Cory Stillman NHL career spanned 1,025 games, but Sept. 22 will be game No. 1 for his coaching career.*
If the hard work he put in during those playing days carries over to the coaching days, the still-untested new head coach of the Sudbury Wolves should be in for a long career behind the bench as well.
And it seems that much is true already, because when I spoke to him, his version of settling down in the city was being down at the arena.
Perhaps a cot was part of his contract.
Stillman and his group have had very little time to get acquainted, but have set out long-term and short-term goals for the season.
“The No. 1 goal is to get into the playoffs and see what happens from there,” Stillman said. “Every team starting would like to be No. 1. We’re going to shoot for that, but we’re going to have some new faces in the lineup, a new system in play, a new culture here.
“It will take a bit of time, but I think come Christmas time, we’re going to be in the full swing of things and you’re going to see exactly how we’re going to play.”
Stillman comes in with a group of kids he has never coached and gets to build a new system and culture that is unique to him and his coaching staff.
“It’s exciting, but that takes time,” he said, explaining that practices are moving a bit slower than normal at the moment thanks to new drills aimed to preparing the players for a new system.
Stillman told Sudbury.com he’s is laying the groundwork for a style he thinks Sudbury fans want to see — and are expecting to see.
“I think a hard-working team, that’s the one we want to be,” Stillman said. “The one that is disciplined, but comes and competes every night. You can say they’ll have the odd off night, but for me, if one or two players has an off night, there’s 18 other guys that are going to be there to pick them up.”
The Wolves home opener is Friday night when the Oshawa Generals come to town. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. at Sudbury Arena.
*An earlier version of this story included an incorrect date. That has since been corrected.
