Brent Pope: We can be as good as we want to believe we are
It’s been a busy off season, as always, in the Cardiff Devils camp. Coaching duo Gerad Adams and Neil Francis have been busy putting together a strong team for the 2013/14 season.
But it’s not just the on-ice team that have been busy. Behind the scenes, Managing Director Brent Pope and the Devils’ staff have been working hard to ensure everything runs smoothly once that first puck drops in just 40 days.
I caught up with Brent to get his take on the Devils’ roster so far, the preseason schedule and how he is preparing for the coming season.
Some fans that are new to the sport may not be familiar with your history with the Cardiff Devils and how you got started. Can you tell me a little bit about your background?
I came to Cardiff as a player in 1996 from the Edmonton Oilers organisation, after spending three seasons in the American and East Coast Hockey Leagues. My former teammates and I enjoyed a golden spell for the Devils at the beginning of the former British Ice Hockey Superleague, winning the 96/97 League Championship and the 1999 Playoff Championship in Manchester. We were right amongst the top 2/3 teams at the time in the ISL, between ourselves Ayr & Manchester for those three seasons.
I have also played for Nottingham Panthers, former London Knights & Racers, Hull Stingrays, and Basingstoke Bison amongst others in the UK and the US since. I was included in the GB Senior National Team as a player from 2002-2004 and retired as a player in 2006. I was Bench Coach with Gerad when we won our last Devils’ title in 2006/07 (Knockout Cup) and then became the GM of the Devils in 2007.
In 2008, I founded the Devils Community Foundation and operated for five years successfully of which I am extremely proud. I have been fortunate to complete and combine my BA Hons & MA qualifications whilst playing and working in the UK throughout my career. I have been privileged to have the opportunity as well to be an Olympic Broadcaster three times and look forward to my fourth Olympics next February in Sochi for the BBC.
The Devils have made big strides this off season to improve on last year’s roster. How do you personally feel recruitment has gone to date and which signings are you most excited about?
I think our recruitment has gone well but I won’t really know what we have until we play that first game against Denmark and then against Coventry. We are bigger, stronger and we have increased our compete level. I am hopeful that each Devils’ player brings even more to the table than we expect from them this season, it’s the only way we will win a Championship. We need a minimum of six of our players to play at a higher level than we expect. It’s not easy to achieve that, but neither is winning Championships. I am excited about LaCosta, I believe he is legitimate and I believe he could be the difference for us this season.
As we all know netminder Frank Doyle, who had originally signed for Cardiff, will now be icing for Sheffield Steelers. Are you able to tell me what happened and why?
Frank wanted something that we ultimately couldn’t offer him in Cardiff for the 2013/14 season. It was unfortunate at the time but we dealt with it as a professional organisation and I believe made the right decision considering all variables.
After this disappointment, it was announced former NHL goaltender Dan LaCosta would take his place between the pipes for the coming season. How big of a signing do you feel this is for the Devils?
I don’t actually know yet to be honest. I think signing Dan has the potential to be exceptional for us this season, alongside others. He is coming to Cardiff for the right reasons and his attention to detail and the characteristics I have seen from him thus far impress me. I expect Dan to be one of the six players that I believe can and will play above our expectations. I believe things happen for a reason and I believe you make your own luck in life.
Moving on to the preseason schedule, the Devils will be competing in a Mini Cup competition with Coventry Blaze and Danish Team Esbjerg. Whose idea was this and how much preparation has gone into making this happen?
Neil Francis via Scott Matzka introduced the possibility, Peter Gommesen and I made it happen. I thought the idea was dead about four times due to cost, logistics, Coventry and just time elapsing. I am really excited about pulling this off; it’s a great statement of intent from our club and should set up our team preparation well this year. It’s a perfect balance between including our fans and preparing our team for a big season for our organisation.
Off-ice, you and the Devils staff have been working hard preparing for the new season ahead. Some of the new features next season are Devils TV and live streaming from the Big Blue Tent. Can you tell me a little bit more about this and what can fans expect?
I think Devils TV will be self explanatory once people click and have a look at our videos, highlights etc. We needed to respond to the way companies are doing business nowadays. People want to watch more than read in the 21st century, and with the growth of Social Media we needed to raise our game. Videos display emotion and passion so much better than the written word, unfortunately none of us are Shakespeare, but we know how much we care about our club.
These new features are an exciting addition for Devils fans. Are there any other ideas in the pipeline that you can share with me at this point?
We are planning to offer a small press conference/open question session in the arena bar after all weekend games. This will also coincide with an autograph session with the player/s. We have lots of little adjustments that we want to make but I think we need to hold those back for the moment.
And lastly, within the next two years the Cardiff Devils will be having a brand new arena. The fans have been waiting a long time for this and it is something the club rightfully deserves. What do you think of the new proposed arena and how are preparations going for your new home?
I think that new arena will bring mixed emotions for me personally. It has been an incredible journey to get to this point and I will feel more comfortable discussing the new arena when it gets started. Whilst I will love it when that new arena arrives, equally I don’t want us to get ahead of ourselves or our business. We still have our work cut out for us to get where we want to go as an organisation.
Is there anything else you would like to add for Devils fans?
Impossible is nothing, we have an opportunity if we are united, disciplined and focused to be as good as we want to believe we are. I don’t want to go back in time to how things used to be for our club, the past is behind us and that is where it should remain. However, it still remains a huge passion of mine to win Championships again. We are not there yet, but we are definitely on the right path. There is still much to do to improve and to get there but it’s achievable if we really want to commit as an organisation to what is required.
A big thank you to Brent for taking the time to speak with me. The team at UK American Sports Fans wish him all the best for the season ahead.