It was less than two years ago that Cam Hope was introduced as the new general manager of the Victoria Royals. His first decision was the most crucial he has made — hiring Dave Lowry as his head coach.
“This would have been pretty hard to envision on that day in July of 2012 [when he was announced as the new GM] — I had just met [Royals owner] Graham Lee a couple of days before …,” said Hope on Wednesday, after he was named Western Hockey League executive of the year and Lowry the WHL’s top coach for 2013-14.
“A lot of the pieces were in place within the organization from the several past [ECHL and WHL] seasons, such as [director of hockey operations and communications] Jeff Harris, and that made assimilating easy.”
The WHL award winners were announced in Calgary.
“In order to stay competitive in this business, you have to be consistently agile,” said the soft-spoken Hope, whose mid-season deals for Winnipeg Jets-signed Axel Blomqvist and Blackhawks-prospect Travis Brown strengthened the roster.
Being agile, amid the fast-moving currents of major-junior hockey, is exactly what the manager-coach dynamic duo of Hope and Lowry have been as they built on the modest franchise record 35 victories in their first Royals season together and broadened that to the breakout 48 victories and 100 points this season. Both are franchise records by wide margins.
“We were on the same page from the first day we met,” said Hope. “[Lowry] is a great technical coach and a great motivator.”
Hope added with a chuckle: “I had to hire him … he gave me that Dave Lowry stare.”
That joke hearkens to the two men’s differing good-cop, bad-cop styles.
“I’m the laid-back guy,” quipped Lowry, knowing that would get a rise.
It’s apparently true that opposites attract.
“Trust is a big thing,” said Lowry.
“[Hope] gave me the leeway and opportunity to go out and perform as a coach and has been very supportive,” added the former 19-season NHL player.
“He does his job and I do my job, but with a common goal.”
Both men agree that teams are built from the net out as the Royals cut down on their woeful goals-against totals from previous seasons to a league second-lowest 181 last season.
“We look at what successful teams do and model ourselves after them,” said Lowry.
“You first have to defend. That means learning to play without the puck. Our players took pride and ownership. This [coach-of-the-year award] is a great honour, but it was a total team effort.”
With their stocks rising in the pro coaching and managing ranks, the obvious question hangs out there.
“I fully intend to come back [with the Royals next season],” said Lowry.
Same with Hope, who is a lawyer and the former assistant GM of the New York Rangers.
“Every day is a new day in this business,” he said.
“But my first priority is the Victoria Royals. We want to make a good team and I look forward to continuing [that quest].”
Meanwhile, forward Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice was named 2013-14 WHL MVP as he skated to a plus-24 rating and 105 points in 60 games to beat out 20-year-old Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs. Last season’s WHL MVP was Dave Lowry’s son, Adam Lowry, now a pro in the AHL.
Holmberg took the Bobby Clarke Trophy as WHL scoring champion. Derrick Pouliot of the Portland Winterhawks was named top WHL defenceman, Nick Merkley of the Kelowna Rockets best rookie, Jordon Cooke of the Rockets goaltender of the year and Reinhart most sportsmanlike player.
