The entire ramifications of the Tuesday firing of Victoria Grizzlies general manager and head coach Bill Bestwick likely won鈥檛 be felt for a few days yet.
Rumblings of players, who the popular hockey executive managed to recruit to Vancouver Island, wanting a change had already began to swirl around the rink on Tuesday afternoon.
Some hadn鈥檛 heard of the firing until they pulled up at Bear Mountain Arena, while others found out through social media.
鈥淚 was taking a nap and I woke up to my iPhone going off with all the information I was getting,鈥� said Grizzlies鈥� captain Mark McLellan, who was caught off guard. 鈥淚 was shocked, especially coming with the record of this team through this year and last.
鈥淧ersonally, Bill saved my career last year. He believed in me through everything last year, and this year has been something special being the captain. And having Bill by my side the last two years has been phenomenal.鈥�
But McLellan, for one, isn鈥檛 going to pack his bags and ask for a trade, he鈥檚 simply been through too much at this point.
鈥淚鈥檓 staying,鈥� stressed McLellan, who sat out Tuesday鈥檚 4-2 win over Nanaimo due to injury. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of my job to lead this team in this community.
鈥淚 was here two years ago when this team blew up (at the trade deadline, then was sold in the off-season). Nothing could get worse than that, in my opinion. I鈥檓 sticking through this.鈥�
Others may choose to force new Grizzlies鈥� director of operations Pete Zubersky鈥檚 hand and demand a change of scenery.
As a player, the news was hard to swallow, admitted goaltender Alec Dillon, who was playing Junior B last year and received a contract offer from Swift Current from the WHL (his rights have since been traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings).
Bestwick talked him into staying in Victoria and becoming a big part of this team, moving up from the Westshore Wolves of the VIJHL.
鈥淚t鈥檚 sad to see him go and it鈥檚 a bit confusing on why he鈥檚 leaving,鈥� admitted Dillon. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a winning coach, he finds ways to win and we鈥檙e going to have to find ways to win without him.
鈥淗e did a great job recruiting guys from across the province and sa国际传媒. I think the guys will still bond as a team, though. If some do leave, that鈥檚 up to them. We鈥檙e going to keep battling and try to win every game.鈥�
There likely will be those who do want out and Zubersky has just a under a month to the trade deadline. It could be he gets requests for trades, especially by those recruited by Bestwick who are without scholarships.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a sense of that and I don鈥檛 expect it,鈥� Zubersky offered in a candid interview before Tuesday鈥檚 game. 鈥淲e have a really good squad here and my sense is they all believe they can win, so we鈥檒l see what the next 24, 36 or 48 hours bring.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so hard to say right now. Every situation and every kid is different. We鈥檒l see where it goes.鈥�
There is no doubt there will be many who disagree with the business decision to let Bestwick go, but Zubersky does not believe he or new head coach Craig Didmon will lose the room.
鈥淓very single time you make a change in a hockey club, be it a trainer, an assistant coach, your top scorer, bottom guy, head coach or general manager - as is this case now - there is always a concern,鈥� said Zubersky.
鈥淏ut the kids have careers that they鈥檙e working on. It鈥檚 part of the game. I hope they understand and, ultimately, they do.鈥�
Didmon, who took his spot on the bench with Scott Hawthorne as his assistant and chugged on Tuesday night, was in agreement with Zubersky.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that will happen,鈥� Didmon said in all honesty.
He stressed he was as shocked as his players when word filtered out about the firing.
鈥淲hen I read the morning paper (Tuesday) is the first time I thought this could be happening. I knew things had to be worked out, but I didn鈥檛 know what they were,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is a bit of a shock. But we move on tonight and reflect on it tomorrow.鈥�
Asked about the record he and Bestwick compiled together over the two seasons (52-21-3-12), Didmon said: 鈥淚f you look at a record like that, for sure, it鈥檚 shocking.
鈥淚t is what it is, though. It鈥檚 a business, I guess. That鈥檚 the cliche. Hockey is a business and the ownership group is wanting to move forward in this direction and we have to accept it.鈥�
Some may not, but we should find that out in the coming days.
