Pimm: A student of the game

BERNIE PIMM is Troy Mick's No. 1 fan. Just ask him.
With Mick temporaily sidelined due to medical problems, Pimm, the 32-year-old teacher by profession and student of the game, has been given the role of head coach of the Vernon Vipers as they open the regular BCHL schedule tonight against the Williams Lake Timberwolves in the Multiplex.
"Whether I am called the head coach or not, the one thing Troy and I have always done is work together and make decisions," he said, following a recent Vipers' practice session. Then he reiterated his thoughts about Mick by saying, "One thing we never want to do is close the door on Troy Mick ever coaching again. So that's one of the reasons we're not definitive on what we're doing ... I guess, right now, I'm the head coach on an interim basis, and we're going to leave it at that, and just hope that Troy gets better."
Pimm and Mick worked together in the Western Hockey League with the Kamloops Blazers. "He (Mick) was the head coach and I was the assistant coach there. That was the first time he really got sick and I think coaching had a direct affect on that. (However), it is his illness so he should really comment on it."
Then he emphasized, "The bottom line is, Kaye, that I am here because of Troy Mick, basically to do what he wants me to do. So the door will always be there for Troy Mick to be the head coach for this season. He has instilled the kind of confidence and trust in me and we just tackle one day at a time."
Prior to Mick's situation, Pimm said that Mick was going to handle more of the managerial work.
"The way Troy and I were setting it up, I was going to handle a lot of the practices and the day-to-day preparations for the games with Troy going to handle more of managerial stuff and the day of the game, Troy would kind of take over (behind the bench). It was kind of a college model of coaching ... I was going to do a lot less recruiting and scouting and Troy was going to concentrate a little more on that with our head scout."
It was a solid combination, and even with Mick temporarily shelved, Pimm has a formidable team. He has surrounded himself with individuals that "played the hockey at a higher level than I did." They include Shawn Bourgeois (who looks after the forwards), Kori Davison (responsible for the defence) and goaltender coach Sean Mathiel.
"All these guys came up through the Viper system, so they are alumni players," he emphasized.
"I'm secure enough in my knowledge of the game, and my organizational skills and my ability to prepare properly," he said, adding, "I always thought it made sense to bring in people in the fold that played the game at a high level."
Although Pimm has certainly had service as an assistant coach and scout with the Vipers, he had decided to take the job as head coach of the Okotoks Oilers of the AJHL this season. However, he wasn't quite comfortable with his situation in Alberta and a phone call with Mick, who had just been named head coach and general manager of the Vipers, changed his direction.
"Actually, I got on the phone with Troy and indicated that a kid I had been recruiting for Okotoks might need a place to play and from that conversation Troy told me about the opportunity with minor hockey (in Vernon) and the need for somebody with this organization (the Vipers) as well."
By the end of July, Pimm, the experienced school teacher, arrived in Vernon with his family of wife, Shannon, and three children of Jordyn (7), Devin (4) and Hayden (1) to not only be the associate coach to Mick, but the director of Hockey Operations for the Greater Vernon Minor Hockey association.
With his elevated role for the time being as head coach of the Vipers, Pimm has a busy schedule. By 7 a.m., he is in the minor hockey office until about 12:30 noon and then he transfers his skill to his charges with the Vipers before heading home around 6 p.m.
In preparing for tonight's opener, Pimm said : "Right now, we're really concentrating on picking up our work ethic, to get the work ethic to the acceptable level that we want it ... we do that through practice and through meetings and now we're slowly instilling and injecting parts of our system."
And what is that system?
"We're going to be obviously aggressive defensive, which is a phrase I picked up from (NHL veteran and junior coach) Marc Habscheid."
To a novice, such as the Ol' Columnist, it means the tough Vipers are going to hog the puck this year and shoot on their opposition often.
Although he works long hours, Pimm professed a passion for the game while admitting, "I give myself a day off here and there and Sundays are important because it is family time." Then he went on to say, "In this game, there is down time in spring and summer and you have to take advantage of it."