Rapid City, SD – The excitement at the monument was palpable as the eagerly anticipated press conference and official community introduction to Dave Smith general manager and head coach of the Rapid City Rush proud ECHL affiliate of NHL Calgary Flames occurred today.
Emma Setzer , CFO of Spire holdings, began the presentation stating that since Spire gained ownership of the Rapid City Rush they have tried to do the right thing with the community first mentality. She reiterated the company’s core values of respect and continued by saying ” the standard is the standard. Spire hockey is committed to winning in Rapid City and we aspire will do everything it takes to make it happen”. A theme heard throughout the remainder of the 19 minute press conference.
Jared Reid, president of the Rapid City Rush, was next to speak he thanked the crowd for coming and recounted the difficult process of finding the right person to fill the vacancy left by Scott Burt. He proclaimed that of all the head coaching positions that were available in the ECHL this year the most sought after position was in Rapid City. He said team ownership by Spire holdings leadership group, the hockey operations support staff , and high end talent, high character guys like Captain Ryan Wagner made this a desirable position. Mr Reid also spoke of specific pillars and benchmarks in the hiring process which included : 1. An ability to recruit players 2. An ability to develop players ,young men ,and to get them to the next level 3. An ability, a desire,and a tenacity to win hockey games and to get this team and organization back in the Kelly Cup playoffs. He said Dave Smith checked all boxes.
The common denominator among Coach Smith’s references is that , “He is a leader among men who will settle for nothing but perfection”. President Reid finished by saying they will bring a mix of old school hockey with a new school blend that I know our fans, our partners and community will be proud of but most importantly that every team in the ECHL will fear.
A brief video presentation of Dave Smith’s career then took place and he was presented a Rapid City Rush jersey bearing the number 25.
Coach Smith then took the microphone first thanking his wife Susan for her support and then his daughters. He stated, ” this doesn’t happen without family”. He then thanked Mayor Salamund, Chief Culbersonof the RCFD, and Lieutenant Doyle of the RCPD.
“Accepting this position is really full of immense pride”, Mr Smith said. He that in his research checking references all the way back to his friend and first coach of the Rush, Joey Ferris, who had told him ,” Smitty you’re going to love it here”, he continued,” from the first moment Jared (Reid), referenced it just felt right. The alignment, the vision, the competitive fire to get back to the playoffs that alignment and vision was tremendous. Jared was right, this was the most coveted job because of the ownership group, because of the facilities, because of the fans, because of the support the players get here when I was making the phone calls to the players to come back they pretty much stated the same thing every time. Tell me about your experience in Rapid City, we’ve been all around the league. The only place we want to play is Rapid. I think that’s great. Do you want to come back? Yes I do . Tremendous Thank you.”
That was the first phase of recruitment but it’s clear that this community lives and breathes Rush hockey That’s outstanding.”
The coach continued , ‘The standard is the standard. A standard of excellence and a culture of hard work, accountability and a relentless pursuit of excellence – sometimes at 7:00 a.m. sometimes at 7:00 p.m. but it’s non-stop 7 days a week. Development is the key if we provide a great player experience and development on and off the ice and give them the confidence we can’t be stopped. That’s our job as coaches to develop the player in the environment they’re in”.
“To the organization and to the dedicated staff and everyone behind the scenes I’m thrilled to join your team. The number of sponsors you can see around the building. We go out for dinner and in town hear conversations about the team. We are excited to join the team of the Rush organization. It’s just so impressive the professional and the commitment building a winning team takes everyone it takes cohesiveness and an effort from top to bottom.”
“To the community of Rapid City, It’s incredible. The fans, its sponsors , the entire community You are the heartbeat of this franchise.”
Welcome Coach Dave Smith to the Rapid City Rush community.
Go Rush!
