Greenway
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- Location: Iron Range
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So, with Greenway showing some signs of becoming relevant again, what does their future look like? Their Bantam A and Pee Wee A teams were highly ranked the past couple years and their numbers appear to be pretty strong at the HS level. I have talked to a few coaches and it sounds like Denfeld will not be playing the Raiders in the future due to Greenway's goon style of hockey. A number of other coaches shared the same feelings and were contemplating keeping them on their schedule. With the talented groups coming up, will they change the way they play, getting away from the over the top physical play they have used to slow teams down and moving to playing more of a skill style? From my conversations with people familiar with the program, it sounds like there is quite a bit of frustration with the lack of skill development and bad boy behavior at the High School level. Having Greenway relevant again would be great for the hockey community on the range. Also means the Grand Rapids-Greenway rivalry game would resume. If Greenway continues to have the reputation of goon style of play, I can't imagine Rapids would want to play that game and risk getting their players hurt or suspended from a fight. If Greenway cleans up their act, they could become very relevant once again.
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Greenway did significantly reduce their "goon" hockey style toward the end of the season. Their playoff game with Hibbing was a good example of hockey played the way it should be played. The one scuffle during the game was caused by the Hibbing goalie. They were getting between 6 to 10 short handed situations a game in the first 2/3 of the season. That steadily went down with the Hibbing game a good example of how far they have come. After the Denfeld game there was a major meeting where the athletic director suspended the coach for 4 games. The administration also had a talk with the hockey team expressing the communities disappointment in their behavior. This put the team on the right path. I think if you ask Greenway's more recent opponents you will find that they have left "goon" hockey behind. The Virginia game was the game where I noticed a significant improvement. I hope next season picks up where the Hibbing game left off. Good hockey with physical play but not chippy play. Taylor Lantz had a shoulder injury that ended his season but he'll be back next year. Greenway was very young this year, like Hibbing, If these kids mature and condition in the summer, they should be above .500 next year and compete with Hibbing.
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Yeah, this is the stuff I am talking about. Behavior like this is going to keep Greenway from reaching the point of relevancy. What is the problem there? Coach? Administration? Why do they continue to have issues like this year after year?hadenuf wrote:Now if they could only teach Greenway some class. The Cancer chirping was really bad!
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The problems at Greenway can be laid at the feet of the coach, superintendent and school board. The good ol' boy network has failed to hold accountable the superintendent and the coach for behavior that other school districts would not have put up with. The behavior by the coach and superintendent and the school board's not holding them accountable has been a source of frustration for the community. The hockey team has most certainly improved its play by signifcantly reducing its chippy play. Unfortunately a couple of players have not gotten the message. Once a school/team has made a reputation it is very difficult to change it. I don't see the school board as having the courage to change coaches so it will continue to be an uphill battle to change Greenway's image. There are other non-hockey issues at Greenway that are more concerning and have been well documented in local papers. What kids do not understand is that the hockey team is the face of the school and what takes place on the ice is what most people see as representative of the school. It is the adults that have failed miserably.
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I read that the non-hockey issues at Greenway included hockey players at the center of that controversy. From my understanding, the students who were bulling another student because of his race were members of the hockey team. I'm not sure how this happens in today's world and a school board doesn't act on it. I believe any other school would hold the coach accountable and send a message by not bringing him back as a coach. With all that is going on with the MSHSL and creating a positive environment for the student athlete, I would expect if the school board can not take care of the situation, the league will get involved.greenway1969 wrote:The problems at Greenway can be laid at the feet of the coach, superintendent and school board. The good ol' boy network has failed to hold accountable the superintendent and the coach for behavior that other school districts would not have put up with. The behavior by the coach and superintendent and the school board's not holding them accountable has been a source of frustration for the community. The hockey team has most certainly improved its play by signifcantly reducing its chippy play. Unfortunately a couple of players have not gotten the message. Once a school/team has made a reputation it is very difficult to change it. I don't see the school board as having the courage to change coaches so it will continue to be an uphill battle to change Greenway's image. There are other non-hockey issues at Greenway that are more concerning and have been well documented in local papers. What kids do not understand is that the hockey team is the face of the school and what takes place on the ice is what most people see as representative of the school. It is the adults that have failed miserably.
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The superintendent is the biggest problem. Anyone convicted of a dwi and allegedly attempted to urinate in the sink at a convenience store should not be a superintendent. The school board failed to remove him and in fact gave him a new contract. As I said the "good ol' boys" will not remove one of their own, whether it's a coach or superintendent.
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Sounds pretty messy up there. Good luck to the Raiders. Always one of my favorite teams to watch. Hopefully it will get cleaned up so they become easier to root for.greenway1969 wrote:The superintendent is the biggest problem. Anyone convicted of a dwi and allegedly attempted to urinate in the sink at a convenience store should not be a superintendent. The school board failed to remove him and in fact gave him a new contract. As I said the "good ol' boys" will not remove one of their own, whether it's a coach or superintendent.
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I think a better way of stating it is "It is the adults that have failed miserably in holding people, including themselves and kids accountable for their actions"greenway1969 wrote:The problems at Greenway can be laid at the feet of the coach, superintendent and school board. The good ol' boy network has failed to hold accountable the superintendent and the coach for behavior that other school districts would not have put up with. The behavior by the coach and superintendent and the school board's not holding them accountable has been a source of frustration for the community. The hockey team has most certainly improved its play by signifcantly reducing its chippy play. Unfortunately a couple of players have not gotten the message. Once a school/team has made a reputation it is very difficult to change it. I don't see the school board as having the courage to change coaches so it will continue to be an uphill battle to change Greenway's image. There are other non-hockey issues at Greenway that are more concerning and have been well documented in local papers. What kids do not understand is that the hockey team is the face of the school and what takes place on the ice is what most people see as representative of the school. It is the adults that have failed miserably.
this could be applied to the our entire society. But it needs to start at home.