Our phone call started with a couple of questions. How did the Essex 73's hook you into returning to the bench as head coach? Did they offer you a trip to Italy? Tony Piroski laughed. He wasn't looking to return. "Believe me there was no phone calls or hands being raised for the coaching job."
The seed was planted at a recent team function. His former assistants, Jamie McDermott and Lee Jones, were chatting him up saying if he were ever interested in returning they would be happy to help. "I said 'well I'm not interested fellas'."
Piroski does admit the juices were flowing while they were talking but he continued to decline the invitation. "In saying that they went to Mike (Pailey, GM and interim head coach) and he gave me a call."
Pailey says they had a good conversation, met last weekend and here were are. Tony Piroski is the incoming head coach of the Essex 73's. "His experience. Him knowing how to win and making sure people are doing the right things the right way. It's obviously a perfect fit for us. We're really excited to have him."
Piroski says he is excited to reunite the old band with McDermott and Jones as assistants but emphasized his stint with the 73's is only for the short term. "I guess I said that in 2001 too that it was only going to be one year right then I was there for nine." Piroski said with a chuckle.
During those nine seasons he guided the 73's to seven first place finishes in the Great Lakes Junior C league and six provincial title games where they were crowned Ontario champs three times. "Between the three of us hopefully we can help the kids achieve what they want to achieve."
After leading the team to four wins in their last six games Pailey is more than happy to step aside and let Piroski steer a team that is tied atop the PJHL standings with North Middlesex. "Being a general manager and a head coach is really hard." Pailey admits. "I'm smart enough to know when you can get a guy, a head coach in like him, it's a better fit than me."
Piroski finished an eight-year coaching stint in Leamington in 2018. "Not that you forget the important parts of the game or anything like that. I'm sure there's gonna be some Bob's called Fred and some Jim's called Gary's and stuff like that on the team but that's part of getting older."
Because of prior commitments Piroski won't be on the bench when Essex visits Mooretown Saturday night but looks forward to beginning his second stint with the 73's in a town he says has always been good to him. "We'll sit down with the players Sunday afternoon and go from there. Away we go."
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