Ten Years Later, Graham Feels Back At Home As Ice Flyers Coach
By Bill Vilona
Ice Flyers correspondent
His coaching career these past years has taken Gary Graham across the world, sometimes to far away places like Russia and China.
But he was never that far removed from the Pensacola Ice Flyers.
A friendship and coaching bond with former Ice Flyers coach Rod Aldoff kept him aware, informed, and remindful of the breakthrough President’s Cup trophy he won 10 years ago in Pensacola with team owner Greg Harris.
“I’ve stayed in touch with the team. It has been a heck of a run,” Graham said. “Greg and Rod have obviously done a great job since I left. Three (more) championships is quite a thing. It has been very exciting to watch the team from afar as I pursued my own goals elsewhere.
“But now it’s kinda funny how things come full circle.”
And it’s almost like he never left.
In a return that evolved as if destined to happen, Graham was formally introduced Thursday night in a media gathering, following by a meet-and-greet audience with Ice Flyers fans that filled a large conference room at the Pensacola Bay Center.
After leading the Ice Flyers to their first Southern Professional Hockey League Championship in 2013 – the first championship won by a hockey franchise in Pensacola – Graham is back and ready to go.
He replaces Aldoff, who retired in June, after leading the Ice Flyers to three more SPHL titles in a five-year period, including one during the most difficult season in 2021, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Nattily attired in an ocean blue suit, Graham, 44, easily reconnected with area media members and long-time Ice Flyers fans during the two question-answer sessions.
“When Rod stepped down and the opportunity came available to come back to Pensacola, it just made a lot sense,” said Graham, who has coached in six different places, three different countries and six different leagues since his one-year stint with the Ice Flyers 10 years ago.
“Greg and I had great chemistry the first time we worked together,” Graham said. “I think that’s one of the most important things as a head coach, having good chemistry with your owner. Our goals align very well.”
“Getting involved in the community, putting a winning product on the ice and making sure we are making gains with our fan base are vital. That’s what makes this organization very special.”
His first return behind the bench at the Bay Center will be October 13 when the Ice Flyers face the Birmingham Bulls in a preseason game. The official, season-opening puck drop, occurs eight days later when the Ice Flyers face the Bulls.
So far he has assembled a team that includes the return of popular Ice Flyers captain Garrett Milan, along with Malik Johnson and several other players from a year ago.
Upon Aldoff’s decision to retire, the Ice Flyers coaching search took less than a month. Graham was the first one to send a text message to Harris. A two and a half hour interview later ensued.
On July 13, he was announced.
“Rod and Gary talked a lot more over the years than I knew, which was awesome,” Harris said. “Because even though Gary hasn’t been here for 10 years, he was still familiar with so many things. He was familiar with the players, he was familiar with what we were doing with our crowds, our in-game stuff.
“During our interview, we talked about everything, things beyond hockey and it was a good conversation. We have a lot of the same vision and what we want this team to be and that will help quite a bit.
“In coaches’ searches, you don’t have to do a lot of head hunting. They come in waves. I was really happy with the guys I talked to. I had more quality candidates than I needed.”
Harris knew he had the right one from the first one.
When Graham walked inside the Bay Center rink area earlier this month, which was his first time seeing the improvements, he stared at the rafters, saw the first championship banner he helped bring and emotions flowed.
He then looked at the video boards, the ribbon boards, the elements that were not in the arena when he last coached.
“That was a special thing. The upgrades around the rink are unbelievable,” Graham said. “I think when I was here we had two office staff people and now we have a great, young, motivated team of people there who are doing great things.
“Greg has great team. We have a lot of returning players. A lot of guys who are hungry to come back and motivated. Guys who are not happy with how the season ended, so they are coming in with a chip of their shoulder and they understand the culture and what we expect here.”
Graham’s one-year, wondrous championship season with the Ice Flyers led to him getting an offer he couldn’t refuse. He returned to the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Komets, his hometown team and where he was an assistant coach before hired to lead the Ice Flyers.
He spent seven seasons as Komets’ coach, beginning with a rough opening season that steeled his toughness. It was followed by coaching stints in Beijing, then Russia, then junior-league stops in Indianapolis and the Omaha Lancers in the USHL – the top junior league in the U.S.
He spent part of last season as head coach of the Nottingham (England) Panthers in the Elite Ice Hockey League.
“I remember my first year in Fort Wayne, thinking I am this young, star coach coming up,” Graham said. “I just won my first championship. But I’m having a slow start in Fort Wayne and my wife is getting heckled in the stands as we lose and I go to my office hearing fans yell, ‘Graham go back to Pensacola!’
“It was tough that first year and halfway though the season we started winning and we were the second best team in the league and we beat the defending champs. You learn a lot as a coach, you are always growing, you make mistakes and you’ve got to learn from them and move on. You have to have a short-term memory.
“Working in Russia was a real eye-opener, living in China during Covid … I have stories you wouldn’t imagine. I could write a book honestly about the type of stuff I was around.”
When Harris interviewed Graham, he asked the hard question: Why us, why now?
“In his answer he made it clear, that he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than Pensacola,” Harris said. “He is still like he was. He has a ton of passion behind him. Gary didn’t play the game at a high level like a lot of coaches, so he has truly earned all he has done
“He has worked his tail off and worked every step of the way. I remember every day was a strong day with him. He was full of energy. Sometimes I had to reign him in.
But I appreciate that. And that kind of mentality is infectious.”
ICE FLYERS COUNTDOWN TO SEASON
October 6-7 – Players report to Pensacola.
October 8 – Players take physical examinations
Oct. 9 – Off-ice workout with team
Oct. 10-12 – On ice workouts from 10 a.m. to 10:40 a.m, ice resurface, then 30 minutes more practice.
Oct 13 – Exhibition game vs. Birmingham at Bay Center – Get Tickets
Oct. 21 – Season-opener vs. Birmingham.
Note: Preseason practices will be open to fans to watch.
