UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE (02/27/00)

UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE

by Ihor Stelmach

Steve Ludzik: style and substance

There are lots of people out there who readily subscribe to the adage that to everything, there is a reason.

The above is not exactly Steve Ludzik's motto, but it does describe the way he lives his life. There is no flying by the seat of his pants; his professional career has been carefully charted. And, although he has realized his ultimate goal of becoming a head coach in the National Hockey League, the Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss knows he has some road left ahead of him.

So the fact he is among the NHL's lowest-paid coaches means very little to him. Making it back to the NHL - he played nine seasons as a checking center with the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres - is only the beginning. Building a reputation as a winner is his priority. He's thankful for the opportunity to coach in the NHL at any price.

And contrary to the notion teams are going with green coaches as a way of saving greenbacks, Ludzik feels he belongs - or at least deserves the chance to prove he belongs.

"I read a while ago where Mike Keenan said teams are going with inexperienced coaches just to save money," Ludzik said. "I don't really think that's fair to coaches who are trying to make it to the NHL. How do we get our foot through the door?"

Hurt feelings aside, there is some truth to Keenan's statement. Still, it's nice to see some newcomers - many of whom have paid their dues in the minor leagues - get a chance. Keep in mind, Philadelphia Flyers GM Bobby Clarke gave a young Mike Keenan the opportunity to coach in Philadelphia many years ago and Keenan took the puck and ran with it.

With team payrolls skyrocketing, ownership has identified coaches, especially those at the entry level, as one area to hold down costs. There were a number of experienced coaches looking for work last summer, including Keenan, Jim Schoenfeld and Ted Nolan, but their salary expectations were (and continue to be) much higher than those of aspiring rookies.

Of the league's seven new coaches (including Chicago ex-coach Lorne Molleken, who took over as interim coach last season), five are paid $400,000. One makes $450,000 and another makes $475,000.

"When you sign your first deal, you have to be conscious of the so-called coaches' fraternity and you have to be careful you don't lowball and give somebody else the opportunity to use your salary to keep another coach's salary down," said Bobby Francis, in his first year guiding the Phoenix Coyotes. "At the same time, when you look at what (entry-level) coaches are getting now, it wasn't too long ago that those numbers were good for veteran coaches."

The average salary for coaches this season is $615,000, up from $593,000 a year ago. When The Hockey News began charting coaches' salaries three years ago, the average was $386,000 and the entry level was closer to the $250,000 range.

In 1996-1997 Jacques Lemaire of the New Jersey Devils was the NHL's highest paid coach at $750,000. Now four coaches - Pat Quinn of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Scotty Bowman of the Detroit Red Wings, John Muckler of the New York Rangers and Marc Crawford of the Vancouver Canucks - earn $1 million or more. At least four others will earn $800,000 or more. It should be noted that Quinn's salary called for him to earn an average of $1.1 million a season as coach, but it was increased by $400,000 a year when he was named GM of the Leafs last summer.

Of the league's 28 coaches, only the Devils' Robbie Ftorek's salary remains a mystery. Ftorek, who does not support salary disclosure, is thought to be earning in the neighborhood of $700,000 to $800,000.

It should also be noted that what you see isn't necessarily what a coach is getting. For instance, Brian Sutter of the Calgary Flames is paid the seemingly low salary - given his considerable experience - of $357,500. But he also received a large signing bonus that, when coupled with his salary, puts him on par with other veteran coaches. Craig Hartsburg of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks settled for less money when he signed his contract prior to last season because he received a large buyout from the Blackhawks, who fired him the year before.

For the Ukrainian Ludzik and the other newcomers, money is important, but it's not the driving force. Success is. When Ludzik retired as a player, he wasted little time in getting into coaching.

"I didn't want to be one of those guys who sat around for a few years trying to decide what I was going to do with the rest of my life," he said.

He coached Muskegon in the Colonial League for two years and spent the past three seasons with the Detroit Vipers of the International League. The Vipers won the Turner Cup in 1997 and made it to the final the following season. Ludzik's .695 winning percentage the past three years is the highest in IHL history.

When Vipers' owner Bill Davidson purchased the Lightning last year, it was only a matter of time before he hired Ludzik as his coach. It happened after ex-Vipers' GM Rick Dudley was lured away from the Ottawa Senators during last summer.

The Lightning have made the playoffs just once in their seven years of existence and that was four seasons ago - 1995-1996. Tampa has become the butt of many jokes about inept ownership and management. Ludzik hopes he will be a part of the management team that changes all of that. He knows that, if he is to achieve this goal, discipline will have to be instilled.

Most new coaches tell their players they have heard bad things about some individuals, but Ludzik is prepared to let each Bolt make his own impression.

"I told them I had heard bad things about some of them and it was up to them to prove those things wrong," he said.

Ludzik has undeniable panache, from his slicked-back hair, to the vests he sports,to the two-tone gangster-style shoes he wears for games. He makes a statement when he slips in behind the bench, and that's important to him.

"I'm not normally a very flashy dresser," Ludzik said. "Putting a fancy suit on me is like putting earrings on a pig. The point I try to make is this: I tell my players to be prepared for the game and they can look at me and know I'm prepared."

Coach Ludzik makes a statement when he gathers his team, be it behind closed doors for instruction or a video session, or on the ice for one of his high-paced practices. His systems are complicated and players are tested on them periodically. He is not one for small talk and he is a firm believer in keeping practices as close to game situations as possible.

"I hate when players just stand around," said Ludzik, who posts his practice itinerary on the glass surrounding the rink for all his players to see in advance.

"He has his system and all the drills are geared toward that system," said Lightning left-winger Shawn Burr.

Ludzik holds two-star, three-star and four-star practices. Four-star practices are the most demanding, while two-star practices are the easy ones, usually reserved for the day before a game. Ludzik's tough workouts last about an hour and 10 minutes, but have been cut to about 45 minutes since Christmas. There are never any water breaks.

"They are definitely the fastest-paced practices I've ever had," said former Toronto Maple Leafs' left-winger Fredrik Modin, who was traded to Tampa Bay early this season.

"His practices are right to the point," said Lightning forward Stan Drulia, who was with the Vipers the past three years. "He has a name for everything and he uses terminology that, if you're not used to it, is hard to understand. Like, he'll say, 'Let's do the Boom-Boom.' Me, (center) Dan Kesa and defenseman Ian Herbers have played for him before, so we know what he's up to. Other guys will look at us like, 'What's he talking about?' "

Whether Ludzik's philosophy will translate into success in the NHL remains to be seen. The Lightning currently stand at 12-36-6 in their first year under his guidance.

"No matter what players are being paid, today's athletes still want to win," Ludzik said. "I've told the guys this is a great opportunity for them. Nobody expects anything from this team, so we have a chance to sneak up on some people. To do that we have to be committed to learning and working hard."

And, if all goes well, Ludzik won't be stuck at the bottom end of the coaches' pay scale for too long.

(Quotations courtesy of senior writer Mike Brophy and The Hockey News.)

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