Like this:

I was gone for an extended period of time and missed the bulk of the Chiefs playoffs. First round exit, what much can be said about that? The team for sure contained enough dynamic components that should have carried them a bit beyond but they fell short.

This has been a roller coaster of a season with the acquisition of Kyle Beach. I was completely thrown for a loop when that moved was announced. I was in hysterics and on the brink of tossing my season tickets. But I gave him a fair chance and he came to the team and immediately showed up to get shit done. Kyle knew he has a bit of a reputation throughout the WHL and specifically Spokane. Quickly, we fell in love with his puck handling and ability to put points up. The arena soon filled with people sporting sweaters bearing his number 21. I think the team would have been in a more disastrous state without his presence. Routinely, it was Kyle directing face offs and being more of a captain than Jared Cowen.

And what of Cowen? Remember when he was dazzling? I saw him be drafted to the Ottawa Senators in Montreal last year. I was torn up and threatening to toss myself over the balcony at the Bell Centre because I wanted my darling Toronto Maple Leafs to pick him. After his long awaited return to the ice, it was hard for me to find nice things to say about him. And in a lot of ways, it still is. It appeared once the golden child was drafted he checked out. He still forgets to play with his size and use it. There is a timidness that is worrisome. Lest we forget the horrifying arrangement that saw Cowen playing a center type position which threw everyone off. I’d love nothing more than for Jared to turn it all around and prove me wrong, that he wasn’t some over-hyped draft bust but a legitimate NHL caliber player.

Perhaps my expectations are exceptionally high but I’m tired of Hardy Sauter coaching. It seems like he doesn’t entirely know the proper way to handle the talent and keep the team in line. All the part were there but often they were assembled in the wrong order and routinely mismatched. Time outs went unused and puzzling pairings were sent out and lack of chemistry was apparent. I do know the talent well from the Memorial Cup winning team is nearly all gone. But the fresh blood that came is in very promising. Brady Brassart, anyone?

The organization as a whole, needs to stop clinging to the idea and memory of the Memorial Cup. As amazing and wonderful as it was, it is time to move on. The time table is just too tight and sticking to the past is nothing productive to do. There seems to be a bit of confusion as to what the organization wants to do. It is reluctantly attempting to address the younger fanbase. But even then, it is poorly done. Whoever is running the twitter and Facebook doesn’t entirely seem to grasp the function of social media and how a company can use what is entirely free to capture new fans and essentially more money. Don’t even getting me started on the “new tradition” of the scarves.

It has been a trying season. In the plus column, the team did crack the playoffs. It just ended sooner than anyone wanted. In the next few days we will take a look at the departing talent and just all the holes that the Chiefs will have to plug.

Plus we’ll always have the Stanley Cup to distract us in the meanwhile.