Axed Finnerty expects Steelers to forge ahead

The 32-year-old Canadian was sacked by owner Tony Smith during a lunchtime meeting on Wednesday less than 24 hours after the Steelers brought the curtain down on a second successive trophyless season with defeat in the Challenge Cup to arch-rivals Nottingham Panthers. Anywhere else in the Elite League and Finnerty, in his first season as a full-time head coach, may have survived.

But, as he acknowledged yesterday, the Steelers are an organisation that expect to be successful with a loyal fanbase that demands the same.

A failure to win the regular season league title – won by Panthers – was enough for some fans to call for Finnerty’s head. For others, Sunday night’s dramatic exit to Coventry Blaze in the quarter-finals of the play-offs was the final straw, meaning Steelers missed out for a second year running on the glitzy ‘final four’ weekend at the National Ice Centre.

Finnerty enjoyed a triumphant spell as a player with the Steelers between 2006-09, winning a league championship and two play-off titles.

But he was unable to replicate that success in a coaching capacity, Steelers finishing runners-up in the league at the end of his first year as a player-coach last season – albeit on a smaller budget than normal – before a third-place finish this time around.

Finnerty, appointed by former Steelers’ owner Paul Ragan in 2011, now plans to explore a number of potential coaching opportunities back home in Canada, but has not ruled out a return to the UK in the future.

“I genuinely feel the club has come a long way since I came in,” said Finnerty. “There is a core group of guys here now and if they keep them together – which you have to do going forward – then there will be success in the near future, I’m convinced of that.

“It’s a lot of hard work being a coach and such a huge learning curve. But I don’t regret any of the moves I’ve made and I really feel this club is stronger than two years ago when I came back.”

The process of replacing Finnerty is well underway for Smith and his staff, who are looking for a more experienced coaching hand to turn around their fortunes.