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Powell River Kings coach sets bar high

Hockey team eyes top spot in junior league
kent lewis
KENT’S KINGS: Powell River Kings general manager and head coach Kent Lewis has proven that consistent fairness and honesty brings the best out of his players. Dave Brindle photo

Over the past 14 seasons as Powell River Kings head coach, the last 10 with general manager duties added, Kent Lewis has consistently put together a competitive BC Hockey League (BCHL) team.

Entering his 15th season, the born and raised Powell River-ite has been named BCHL Coastal Conference coach of the year on three occasions. His approach to coaching is straightforward: be honest and fair.

With more than 1,000 games coached, are you now one of the elder statesmen in the league?
One of them, I think. It means I’m just getting old and I have a bad agent [laughs]. It’s rare that you can do it in your hometown and get to be around a great group of kids playing what is, at its core, a fun game.

What does it take to coach players this age who have different personalities and idiosyncrasies?
No one kid is alike, but at the end of the day if you treat them honestly and fairly and you’re consistent with your approach, you will have success. Everybody says kids have changed over the years. One thing we’ve found with the type of kids we get is there are similarities now to 1990 when I first started coaching. But there are also different challenges with each group. It’s a harder life for these kids now, with a lot more demands on them.

How does this team look in comparison to last season?
It’s well balanced throughout the front of the lineup. We have a good blend back on defence. We have two new goaltenders that I think will do very well. The challenge is going to be that we’ve set our bar pretty high. This group has yet to form. It forms over a challenging season, but I do like a lot of the leadership in it; it should be fun.

Do you want to be the best team in the country?
You have to have that mindset. You have to have the expectation that you want to be the best. The last few years have been tough and very frustrating. This is a year we expect the best of ourselves. Consistently, we’ve been one of the top teams that will ice a competitive lineup. We have our eyes on the top. We’ve modified our lineup a little this year to get us closer to that goal and we’re going to be a harder team to play against.

Does it mean anything to you that your team is not in the Canadian Junior Hockey League preseason top 20 ranking?
It’s not that much of a surprise after losing two of three exhibition games and one of those was a 9-2 loss. I can recall being ranked first overall in the country; it means absolutely nothing. It’s just to generate interest for the fans. We have different leagues and different calibres of leagues. At the end of the day it’s who is the last team standing. Rankings mean so little. The rankings that matter are our standings and the goals for and against. Those are the real rankings.

What does it mean to have a whole town behind you?
The kids understand that and the fact they are the big ticket in town. They do a great job representing Powell River. We have to provide our fans with great entertainment in the stands and, on the ice, give them a hardworking team. The support we get is incredible. This is an incredible town.