Someone had to take the fall. After starting the 2023-24 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season with just four wins in 21 games, the Windsor Spitfires made major coaching changes on Monday (Nov. 20) and Tuesday (Nov. 21).
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Coming into this season, the Spitfires knew that life could get rough. They were coming off of back-to-back Western Conference regular season titles, but looking straight at a rebuild. While their offence was middle of the pack in the league, their defence was dead last. The result was last place in the OHL and a losing streak that seemed to get worse with every game. General manager Bill Bowler had to do something significant and it sent shockwaves through the team and the league.
Head Coach Jerrod Smith Relieved of Duties
On Monday, Bowler made it official. After 11 seasons in the organization, Jerrod Smith is done after just four months as head coach. Assistant coach Casey Torres will take over, temporarily.
“It’s terrible,” Bowler said at a Tuesday press conference. “It’s a real tough day for myself and the organization. As we know, it’s based on results … It’s a terrible day and a terrible conversation (with Smith).”
Smith joined the Spitfires in 2011-12 as a video coach before climbing the ranks. He became head coach in July after then-head coach Marc Savard joined the Calgary Flames. Unfortunately, a 4-16-1-0 record through Saturday (Nov. 18) was too much. Bowler said it was incredibly tough given their lengthy history but he saw no light on the horizon.
“We feel now is the time to salvage the season,” he said. “We think we’re a better hockey club (than our record) … We made a change because I didn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel at this point. I owe it to those 25 men in that locker room to hopefully get some better results.”
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While Smith wasn’t at the press conference, he told the Windsor Star that he was proud of his time in the organization.
“I am proud of what I’ve accomplished here and grateful for those who have helped me along the way,” Smith said. “…I believe that, over the past 11 years, I have represented the team and the City of Windsor with integrity. I will miss going to the WFCU Centre to work every day and I wish the players nothing but the best in their future endeavours in hockey and in life” (from ‘Smith ‘proud’ of his time with Spitfires as Delmore steps down and Torres named interim head coach’, Windsor Star – 11/21/23).
Torres’ New Challenge
At the press conference, Bowler said that Torres will take over as the interim head coach. He was hired as an assistant in August and has a lengthy hockey resume including work in the OHL, the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Hartford Wolf Pack, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bowler said, like everyone, Torres was surprised by the move but is looking forward to a new challenge.
“Casey came in here and tried to assist and help Jerrod as best he could,” Bowler said. “I don’t think he was planning on this. He’s going to do his job and try to help these players. That’s what coaches’ roles are, to develop players. He’s looking forward to a new challenge.”
Torres told CTV Windsor that he had nothing but praise for Smith.
“Jerrod is an outstanding human being,” he said. “I can’t say enough good things about the person.”
Bowler added that nobody wanted this situation, nor expected it at the start of the season. However, hockey presents different challenges and this is one that the club currently faces. He expects that they will learn from it and become a better team in the future.
Delmore Resigns as Assistant Coach
Unfortunately, Smith and Torres weren’t the only news of the day. Following Smith’s departure on Monday, assistant coach Andy Delmore handed in his resignation on Tuesday, prior to the press conference. Bowler said he wasn’t surprised.
“Andy Delmore has resigned as well,” he said. “Andy is no longer with our hockey club.”
Delmore, a Windsor native, played in the OHL from 1993-97 before a lengthy pro career in both North America and Europe. He was an assistant coach with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting from 2013-15, an assistant with the Toledo Walleye (ECHL) from 2016-20, and then joined the Spitfires’ bench in 2021-22. He was not at the press conference and had no comment to the media.
With the club heading on their annual Eastern road swing this weekend, who replaces Delmore behind the bench as early as Thursday night against the Peterborough Petes? Bowler couldn’t answer that immediately but said “We’ll have a competent, capable bench.”
Spitfires’ Next Bench Move Could Take Time
While they’ll have an assistant on the bench for Thursday, Bowler’s search for a full coaching staff begins immediately. He said there are no quick decisions here and they need to do what’s best for the organization.
“We owe it to our fans, our current players, to our staff, coaches, etc. to keep moving forward and we’ll find replacements at the appropriate time,” he said. “These decisions are tough and we’re not going to be quick on any decision. We’ll be thought provoking and take our time.”
In the meantime, he said telling the players was tough. This wasn’t just on Smith and everyone, from the management to the players, owns a part of the failure.
“No one likes to see a good man, a good friend (let go), and it’s part of it,” Bowler said. “Unfortunately, the amount of goals this club has given up, we’re all a part of this. This is on myself, our scouts, the coaches, the players, we’re all a part of it…”
The next goal is to do everything to prove they can make the playoffs. Bowler said the players and their families still hold belief in this team. This is just the start.
“Time will tell if it’s a good decision or not,” he said. “The players, the agents, and the parents that I deal with, there’s a consistent (belief) that we’re not a four-win-in-21-game hockey club … We think this is the first step to changing some of the outcomes of these games.”
Smith was a good family man who cared about this organization. Unfortunately, when you win four out of 21, something has to give. After making multiple trades to help improve the team earlier in November, this was the next step for Bowler. We’ll see how the team responds.