Aug. 9 / 07

By Guy Bertrand
Times Sports Editor

The Trail Smoke Eaters have their new head coach signed, sealed and ready to be delivered.

On Wednesday, the team announced that it has hired Jim Ingram as its new head coach and general manager replacing Tim Kehler, who moved on to the Western Hockey League.

The 36-year-old Ingram comes to Trail after spending three seasons with the Kerry Park Islanders of the Vancouver Island Junior B Hockey League where he guided the team to back-to-back league titles and Cyclone Taylor berths.

"He's enthusiastic and excited about his first head coaching job in th BCHL," said Smokies president Tom Gawryletz. "He knows the league well and he's well connected."

Ingram played BCHL hockey with Nanaimo and Merntt in the late eighties and early nineties. He coached Junior B in Parksvile and was an assistant to Scott Robinson with the BCHL's Cowichan Valley Capitals for one season before accepting the top job in Kerry Park.

He transformed that team into a league champion and admitted it was tough to leave the comfort of that program.

Ingram said he was a was a little reluctant at first to throw his hat into the ring for the Trail job but thought about his own message to young players about taking on challenges.

"It's funny I just finished talking to a kid that I was trying to get to play for my Junior B team. He wasn't sure if he was ready for it or stay with a sure thing he had. The next day, the Trail job came and I was wondering if I should go for it.

"But if you're going to start talking that way (to the players), you've got to start backing it up. And that's what I do, I try to lead by example. It became clear what I had to do."

Gawryletz. said Ingram was one of the three finalists for the job which included former Penticton and Merritt coach Bryant Perrier and Bob Dever, former Junior B coach in Creston.

"Jim knew all about the team and he knew all about the guys coming back," said Gawryletz.

"I know it's a veteran group coming back," said Ingram, who is married with three young children. "I talked to Brian (assistant coach Youngson) he gave me a fairly decent rundown."

Trail hockey fans will be eager to see what kind of team Ingram is going to put together after Trail's great run in 2006-07.

"You can't come in and tear up the foundation of a 35-game winner. Obviously the nucleus is there.

"I may make some changes throughout the season but that won't be until I get a decent handle on the guys and the team.

"I love speed. I love attacking hockey. I love kids who love to play the game. I like guys that come to the rink and are ready to go to work.

"The only thing I really get upset about is when I don't think the effort is there."

Ingram, who accepted a two-year deal, is hoping to be in Trail by the end of next week.

He's the club's 11th head coach in the team's 12-year BCHL history.