Bob Mainhardt has been around the sport of hockey most of his life.  He now finds himself in Youngstown, Ohio, not exactly a hockey hotbed (yet).  Mainhardt likes his role with the Youngstown Phantoms leading into their inaugural season and thinks the valley will enjoy the level of hockey they will see played at The Covelli Centre this Fall.  I recently had a candid interview with Mainhardt in his second floor office at The Covelli Centre. 

Paneech:  Having covered the Mahoning Valley Thunder Arena Football Team, I noticed people were priced out of coming to games here.  There was $10 parking, $6 beer sales, and the team was not winning.  Has the Phantoms organization expressed fear in those three factors of playing at home and potentially not drawing decent-sized crowds?

Mainhardt: I think both the city and the management team here at The Covelli Centre have really taken strides to strengthen our relationship.  We are going to have more specials, we are aware of the current economy and know that these type of things can be too pricy.  I think you will see some modest adjustments that will help make coming to a home game more attractive for a family.  We also feel that we are going to have a winning team, I think that always helps.

Paneech:  Explain the difference of the level of hockey the Phantoms will play at compared to the level that last year’s area representative, the Steelhounds, competed at.

Mainhardt: This level [USHL] is drastically closer to the professional level.  The guys playing in this league are just bigger, stronger, faster, and better players.  What we had here before were the best guys that were not able to play in this league, and now we have essentially the greatest players in the world at this age level.

Paneech:  What are the chances of seeing someone who plays in the USHL move on to the NHL someday?

Mainhardt: It’s very likely.  It’s a double-edged sword for a coach, but that is our goal, to get players to the NHL.  We have Ryan Jasinsky, who is one of our forwards this year.  He is headed to Washington Capitals Camp, and they may very well sign him to a contract.  If he signs, we replace him and move forward, if not, then we will expect to have him back here.

Paneech:  Talk about Jordan Tibbett, a goalkeeper who played for the Steelhounds here last year.

Mainhardt:  Jordan has played in the USHL, he is a very highly touted goaltender and ran into problems with not performing the way he needed to.  We feel we have developed him to the point where he is ready to step back into the USHL and prove that he is an NHL-caliber goaltender.  Some people had given up on him, but we saw that he had all of the tools and just needed to mature a little bit.  We feel that he has done that.

Paneech: Tell me who the big playmakers on this team can be?

Mainhardt:   Well, we have a few.  Brian Dowd had great college numbers at Niagara.  He is very skilled, he is a Sidney Crosby-type of player.  Aside from that, we have some really good playmakers on the blue line.  We have some defensemen who can really generate some offense.  Alot of our defensemen are prototypical NHL defensemen that are big and mobile.  Two of our defensemen are over 6’6″, two are over 6’4″, and two that are over 6’3″, so we’ve got a big group that can move.

Paneech:  Talk to me about the offensive style we should expect to see the Phantoms play.  Will it be a press, will you dump and chase, or will it be dictated by the situation.

Mainhardt:  They say defense wins championships.  We are definitely an offensive-minded team.  We want to have control, but we want to put the other team in bad situations.  We will play a very uptempo offense and be very physical, that’s always been my style.  That’s how these players will get to the NHL, by hitting and generating offense. 

Paneech:  I want to give the readers a better idea of where the USHL ranks as compared to a major-league baseball farm system.  Can you make an analogy that people would be able to put into perspective?

Mainhardt: I guess if I had to draw a comparison to baseball I would call it Double-A.  The next step for many of these guys will either be college or the American Hockey League.  The elite of this league, however, will go directly to the NHL.  These players will get drafted, weigh their options, some will go to college for a year or two and get their education paid for.  In the NFL, there is nothing worse than seeing your favorite college player leave early and he ends up getting drafted in the 4th round by the worst team and doesn’t make it.  So these guys know now if they should go take a shot at the pros or go to college for a couple of years.  Another way to look at it is this, McDonald’s has a basketball game for the best players that sells out arenas every year.  If you took the best Freshmen out of college and it was hockey, that’s what you would have with this league.

Paneech:  Talk to me about your backround in hockey.

Mainhardt: I grew up in Detroit and played all of my youth hockey in Detroit.  From there, I played Junior-A in the North American League which is the league we [Steelhounds] used to be in.  I then moved up to the USHL and had the dreams of pro hockey but didn’t get drafted so I went the college route and wound up playing at Kent State University.  I then had a tough decision after a series of shoulder injuries and had to make a decision that every athlete hates to make [retirement], but had to make it much sooner than I would have anticipated.  I chose to carry out my education and later pursue a career in coaching.

Paneech:   Amateur hockey bores the casual fan because there are no fights.  On the converse, professional hockey draws fans because of fights.  What is the league policy on fighting?

Mainhardt: Again, our main goal is to develop players for the NHL.  The NHL has fights.  We do not, nor does the NHL anymore, have a true goon, someone who is here for just fighting.  What you will find is guys that are big and tough and know that in order to make it to the NHL, they not only have to score goals and be tough, but they must be able to fight as well.  At this level, you will see alot of fights where guys are genuinely angry with each other.  You might not have the quantity, you might not have seven fights that quite frankly are more show than they are go, but you will have those two or three that are good fights where guys are upset and want to prove their point.  We have some guys that the fans will identify really quick as guys that are not going to take anything too lightly out there.

Paneech:  With your time spent in Detroit, are you a Red Wings fan?

Mainhardt: I am a Red Wings fan by birth.  I will tell you that during the finals last year, I was very torn between Pittsburgh and Detroit.  At the end of the day, I was really pulling for Pittsburgh.  I really like what Mario Lemieux has done there and how the city has gotten around that team.  I know there are alot of Penguins fans in Mahoning and Trumbull County.  They [Pittsburgh] did everything right and there was nothing to dislike about that team.  If my Red Wings come in second, that’s fine.  They had a good showing, but it was Pittsburgh’s year. and I was happy that they won it.

Paneech: Talk to me about someone I despise, Don Cherry.

Mainhardt: Don has alot of great thoughts.  Unfortunately, he isn’t able to get that through to most people because he clouds it with so much BS.  I think he is good for the game, kind of like the rogue wrestling manager that interferes and hits the wrestler with a chair.  He is the guy that everyone can kind of like to hate.  Don is still a little too much smoke and mirrors.  Barry Melrose has become the American version and he is much more knowledgable and factual and someone I feel is a great ambassador of the game.  I feel those are the type of guys we need a little more of and a little less of the biased guys like Don Cherry.

One Word Answers

Favorite all-time NHL player?  Gordie Howe

Best Goaltender To Ever Play The Game?  Patrick Roy

Favorite Meal of The Day:  Lunch

Favorite Area Restaurant:  MVR Club

Second Favorite Sport:  Soccer and Baseball are very distant runner-ups.

Television:  UFC and Lost

Favorite Flavor At Handel’s:  Coffee Chocolate Chip

Perfect Day Off: Taking my three daughters to the zoo and then heading to Ikea and letting the kids free in the play area while my wife spends some money on something nice. 

Favorite Fruit: Strawberries

Favorite Vegetable: Peppers

Favorite Music: The Clash and Pearl Jam

Mainhardt stressed that his biggest wish is that the area gives this league and the Youngstown Phantoms a fair look and tries to get to some games.  I tend to agree that this developmental league will yield a good amount of talent into the NHL and am really looking forward to covering this season.