SPRINGHILL, N.S. – A new season means a new beginning for the Nova Scotia Hockey Leagues Cumberland County Blues.
“When we come out we’ll be ready. I can guarantee that. It’s going to be altogether different.”
Those words were spoken by Blues coach Wayne MacKenzie as he helps prepare the Blues for the 2019-2020 campaign.
Mackenzie, along with his cousin Mike MacKenzie, coached the Blues towards the end of last season.
They will be back on the bench this season, while John Davidson is the new general manager for the Blues.
“John’s going to be great. He’s young, he has lots of energy and he has lots of contacts,” MacKenzie said.
He also praises the hard work of the Blues executive.
“They have big hearts and they’re out there fundraising for us, so we have to give back and get that spark back in Springhill like it was quite a few years ago.”
One way to ignite that spark is to bring in top-notch players.
“We have seven or eight good players from NSCC and from Mount Allison University.”
They also have midget players on the roster.
“We want to keep as many locals as we can if they have the quality of play, and there’s a lot of younger guys who can play really well.”
Goaltending will be strong this season.
“You have to have good goaltending and we have some good kids playing in net,” MacKenzie said. “When a goalie makes a big save it puts a spark in the team and the boy's rally.”
One of the biggest problems in the past few years is that some players didn’t commit to the Blues 100 per cent, meaning that the team would sometimes go on road trips with half their players.
MacKenzie says players have to show commitment on and off the ice if they hope to play with the Blues.
“Last year we’d go with 12 players to Antigonish and the boys were done after the second period, so there was frustration with some of the kids who worked really hard last year because they want the best for the team,” MacKenzie said.
Win or lose, he wants his players to put in the effort.
“If the kids are going out there and giving it there all and the other team scores it can be discouraging but our job as coaches is to get the kids to work hard,” MacKenzie said. “It’s easy to give up but I never give up on anything. I’m there to push the boys in a positive way and to get the best out of them.”
He also hopes fans come out to help push the team.
“Springhill is a hockey town, and those people need hockey that is going to bring the fans out on Friday night and provide good entertainment,” said MacKenzie. “The more people the players see in the stands and the more they hear the cheering, the more the boys get into the game.”
The Blues open their regular season with a home-stand against the Valley Maple Leafs Friday at 7:30 p.m.
