Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire ” brought to you by your local Auto Logic…the Logical Choice.
Shallow Lake Minor Hockey grad David Bell is the new head coach of the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League.
Looking at the IceDogs, Bell will be facing a huge challenge with close to a half roster overhaul due to graduating players from last year’s Eastern Conference Championship squad.
Having a young, inexperienced lineup is not a daunting challenge for Bell who’s faced a lot of adversity through his hockey days.
You might remember how the Owen Sound Platers passed on him, TWICE, in the OHL Priority Selection, only to watch him become an integral part of some very good teams at Ottawa.
You might remember the level of disappointment when he was bypassed for the Attack coaching position when his mentor, Mike Stothers, departed.
You might remember what an awful team he had with Dale Hawerchuk at Barrie in 2010-11.
An inexperienced team is nothing compared to a pro team he coached where the repo man was around every corner.
Do you remember the ongoing nepotism episode when he and Trent Cull were at Sudbury ?
And…….well, you get the idea.
An OHL rebuild in Niagara for rookie head coach David Bell will be a challenge but from his biggest, nor the most bizarre scenario he’s ever encountered in hockey.
I’m Fred Wallace