Credit where credit is due

Bill Peters asserts that as the coach of the Spokane Chiefs he is a mere “one-thirtieth of the equation,” meaning that it takes the scouts, management and players to come together for success.

For Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz, one of the keys to that equation was the hiring of assistant coach Steve Pleau last season. The overqualified Pleau was a veteran American Hockey League coach and is the son of St. Louis Blues senior vice president and general manager Larry Pleau.

“Anytime you’re successful, there’s a lot of credit that should be shared,” Speltz said. “But I think one of the most important pieces, at any level, is your coaching staff. Those are the guys that are with your guys 24-7, for whatever it is. When Bill came here, he knew what he wanted.”

Lucky for the Chiefs, and for Peters, they got what they wanted. Pleau was available, according to Speltz, thanks to what he calls the coaching carousel. When the music stopped in 2006, there wasn’t a chair left for Pleau.

“There’s a lot of coaches, and a lot of people, that are too insecure to hire a guy that arguably might be more experienced than them, and that didn’t bother Bill one bit,” Speltz said. “He wanted the best available, and Steve shouldn’t have been a candidate for an assistant coach for one second.”

Pleau has since moved on to coach the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings and now Peters puts high stock in current assistant coach and former Chiefs defenseman Hardy Sauter for solidifying what has become the essence of this smothering Spokane team by shaping the blue liners.

“I’m real proud of this whole team and for the organization,” Peters said. “Everyone has worked real hard.”

Jessica Brown