Sunday, September 02, 2001
Five Questions with Ray Edwards, Cyclones coach
Ray Edwards, 31, is quietly going about the business of building the Cincinnati Cyclones almost from scratch as the team's new coach and director of hockey operations.
After nine seasons in the International Hockey League, the Cyclones will play in the East Coast Hockey League for the first time since 1992, as part of the NHL Nashville Predators' minor league system.
“I'm a young coach, and this is a great opportunity for me,” Edwards said. “My ownership expects a lot. We expect to win. We expect every year to try to compete for a championship. When you're given the things to succeed, it's a lot easier than if you're not. We have every avenue to succeed here.”
A native of Ontario, Edwards was a player/coach for seven years in the ECHL and was a coach for three. He led the Huntington Blizzards to franchise records with 35 victories and a .571 winning percentage.
He has been a scout for the Predators and spent eight months in Memphis, Tenn., preparing to start a franchise there, but that did not work out.
Edwards, who lives in Mason with his wife, Leesa, and 14-month-old son, Holden, answered five questions from Enquirer reporter Michael Perry:
1. Talk about what you've done in the six weeks since you were named coach.
Just about everything. I've been doing a lot of recruiting. Obviously we're focused on putting a very competitive championship-type caliber team on the ice in a short time. That's a tough thing to do, but we believe we can do it. We want a team that Cincinnati can be proud of. Frankly, the Cyclones name is a proud name, and we want to make sure people are still proud of it. ... People may think I'm crazy for saying it, but our goal from the day that we announced this thing was to try to win a championship. There's no other way that I could think of going into it.
2. Where do you recruit players?
There's major junior hockey in Canada, which is the Ontario Hockey League, the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. There is NCAA Division I, II and III. There are tier 2 leagues in the states and tier 2 leagues in Canada. There are other leagues in the pro system where you can recruit from.
3. What do you look for in players?
Because of our situation with Nashville, we know sort of know what we're getting from them. What we're looking to get from them is a lot of the skill. So what we're trying to do is recruit the character, the leadership, the toughness. We want guys who are going to help off the ice, anything from working out together to going bowling together. We really want to have these guys as part of the community and doing things together as a team.
4. What do you want your team to be known for?
Character. You're going to have a night or two when you're just not on, but we're hoping to be a team that every night, win or lose, the fans are going to be entertained and say, "Geez, we got our money's worth; those guys worked their cans off tonight.' That's the type of trademark we'd like to have.
5. What about your coaching style?
If you'd have seen me my first two years, you probably would've said I'm kind of a yelling guy. I'm a players' coach. I know what it's like to be a player. I know what it's like to play in the minors; it's a tough old grind. I'm still working on a lot of the finer points of my coaching philosophy. I think I need to listen more, probably, and not show my emotions as much. I'd like to be less animated at times. I wore my heart on my sleeve as a player. As a coach, it's good sometimes, but you've got to be a professional at times. I've got a lot to learn. No question.
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Five Questions with Ray Edwards, Cyclones coach
