Lemcke evolves as a leader
It was a defining moment in Justin Lemcke’s captaincy.
Ten months ago, roughly, after a blazing hot start, the Whitby native’s Hamilton Bulldogs were sliding. Two of their top scorers — Matt Luff and Niki Petti — were out of the lineup and they’d lost all but two of their last 12 games.
He needed to vent. More importantly, though, he needed to figure out a way to get his team back on track.
So he asked a handful of veterans to meet him in the locker-room for a players-only conclave.
“It got hostile,” recalls Ben Gleason, and Lemcke got loud.
He yelled at his teammates and at himself and at no one in particular — a frustration-fuelled act of verbal catharsis. Then he stopped and the Bulldogs went on to win three straight and eight of their next 11 games.
That’s why he wears the “C,” says Gleason. “He brings guys in, he knows what to say and he’s a great leader.”
Lemcke, 20, is a tough, old-school defenceman and the only captain in the team’s threeyear history. He’s also a case study in how the Bulldogs develop more than just hockey players. They develop people.
Over the past three seasons, Lemcke has faced more than his fair share of adversity — a broken leg, a losing record and, at times, locker-room discord. Yet he’s managed to overcome it.
Last year, for instance, his 37 points in 66 games placed him second in scoring among defencemen, while his plus-2 rating was a dramatic improvement over his previous and injury-shortened minus-12 campaign. He also showed he’s willing to make tough decisions for the benefit of the team, like cutting lacrosse out of his summer routine (he previously played for the Jr. A Whitby Warriors), in order to devote more time to skating and skills.
It’s a sign of his dedication, says head coach John Gruden. “He’s taking care of his body; he looks a lot leaner this year — like he’s just got a different look to him,” he said.
Off the ice, the six-foot-two, 203pound rearguard has also made “huge strides” — particularly when it comes to interacting with the team’s youngest players. “Just like development as far as skills, leadership has to be developed too. So, we’re helping him with those tools and he’s taken the bull by the horns,” Gruden adds. “His leadership has evolved.”
Lemcke agrees he’s a different type of leader today than he was at the start of the 2015-16 season, when his teammates and former bench boss George Burnett appointed him captain. He’s more mature, more confident.
“Not that before I wasn’t able to speak up in the room, I just think you get a little more comfortable as you get older and I think you earn a little more respect after wearing it for a couple of years,” he says.
Longtime pal Jack Hanley describes his leadership style in similar terms.
“He’s very strict, but he’s nice about it and he’s a loud voice in the room,” the defenceman says. “Everyone respects him.”
As for what he says to motivate his teammates before games, between periods, or, like that fateful stretch last season, when his Bulldogs are in a slump, Lemcke is vague. “I don’t know,” he says. “You just say what you’re thinking. Probably a lot of Fwords, honestly.”
As far as Gleason’s concerned, it works. “There are a lot of F-words here and there, but I think that’s how people know you’re serious.” NOTES: Gleason, 19, expects to return to the lineup Oct. 10, which means he would make his season debut against the Oshawa Generals on Oct. 13. He had surgery on his right wrist over the summer, and has already been given the OK to practice. … An empty-net goal by Connor Roberts turned out to be the game-winner as a depleted Bulldogs squad downed the Guelph Storm, 3-2, in pre-season action Thursday. Arthur Kaliyev and Liam Van Loon also scored for Hamilton. Goalie Cole Ceci had 31 saves in the club’s second straight exhibition win. Barret Kirwin had both the Guelph markers. … The Bulldogs go to Barrie on Saturday before wrapping up their exhibition schedule against the Colts at Stoney Creek’s Valley Park Arena on Sunday. Tickets for that 5 p.m. game are available through the Stoney Creek Minor Hockey Association or at the Bulldogs front office on York Boulevard.