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SAGINAW SPIRIT KICK OFF 3RD SEASON...

By Jack B. Tany
Review Sports Columnist

Despite axing Dennis Desrosiers, Costa Papista and Moe Mantha, Dick Garber is no George Steinbrenner.

Garber, the owner/governor of the Saginaw Spirit hockey club, is simply getting his ducks in a row for his third-year Ontario Hockey League icers to be competitive. When he first purchased the North Bay (Ontario) Centennials three years ago, he asked fans to be patient while he re-built the squad from the ground up. The fans, which average nearly 4,000 per game (sixth among the 20 OHL teams), are eager for a winner.

The Spirit earned just 11 victories in its inaugural season in 2002-03. Last year, they garnered 16 wins. So if bodies are strewn aside in the process, so be it.

Garber and Craig Goslin, his partner and vice president of business operations, have brought in a couple of hockey 'minds' in Bob Mancini as general manager and Doug Lidster as head coach. Lidster, whose name is etched twice on the Stanley Cup, brought aboard Ian Herbers, Bill Paige and Randy Wilson as assistant coaches.

The framework is now set in stone. The rest is up to the talent on the ice.

Returning to lead the Spirit are 'veterans' Paul Bissonnette (defenseman), Mike Brown (goalie) and Jean-Michel Rizk (right wing). They are among 14 returnees from last year's team. In addition, 11 new faces dot the roster.

Fan favorites Chase Crowder (right wing), Taylor Raska (right wing), Daniel Borges (forward), and Jesse Gimblett (left wing) return to the Spirit. A couple of top newcomers to key an eye on are toughman Chris Bain (forward) and steady defenseman Scott Fletcher.

The Spirit began the 2004-05 season on the road with a 3-2 overtime win over the Windsor Spitfires, thanks to Rizk's game-winning tally. They also won their home opener, a 2-1 victory over Sarnia, snapping a two-year, 12-game losing streak to the Sting. A sellout crowd of 5,497 attended the contest.

So the Saginaw skaters are on their way to a much-improved season. Postseason play may still be a year from now, but Garber and company are on the right track. So be patient. His grandfather, Guy S. Garber, was. He founded Garber Buick in 1910 and now includes dealerships in Michigan, Florida and Illinois. So the learning curve is in place.
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The Saginaw Spirit play its home games at TheDow Event Center's Wendler Arena, formerly the Saginaw County Event Center (and the Saginaw Civic Center prior to that). The jury is still out on having Midland-based Dow Chemical Co. purchasing the naming rights for $1.25 million (over 10 years). Many in the area think it's a ploy to water down the Dioxin controversy.
The only thing I know is that when exiting the game, it's extremely nice to hear 'Thanks for coming' from the Event Center personnel.
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Besides a new name to the center, the Spirit also have brand-spanking new jerseys.  The professional-looking sweaters resemble the New York Rangers' jerseys, which feature the name 'Saginaw' angled down the front.
It will be the Spirit's third jersey.

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