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  Annie Fowler was born and raised in Eastern Oregon and graduated from Southern Oregon University in 1988 with degrees in communication and journalism. She has been at the Herald since March of 2000 and began covering the Tri-City Americans in 2002. She still enjoys a good game of football, but these days she gets her fill by watching her son play for Southridge High School. |
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You know you've been covering the WHL for a long time when players you have watched over the years are now assistant coaches in the league.
Such is the case with Kelowna assistant coach Ryan Cuthbert, who turned 27 on Friday. His last year in the league (2002-03) was the first year I covered the Americans.
Cuthbert is the Rockets' only two-time captain. The scrappy winger was never a prolific scorer, but he was a motivator and a leader. He was never drafted by an NHL team. He never led the Rockets to a Memorial Cup title. But, he made such an impact on the franchise that he is one of eight players whose image is painted on the wall by the dressing room.
On the wall, he joins the likes of Vaclav Varada, Jason Deleurme, Scott Parker, Scott Hannan, Gavin McLeod, Kelly Guard and Josh Gorges.
Last week, I made mention of Cuthbert relaying information to the team bench via a wireless communication system. For a guy so young, he's very knowledgeable.
Not a move goes unnoticed by the Cuthbert, who joined the Rockets' staff two years ago after testing the waters of the AHL and ECHL.
Players who are out of position get an earful on the bench. Players who aren't putting out an honest effort get their butts chewed. When the opposing team is being creative, Cuthbert picks them apart and offers words of wisdom to the bench.
With his passion and knowledge of the game, it won't be long before someone takes notice and offers him a team of his own.
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