Blast Hire trader as coach
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Saturday, July 07, 2007
When Brantford Blast president and general manager Peter Ham surprised the senior hockey world by relieving head coach Larry Van Herzele of his duties a few months ago, he went searching for the best candidate to lead his team to the Allan Cup tournament which the Blast will host next spring.
As it turns out, Ham didn’t have to search very far.
Ham announced Friday that former NHL player and Brantford Smoke head coach Larry Trader, who resides in Brantford, is the new head coach of his Major League Hockey team.
“We’re very fortunate that a man with Larry’s proven track record resides here in Brantford,”Ham said.
“The fans and the players are the winners here. He’s the best available and it’s just wonderful that he’s willing to take this task on to win the 100th edition of the Allan Cup.”
Trader, who is celebrating his 44th birthday today, coached the Smoke in the Colonial and then United Hockey League for three seasons.
The Smokies had a 45-24-5 record in his first season (1995-96), 42-25-7 record in 1996-97 and they were 33-27-0-14 in 1997-98.
The Smoke moved to Asheville, N.C., after the 1997-98 but Trader remained in Brantford and decided to seek a new career. He eventually became an electrician which is the profession he works at today.
“The last number of years I’ve been focusing on getting my new career in place and stable,” Trader said.
“I’ve never really thought about (coaching) over the last few years but then this opportunity came up. I have more free time now and it seems like a good opportunity with the Allan Cup being here.
“There is a certain point in your life where you go in a new direction but you never lose the passion for it (hockey). You never really lose it. I guess I’ve got to go into storage, break out all my hockey pucks and get back into the swing of things.”
Trader will have an assistant coach or two but the position hasn’t been filled.We’re discussing that and it’s up in the open right now,” Trader said. “It’s something that will be arranged over the course of the summer.
“I think we’re also going to meet with some of the players and I’ll be going over some of the other points with Peter, like some of the strong points and some of the areas where we need to improve.”
Ham knew the type of coach he was seeking when he dismissed Van Herzele even though Van Herzele guided the Blast to the MLH championship before losing 4-0 to the Whitby Dunlops in the Robertson Cup playoff for the Ontario Hockey Association and Ontario Hockey Federation championship.
“We wanted a coach who would give us the very best chance to win the Allan Cup,” Ham said.
“We’re trying to attract the best players and we have a wonderful group of fans. They deserve the best coaching available.
“We needed a coach who could get the most out of the talent available to our league and a coach who has the ability and desire to teach that calibre of player.
“Senior A hockey in Canada is generally regarded as the best true amateur hockey in the world and the players who compete at this level are highly skilled and motivated.
“They need a coach to believe in, a coach who can devise systems these players will buy into. Those are the essential ingredients that Larry Trader brings to the table.
“Throughout Larry’s professional coaching career he established a winning percentage of around .600 and that’ll get the job done in any league.”
Trader had stints with the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens in the NHL.
However, he spent the majority of his professional playing career in the 1980s in the American Hockey League where he won a Calder Cup in the 1985-86 season with the Adirondack Red Wings.
“He knows what it takes to win and that’s very important,” Ham said.
ICE CHIPS: After the Smoke left town, Trader coached Brantford's minor bantam AAA team for one season. He must have done a pretty good job as some of the players from Brantford on that team were Paul Szczechura, John Neal, Ryan Nie, Spencer Churchill, Brandon Maloney, Mark Stockdale, Dennis Harrington, Brian Smith and Mike Wichrowski.