Nick Ricca has resigned as head coach of the Orillia Terriers.
“There were some issues … some ideas that management had that I didn’t agree with and vice versa,” said the first-year bench boss of the local Jr. C hockey team. “I felt like they started losing trust in me. At the end of the day, they had some ideas, I had some ideas and they just weren’t in synch.”
Ricca’s decision “shocked” general manager Andrew McDonald.
“I was shocked and disappointed because I think we’re losing a good coach,” said McDonald, who hired Ricca and his co-coach Dallyn Telford. “I brought Nick Ricca here for a reason, because I feel and still feel he’s a helluva hockey coach, but sometimes differences can’t be overcome.”
The coach’s departure will be especially surprising to local fans in light of how well the team has played with Ricca at the helm.
A year ago, the team suffered through its worst season in franchise history, winning just four games. They were routinely thrashed, often losing by double-digits. Management cleaned house and brought in Ricca and Telford to turn the ship around.
They did just that. Orillia is the talk of the Provincial Junior Hockey League. Thanks to their impressive and well-deserved 11-5-0-2 record, the team finds itself in a three-way battle for top spot in the Carruthers Division.
“Up until 7:40 p.m. Saturday night, I was looking forward to, hopefully, winning a championship with Nick Ricca as our head coach and Dallyn as our assistant coach …” said McDonald. “But at 7:41 p.m., when I received (his) resignation, I knew that was no longer possible.”
McDonald said the team’s management met with Ricca and the other coaches last Tuesday night in an effort to clear the air. The GM left that meeting thinking everything had been “smoothed over.”
Ricca felt differently. And on Saturday night, he decided to tender his resignation.
“At the end of the day, everyone has to be on the same page and we weren’t,” Ricca said. “They have a great management group with a lot of good hockey guys. But once you start second-guessing each other, you start losing trust. So, I thought the best thing moving forward, for me and for the hockey club, was to resign.”
He said the hardest part is walking away “from a great group of kids. They’re good on the ice, but they’re also good off the ice. They are in good hands moving forward. I didn’t want this to become a distraction for the team.”
McDonald said Telford will take over the head-coaching responsibilities. Former OHL player Joe Wigle, who has been acting as the team’s trainer, will also have a larger role and will work closely with the team’s defence.
“We will meet with the players tonight and sort of set the guidelines and just reiterate to them that we are still committed to winning and we’re committed to the city,” said McDonald.
He believes the transition will be “a little easier” since Telford is staying. “He is a great coach, has a winning reputation and the boys love him,” said McDonald of Telford.
He added the team is lucky to have Wigle. “He is fresh out of the OHL, so his story still rings true with the boys. He’s a real asset to the club.”
But he admits the players loved Ricca and may be unsettled by the change.
“To think we’re not going to have any hiccups … I don’t believe that’s true,” he said. “But we will do our best as professionals to keep things together and keep the ship moving forward.”
McDonald still believes firmly in the team and its goals.
“I think we have a pretty tight-knit group … and I think they understand this could be a special season for the Terriers,” said the GM. “Our goal is to keep doing what we’ve been doing. It’s onwards and upwards.”
The Terriers will battle first-place Caledon in its next game, Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Rotary Place. On Sunday, Orillia will clash with rival Midland in a 7 p.m. contest at the Rama MASK.
