Day 10 - The Peterborough Mullets
General Manager: Shane Scanlan
Established: 2003-04 as The Mullets
Years Active: 8 (2003-04 to 2010-11)
Lifetime Record: 413-423-109 (.495) 935pts
4th overall in points, 9th overall in winning pct.
Best Finish: 3rd (2003-04 as the Mullets)
Worst Finish: 12th (2008-09)
Cups: 0
2009-2010 Results: 5th - 77-65-12 (.539) 166pts
League Records: None
Alternate Logos:
Throwback (2003-2007)
Alternate
The Peterborough Mullets are an Original 7 franchise that have always remained in Peterborough, ON even though they did not add "Peterborough" to their name officially in 2005-06. The Mullets are 4th overall in the all time points race and are quietly ........ well...... remaining quiet. They have never finished better than third place and typically finish somewhere in the 5th to 10th spot. They have made the playoffs three times and have been quite unsuccessful when they have with just a .333 winning percentage. GM Scanlan steadily flies under the radar by never being bad enough or good enough to be noticed. The Mullets are mediocre at best, and their claim to fame in the RHL is continually being a thorn in Commissioner Filion's side. Their ongoing fued and rivalry is well known around the league.
2003-04 would be the best season for the Mullets. They finished the regular season in 4th place with 156 points and a plus .500 record. They defeated the 5th place Nordiques 3-2 in the opening round and were knocked out by the Gougers in the semis, finishing in 3rd for the year. Not only was this the Mullets best season, but also their best playoff performance as they would never win a playoff series again. The franchise would return from the lockout and experience a downward slide for the next four years.
In 2005-06, the Mullets began their tumble down the Kentucky waterfall, as this season would be the first of four, where they would finish worse each year than the previous. They finished 3rd in the regular season with 172 points but were eliminated by the 6th seeded Barrie Nordiques and ended up finishing in 6th.
GM Scanlan's Mullets then missed the playoffs three years in a row as they finished 7th in 2006-07, 10th in 2007-08, and 12th in 2008-09.
The Mullets experienced a slight resurgence in 2009-10 as they were back in the playoffs with a 5th place finish, but would exit in the first round at the hand of the Malton Muggers losing 6-1.
The Mullets mediocrity can be attributed to their unwillingness to take chances. He is a very active GM who does well on draft day. Scanlan is also active on the free agent market and in trade talks, but very rarely pulls the trigger on a deal. To be successful this season, he will have to take some risks and pick a potential sleeper or two at the draft, or maybe even make a trade that ......... well, maybe just make a trade. Some of you may be thinking that i'm not the one to give a GM advice on taking chances, because admittedly, my poor lifetime record speaks for itself. However, the year I did take those chance I got my name on the Cup, so before you think about saying something, first check if you also have your name on it? Expect the Mullets to draft safe again this year and sneak in to the playoffs in the 6th or 7th spot, however, their playoff success will depend on what they do at the deadline. Perhaps they can even finish higher in the regular season if they take some chances on draft day. Don't look forward to it, because Scanlan manages his team like he plays poker, always playing safe. But in this league you cant have a good hand early and lean on your opponents for the rest of the season, anything can happen in the playoffs. Sometimes you just have to go All In!
INTERESTING FACT: Despite a quite successful campaign in 2003-04, the Mullets set a record of futility in the second week that will never be broken. They managed to go -19 in a single week of play, a number that seems impossible.
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