Coach Al Sims and captain Colin Chaulk retired, and now so has the goaltender who backstopped them to four championships between 2008 and 2012.Here's what newly signed defenseman Tyler Butler had to say about signing with the Komets:
On putting on the fireball jersey: "I couldn’t be more excited. It’ll be an honor for me to put on that jersey with the tradition and the way the whole community surrounds the Komets."
On all the leadership: ""That’s something that I don’t think can hurt a hockey club. It will obviously be Chaulker’s team. He’s been the guy for so many years. It will be nice to go into a situation with those guys leading the way. They’re championship guys and proven it time and time again. I’ll ease in with them and be myself and continue to be plugged in."
On going to the ECHL: "It’s going to be good. It will be a different challenge. I’ve never played in the ECHL. It will be fun and there’s no better team to go into a new situation and I think that’s where that leadership will come in. It will be a key factor in facing this new challenge."
On his style of play: "My buddies like to call me a gamer. I will do whatever I can to help the team win. If that means to drop the gloves, I will. I like to shoot the puck. That’s no secret.… As I get older, I’ve tried to do a better job of taking care of my own end. It will be good for me to play under Al Sims, a former NHL defenseman, and learn from a guy like that."
