By Scott Zerr
EdmontonRush.com

Being one of the handful of local products on the Edmonton Rush roster, the off-season was particularly gut-wrenching for Jimmy Quinlan.

The Rush's unflattering record from their inaugural season of 2006 didn't sit well with him and obviously not with the fans.

"Being 1-15 it was definitely six to eight long months of hearing 'Are you going to win more than one game?' and 'Are you going to win a home game?'," said Quinlan.

"We're better on paper right now, but we do have to win to start changing people's opinions."

And what better way to do it than for the Rush to start the '07 season off with a win over the visiting Philadelphia Wings on Saturday night. A victory would get the no-home-win monkey off their backs plus get a season-opening three-game homestand launched with a bang.

"It's so huge," said Quinlan. "Growing up here, I know that fans don't tolerate losing for long. Just look at what they start saying when the Oilers lose four in a row so that's why these games for us are so huge.

"We have to play a 60-minute game. Last year, our second quarters were awful. If we play like a team and start clicking, we'll be able to start each game the way we finish. For us, I think we'll be a lot more comfortable this year being in close games. There were times when the score was 4-3 last year and we'd miss an opportunity and the other team would come back and then it was 5-3 and we'd all be feeling down.

"The acquisitions we made in the off-season, those five players are not only all scorers but they're also veterans who provide a calming presence."

Quinlan certainly had a breakout season in '06, hitting the 20-goal plateau and finishing third in team scoring with 39 points. But as the year wore on, opponents were able to key on the tenacious and talented forward, realizing he was one of the Rush's few threats up front and locking him down on many attacks. This year with the Rush's revamped offence, Quinlan will be looked upon in the secondary offensive role and with more weapons to worry about, the opposition won't be able to focus so much on him which should mean even more production out of the Sherwood Park product.

Goals and assists aside, Quinlan was a model of consistency when it came to being a pain in the neck to opponents – an accomplishment that earned him "The Best Trash Talker" honour in a poll of NLL players.

For Quinlan, being a pest falls under doing the "little things" to help the team succeed. Willingness to do those little things is a critical message that all the team leaders are trying to instill in the Rush.

"I think right now everyone has got to pay the price," said Rush Assistant Captain Jamey Bowen. "It's time for all us to put our money where our mouths are.

"If a guy like Buck Stobart wants to step up then he's got to do it. If Andrew Turner wants to do it, then that's great. For anyone now, it can't be out of their character. No one can be hesitant or worried about thinking outside the box.

"Last year some guys maybe were worried that if they'd drop the ball they might not be in the lineup next week. Right now, they can't be worried about anything. We all just have to go out and do whatever we have to to make the team better."

Bowen had a terrific first year with the Rush, leading the team in scoring with 43 points (including a club-high 24 assists) and fittingly, the Edmonton native scored the very first goal in Rush history. With the additions of Dan Stroup, Chris Gill, Jason Wulder, Ryan O'Connor and A.J. Shannon up front, Bowen now has a much wider array of shooters to deliver his precision feeds to.

And with Turner leading a bolstered defence and with reigning Team MVP Pat Campbell supplying solid goaltending, there is reason for optimism in the Black and Silver camp.

"Last year we had a lot of pieces but we couldn't make much of a puzzle out of them. This year we have the pieces to make a very good puzzle," said Bowen.