By Earl Seitz

Blazers make sweeping changes to hockey operations

May 10, 2018 | 4:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — Sweeping changes may be understating what happened today with the Kamloops Blazers hockey operations department.

It will have an entirely new look at the top end, from General Manager to coaches and player personnel, when the 2018-19 season begins.

“We just haven’t won enough,” says Blazers majority owner Tom Gaglardi. “And when you haven’t won enough, you have to make changes.”

And with that the broom came out. Tom Gaglardi says the sweeping changes were triggered by what Gaglardi says was head coach Don Hay’s decision to retire.   

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General Manager Stu MacGregor won’t be back. Gaglardi says MacGregor was offered a position with the Dallas Stars scouting department, and has accepted.

Player Personnel Director Matt Recchi and Assistant Coach Mike Needham won’t have their contracts renewed.

 “We haven’t done a good enough job,” says Gaglardi. “Our scouting staff hasn’t done a good enough job,our coaching staffs haven’t gotten it done, neither has our management – it falls on the ownership as well.”

The Blazers have been spinning their tires for much of the last eight seasons, missing the playoffs four times.    

“I don’t know how you can say anything is working well,” says Gaglardi. “We haven’t won our fair share.”

Tom Gaglardi says Don Hay will stay with the organization in a newly created role of senior advisor to hockey operations. Hay, who leaves coaching as the winningest coach in Western Hockey League history, wasn’t at todays announcement – but will have a media availability tomorrow morning.

Gaglardi says Stu MacGregor will continue as general manager until a new GM is hired. The owner says Mike Needham, if he wishes, can interview for the head coaches job, or assistants job from which he was just released.

Matt Recchi’s brother Mark, a Hockey Hall of Famer is one of the minority owners of the Blazers.

 “The news about Don,” which Gaglardi says he just got yesterday, “meant that the ownership group had a deeper look at the organization, and we think it’s time to restart, refresh and look at some different options moving forward.”

Gaglardi says the search will begin immediately to fill the positions that have been vacated.

“These kids (players) are different kids,” says Gaglardi. “I expect we will see a younger group of managers and coaches coming to Kamloops.  I think that’s the trend – you’re seeing it in the National Hockey League, and if you haven’t seen it in junior, you’re going to see it – that’s the direction we’re going to head.”

Gaglardi says it will be up to the new general manager to make the decision on coaches and player personnel.

There’s pressure on the Blazers organization to turn things around with a 2020 Memorial Cup host bid on the table – and competition from Kelowna, and probably Victoria. A decision on a host sight will be made in October.