Prince George Cougars co-owner Eric Brewer faced the music when addressing the removal of Todd Harkins as general manager.
My Prince George Now asked Brewer with a series of tough questions about the recent decision.
He says there were several factors at play, which led to his removal.
“The timing of his contract and where we are as a franchise, it was our opportunity to make a change and felt it was necessary and did such. It certainly wasn’t an overnight decision but it’s not something we’ve had in the works for a while either.”
When asked if the decision was unanimous among the ownership group, Brewer was reluctant to answer.
“We’re not going to get into specifics about an ownership discussion, collectively we did make a decision that we’re all to deal with it and move forward with, so that’s how I will say that.”
.@PGCougars part-owner Eric Brewer, when asked if low attendance this past season was a factor in letting Todd Harkins go, says its wasn’t the deal-breaker; “You got to take all aspects into consideration when moving forward with a franchise” | #CityOfPG pic.twitter.com/3aE9526hai
— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) March 20, 2018
Harkins spent four years in the role as GM of the Cougars and the team finished with a regular season record of 136-126-13-13, but was unable to translate that into playoff success, going just a combined 3-12 over that span.
When asked if there was any one thing leading to the dismissal of Harkins, Brewer says that wasn’t the case.
“There wasn’t any one lightning rod moment for us, I think it was just a collection and I think we were clear with Todd and gave him enough time to secure his future as well, it wasn’t perfect for either one of us but I think it’s going to work out.”
At the end of the day, the move is about making the Cougars the most desirable market in the WHL.
“We’re looking to improve our program, we want to create a buzz and a winning program and we want to be a destination place here in Prince George and we want and need the community to be part of this as it’s their team; ultimately they decide the success of the franchise and without them there is nothing but a game.”
.@PGCougars’ part-owner Eric Brewer says nothing is changing for him within the organization; claims they “all have important jobs” & right now, his is to find a new GM | #CityOfPG pic.twitter.com/L0A3TaSM43
— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) March 20, 2018
On the surface, Harkins run as a general manager can be viewed as positive or negative.
The 49-year-old helped bring the the Cougars first BC Division title (2016-17) since the club’s relocation to the northern capital from Victoria.
However, most die-hard fans will point to a couple of blemished trades setting the Cougars back and contributing to their tumble down the standings (21st out of 22 WHL teams) this season.
The first one was November, 2016 when they acquired Brendan Guhle from the Prince Albert Raiders for Max Martin, Kolby Johnson, and a slew of high draft choices; one of which is a lottery pick that could go first overall to the Raiders.
Now, the Cougars did get a first-round pick back from the Raiders in the Kody McDonald trade this year, but won’t be as high up in the draft order.
The trade that most likely did Harkins in was acquiring enigmatic Russian forward Nikita Popugayev from the Moose Jaw Warriors for Yan Khomenko, Justin Almeida and a series of draft picks.
The import was a key cog for the Warriors offensively before getting dealt to PG but he was unable to regain his offensive flair, posting just 25 points in 44 games before bolting to the KHL earlier this season.
Almeida, on the other hand, has flourished with Moose Jaw collecting 113 points in 115 games, including a career-best season with the Memorial Cup contenders, amassing 43 goals and 55 assists in 2017-18 playing with the likes of Jayden Halbgewachs, Brayden Burke, and Kale Clague.
No timeline has been set as to when the new general manager will be hired.
Regardless of who takes over, the successful candidate faces many obstacles; one of which is to up the attendance figures (average of 3,024), which saw a decline of 600 fans per game this season.
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