Last season was as successful as it could possibly be for Corey Beer, as the Cobourg Cougars of the OJHL won the RBC Cup on home ice, the national championship for Junior A Hockey.
But as an assistant coach to former NHLer John Druce, Beer had been targeting a head coaching job for a long time, and kept an eye on the situation in Timmins. The Rock were in search mode after the long rumoured retirement of Paul Gagne, who led the franchise for 16 seasons as both head coach and general manager.
"We were prepping for the RBC Cup, so my focus was primarily on taking care of everything on Cobourg's end. It was obviously an important tournament, the national championship. My focus was on that. At the time, the young man, Ryan Woodward had been hired, and Timmins went that way. Almost at the exact same time when we wrapped up winning against Brooks (Bandits), Woodward was let go. So my G.M. (Brent Tully) put it out to me, and reached out to the Rock organization, and said 'Obviously, they're looking for another coach', and you've got to strike while the iron's hot. There's no better time than right after winning a national championship to get your name out there," he said.
Beer had several conversations with Timmins Rock general manager Kevin Peever, who is also entering his first season in his position, and had good feelings right away.
"It was a two to three week process of them interviewing some other candidates, including some guys that had previously interviewed prior to Woodward being hired. Obviously I've been more than thrilled to get the opportunity to come up here, and get my head coaching career underway."
The 32-year-old said the memories of that national championship in Cobourg will be cherished forever, but he came to realize it was time for him to move on after five highly successful seasons.
"With John being under contract for a few years, I kind of felt that I didn't want to hang around and be an associate or assistant anymore. I wanted to try and branch out. I've always had the goal of being a 'Junior A' head coach, and progress my coaching career. So Timmins ended up being the perfect opportunity."
After being officially announced as the new head coach on May 31, he was on his way to 'The City with the Heart of Gold' for the first time since adolescence.
"I had been up here once before. My high school hockey team went to OFSAA up here, that's going back a bit. That was my only time spent in the area. I have an aunt and uncle who live in Thunder Bay, so we've past through on long family trips, but being new to the area and the surroundings, its been great so far."
This summer hasn't exactly been plentiful for gorgeous summer weather, but Beer lucked out when he arrived in the city to meet his colleagues.
"I think it was around 34 degrees and sunny, gorgeous skies. We took Highway 144 up so you couldn't beat the scenery, I was hooked. Obviously getting up here and meeting everyone. Kevin, Ted (Gooch), our assistants Marc Bisson and James Daschuk, its been incredible thus far. We're hoping to have a real special season this year," he said.
The Rock wrapped up their four game exhibition schedule on Sunday night in Hearst, finishing with three wins and an overtime loss. Beer was more than pleased with the training camp.
"I thought the players responded incredibly well. Our staff threw a tonne of information at them. It was a trial-by-fire for a lot of guys. We wanted to see how they could take the information we were giving them, and set plays defensively and offensively, and see how they implemented it in their game. I thought they all did a tremendous job."
After the long-term familiarity everyone surrounding the club had with Gagne, there was a big adjustment phase for everyone involved.
"Its not as easy as it sounds when a whole new program comes in. Its not just one or two guys learning the program and getting up to speed, its everybody here. The full 23 man roster, assistant coaches, general manager, trainers, everybody here is 'new' to how we play the game now, in the style that I'm trying to implement."
He was particularly impressed with how well the youngest players on the team responded towards the end of training camp, which gave the new coach plenty of confidence in sending them over the boards.
"We're going to be a team that relies on four lines and six defencemen."
Versatile winger Alexandre Brisson is one of only three returning forwards this season, and will be relied upon to play in all situations. Andrew Autio for TimminsTodayOnly six players who suited up for the Rock last season are back, and they will be relied upon to set the tone for the newcomers.
"You lean on your veteran players, they're the ones who carry a lot of the mail, and aren't phased by the pace of the game. Up front guys like 'Stewy' (Stewart Parnell) and 'Matty' (Wayne Mathieu), and even Alex Brisson has been real good. Good veteran player. He can crash and bang and absorb a lot of minutes."
In a league with a high turnover rate, the Rock are fortunate to have three returnees on the blueline.
"I can't say enough about Jared Hester, James Watier, and Grant McClellan. Those are three guys who are going to play a tonne of minutes, in all situations, and so far they've been crucial in how our practice plans go. Making sure we're doing the right stuff, day in, day out. That veteran group has a real professional approach, which is good. It's something that our staff are really trying to feed the guys, and make sure that they're accountable every single day. Whether its at practice, an off-ice session, video, or gameday. The game is difficult as it is, so knowing your assignments and knowing what you need to do when you hit the ice makes it that much easier."
The 2017-2018 edition of the Timmins Rock is laden with small, but speedy and skilled forwards. The vast majority are under six feet tall.
"We're not going to scare anyone when they look at the roster and see a bunch of guys that are 5'7 and 5'9, but its certainly a very fast group, very good hockey I.Q. It's going to be a team that, as we move along here, the speed element will be on display more times than not. You always see teams who want to be a big, physical, bruising team, but if you have the speed, they can't catch you. We're going to have to rely on that a lot, and make sure that we're playing with pace every night."
Beer was born in Scarborough, but grew up in Oshawa, his home for the last 25 years or so. He rose through the ranks of the Oshawa minor hockey system, eventually landing on the local 'AAA' team, where he battled with future Olympians and NHL superstars.
"I was kind of a mobile, puck moving defenceman. Maybe a little undersized for back in the days of lining up against guys like Corey Perry and Jeff Carter. Those guys would eat you for breakfast every day, coming down the wing. I soon realized that I probably didn't have a career ahead of me, in terms of playing, so I got into coaching fairly young," he said.
While also playing midget hockey, Beer co-coached his brother's team, seven years younger, as his first foray into the coaching world.
"I've been plugging away ever since. This is my first real break as a head coach. I'm definitely very grateful for the opportunity Timmins has provided me. I'm going to see it through and hopefully lead this team to a championship in the time I'm here."
The lone exhibition game the Rock played at the McIntyre Arena on August 31 drew over 450 fans, which really impressed Beer. The Rock will play six of their first eight games at home, and he is counting on his team to take full advantage.
"The crowd support is incredible. It's going to be nice for our players, something that can spark us every night, knowing that we have people who care about the club as much as our guys do. It's a tremendous feeling to know that you have that kind of support behind you. On a personal level, you feel obligated to perform in front of them. You don't want to go in there unprepared, or have a night off, because you know there's people paying good money to come out and support you, and see you play well. It's something that our guys are definitely going to thrive on, and we hope to make it a very tough place for opposing teams to visit."
The Timmins Rock's season opener is Friday night at 7 p.m. as they face off against the French River Rapids.
