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26 + WATERLOO CHRONICLE * Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Blast from the past he Waterloo Siskins are going back to I the future by hiring former general manager Peter Brill to restore some of the lustre of the once flagship junior hockey franchise. The last time Brill held the reins of the Siskins he won a Sutherland Cup in 1992, and left enough pieces in place for the club to repeat as champions in 1994. Since then there‘s been a lot of lean years for the franchise, which was voted as the Junior B team of the last century. That includes going more than a decade without winning a firstâ€"round series and a firstâ€" round loss to Elmira this season. Waterloo Siskins welcome back former GM Brill to recapture winning ways In the same time Brill has stayed in the local junior hockey loop as general manager of the Cambridge Winter Hawks. In 11 years with the Hawks he‘s won three Sutherland Cups and made them perennial contenders. He‘d like to promise that the Siskins would win a Sutherland Cup in the first three years of their planned restructuring like he did in Cambridge, but he said the game has changed a lot in that time. The biggest change is the commitment players are making to their respective junior franchises and the loyalty they show to the clubs that give them opportunities. Brill‘s been burned by players who‘ve been lured away with lucrative offers by the provincial Junior A teams and find out that what was promised wasn‘t delivered. He said 80 per cent of them have come crawling back wanting another shot with the solid organiâ€" zations he‘s run but he said they‘ve already made their choices. "Maybe I‘m old school that way," said Brill, who also won championships as a player with the Siskins. "But if you don‘t want to play for us we don‘t want you." He said too many players also forget they‘re making a commitment to going to school and being good role models in the community. If they can‘t live up to that high standard they‘ll have to find somewhere else to play. "We expect them to grow as students, athletes and especially citizens while a "Maybe I‘m old school that way. But if you don‘t want to play for us we don‘t want you." â€"Peter Brill New director of hockey aperations for the Waterloo Siskins Apply online for the FCC AgriSpirit Fund between May 1 and June 16 at www.AgriSpirit.ca Need funding for your community project? By Bos VrBanac Chronicle Staff Farm Credit Canada Former Siskins general manager Peter Brill is rejoining the team after a 16â€"year hiatus that saw him win three Sutherland Cups with the Cambridge Winter Hawks. member of our organization," said Brill, a lifelong resident of Waterloo: "Not only on the ice but off the ice." While he officially resigned from his post with the Hawks on Monday night, he thinks he left the organization in good hands. And he is doing the same type of succession planning for the Siskins after signing a oneâ€" year deal last night to be the club‘s new director of hockey operations. . He envisions his rolé as the same as the one currently occupied by the Toronto Maple Leafs Cliff Fletcher, who is cleaning SPORTS HRONLCLE house in the organization while preparing the ground work for the next person. Brill is doing the same, looking to attract the same type of bright, committed hockey people who are looking to turn the Siskins around in time for the club‘s 75th anniversary seaâ€" son in a few years. That includes grooming his eventual successor as he‘s done in Camâ€" bridge. "What they‘ve done is sort of given me a free hand to bring back this winning tradiâ€" tion," said Brill. "So my position right now is director of hockey Community matters SUBMITTED PHOTO operations/consultant/general manager ... 1 think it‘s a little of everything." _ _ One of those changes includes looking for a new coach, although current coach Kevin Bloch may stay on in a scouting capacity. It speaks to the reputation that Brill has built in the league that there is already a number of strong candidates knocking on his door. It‘s all about communication in dealing with kids these days, whether you are recruiting them or once you have them on your team. And Brill, who spends 12 months of the year recruiting and forging those types of relationships, said it builds some confidence in a team and its players when those roles are spelled out. "Recruiting is tough and we have to find managers and coaches who are going to deal in honesty and talk to players in a straightâ€"forward manner," said Brill. "That‘s what the kids want to hear. "They want to hear why they are a role player, or why they aren‘t on the power play or the penalty kill. s e "If you‘re up front with them they‘ll live with it, and accept the challenges you give them." Former Siskins‘ general manager Richard Burjoski has been given a bump upstairs and assumed the presidency of the club. He will continue his work that helped turn the club around financially, while trying to increase its branding in the community. He thinks that Brill will be a big part of the Siskins‘ reemergence in the community as the franchise reaches its milestone anniversary. "He‘s excited about the prospect of bringâ€" ing a championship team back here," said Burjoski. "And I can‘t believe the requests we‘ve had from some pretty highâ€"profile hockey people in the community to cogch this team so Peter is going to have the pick of the litter." "I‘m here to bring back a winning tradiâ€" tion," said Brill. "I‘ve always had a tattoo you know where for Waterloo. "I also have one for Cambridge, and it was tough to leave, but being only two minâ€" utes away from the rec centre (Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex) helped make that decision." "I‘m here to bring back a winning tradition." â€"Peter Brill Siskins‘ director of operations