victoria Royals got in 2011-12.
ItB次元官网网址檚 a fresh start for the Royals, with Cam Hope named general manager on July 6 and Lowry named head coach on July 19. But thereB次元官网网址檚 no denying the new bosses have their work cut out for them.
B次元官网网址淥pportunity is the reason IB次元官网网址檓 here,B次元官网网址� said Lowry, who was with the Calgary Flames as an assistant coach the past three seasons.
B次元官网网址淎s soon as Royals owner Graham Lee said (Marc Habscheid would be replaced) by two different positions, general manager and head coach, it solidified my interest. I called the team to let them know I was interested.
B次元官网网址淔or me itB次元官网网址檚 coaching only, IB次元官网网址檓 not interested in the GM side of it.B次元官网网址�
Lowry, a playerB次元官网网址檚 coach, said heB次元官网网址檒l push an up-tempo style of play.
As a pro, Lowry played 19 years in the NHL, starting in 1985 with the Vancouver Canucks, and ending in 2004 with the Calgary Flames. He moved into an assistant coaching role with the Hitmen in 2005-06 and was groomed into the head coaching role under friend and fellow ex-NHLer Kelly Kisio, who handled the GM and head coaching duties.
In 2007, LowryB次元官网网址檚 name tag switched from assistant to associate as he took more responsibility on the bench, eventually taking over the head coaching duties from Kisio in 2008.
B次元官网网址淜isio is a good friend and we had a great professional relationship that allowed me to grow into the role of head coach,B次元官网网址� Lowry said.
The expectations for that 2008-09 season was to rebuild the Hitmen, Lowry added, but instead the team finished first in the WHL regular season and lost to the Kelowna Rockets (and Jamie Benn) in the WHL finals.
B次元官网网址淛ust goes to show if you establish a good leadership group and culture it looks after itself.B次元官网网址�
Lowry and Hope are now in the process of getting to know each other and the team.
B次元官网网址淭here was about 20 names that came forward for the coaching job, all with legitimate backgrounds, enough to be coaching at the WHL level,B次元官网网址� Hope said.
B次元官网网址淭he process started even before I was announced as GM (on July 6). We had to be ruthless and whittle the list down to 10, but at no time did anything happen that made me second-guess Lowry as the top candidate.B次元官网网址�
With the coaching role filled Hope, and Lowry, can turn to the draft, rookie and training camps, which will begin on Aug. 18, 22 and 25, or thereabouts.
WHL in the family
Dave Lowry has two NHL drafted sons, Joel, who played with the Victoria Grizzlies from 2009 to 2011, and Adam, 19, who will return to the Swift Current Broncos this year.
During JoelB次元官网网址檚 time in Victoria, he signed a scholarship deal with Cornell University and was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth round of the 2011 draft, having been previously passed up in the 2010 draft. The Winnipeg Jets selected Adam in the third round of the 2011 draft.
Dave is confident that Adam would refuse to come to the Royals, in such a situation that he was available.
B次元官网网址淎s a father, I want to say no, but then IB次元官网网址檇 love to have him. But I donB次元官网网址檛 think heB次元官网网址檇 want to come. Even so, it would have to be a very specific situation where, as a player, heB次元官网网址檇 be what we needed.B次元官网网址�
WouldnB次元官网网址檛 be the first time with this franchise, as one of Marc HabscheidB次元官网网址檚 first moves when he was hired as the Chilliwack Bruins GM in 2009 was to trade for son ZachB次元官网网址檚 playing rights.
Fast facts
The Vancouver Canucks drafted Lowry in the sixth round of the 1983 draft from the OHLB次元官网网址檚 London Knights. The Toronto Maple Leafs picked Russ Courtnall seventh overall that year from the Victoria Cougars.
