Wednesday, April 17, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
THE BIG BUILDING was quiet aside from the slash of skates. Down on the ice, Thunder coach Chris McSorley was cramming his team's one-hour practice session with instructional data, prodding X's and O's to life, offering motivational asides. The pace was swift, the coach casual yet authoritative.
It was fine-tuning day Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center as Las Vegas' most popular sports team, the International Hockey League's Thunder, went through a disciplined skate and prepared for a playoff run that begins tonight.
"Just play hard and win the home games," McSorley told his players as the formal workout came to an end, "and you'll get a bucket of change and bring this team the Cup. You might lose that change or gamble it away or maybe the (champion's) ring will someday slip off your finger, but you'll always remember being part of a team that won it all."
The Thunder, of course, has never won it all. But this season Las Vegas had the league's best regular-season record and therefore it has the home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. While anything short of hoisting the Turner Cup after the final game in June would be a disappointment, negative thoughts look to be in short supply.
"The best team wins," general manager Bob Strumm said, confident he has the best team. He also feels he has the best coach.
"One thing Chris is able to do as well as anybody I've seen is maintain a line of respect yet still allow the players to play and have fun," Strumm said. "Maybe because he himself is still young, he handles that aspect of coaching real well."
McSorley, 33, obviously has the players' respect. They're attentive without being condescending. He speaks, they react. He raises his hand, they come to a halt.
They look ready, even if they had their moments where McSorley's tone was more pointed than inspirational. "That was horse----," he said after a 5-on-3 drill went awry. Apologetically, the culprits started over, with one team leader, Greg Hawgood, calling out "Let's regroup and get it right."
Up first for the Thunder is a Phoenix team that finished 39 points behind Las Vegas in the regular season. The Roadrunners look like a nuisance, not a Cup contender.
"They swarm, they have no system," McSorley told his players, issuing a warning of sorts complete with preventive specifics. Seconds later he was tactfully offering reassurance. "All they're trying to do is set up 3-on-2 breaks. We'll eat 'em up with our speed."
Phoenix may be helped by having a couple of fringe players down from the Los Angeles Kings now that their season is over, but that's of little concern to the independent Thunder. Strumm is confident his stretch-drive roster moves improved his team, and McSorley has molded the players into what seems to be a harmonious unit.
"We've got experienced guys who've been there before and are committed to one thing," Strumm said. "There's only one goal left: Win the last game of the season."
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