In this previous Komets season, the team was coming off a trip to the playoff finals (A). Management had the option of breaking up the team and going younger, but decided those players had earned another chance and brought most of them (B) back. Because the team was so successful the year before, everyone wanted a raise which limited the budget on what management could do looking for players so the squad lacked depth. That team did manage to bring back a former star (C) and a sniper (D) with European ties.
The Komets looked good on paper, but the lineup didn't work on the ice. The team got out of the gate very slowly, thanks in part to some terrible injuries (E).
Doesn't that sound like deja vu? It was the 1994-95 season and the answers are A) Turner Cup Finals, this year the Colonial Cup Finals; B)they brought back 13 players, this year 12; C) Paul Willett, this year Guy Dupuis; D) Igor Chibirev and this year Mark Smith; and E)Colin Chin's knee and Kevin Miehm's concussions; this year Jason Kean's concussion and the flu, which by the way is making another round through the locker room. There was even the coincidence of Smith leaving for Europe and Chibirev, who was the team's leading goal scorer at the time, getting called up to Hartford. That team finished 34-39-8, the Komets' lowest win total since 1976-77, but they did make the playoffs.
Going through that season, gives me some hope that the Komets will be able to make it through this season and bounce back fairly quickly. They've already proven this year they can rebuild a UHL team on the fly, and there's plenty of time left in the season. There's not a ton of time, but there is some time. I think the Frankes learned a lot that season, and we'll see what happens now.
