Stampede coach Ryan Cruthers on a dynamite season so far & his types of "PHD" players

Fans want to be entertained, and losing doesn't entertain them.   It is a simple but true statement, especially if your squad draws the biggest crowds in its league.   That's why Long Island native Ryan Cruthers has taken on a bullish approach to restore the order for the Sioux Falls Stampede — regularly the USHL's attendance leader but a non-playoff outfit in the three years before he arrived in South Dakota last season.   To him, that is an unacceptable way to play in front of an ever-dedicated fan base.   After leading the Herd to the second round of the playoffs in his first season behind the bench, Cruthers has the Stampede rumbling to at a 31-14-1-0 record and the second-highest points total in the league, keeping them on pace for a first round bye.   On Thursday's "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" from the Orion Pub, Cruthers details the types of players he prefers — his "PHD's" — that has fueled the team to this point. The launching pad of this rise was Cruthers' hellbent urge to make the Stampede deliver a product that honors the Stampede's proud winning tradition.   This has included efforts well beyond the ice to connect his teenagers from all over North America to the Sioux Falls community.    And, if you didn't think last Saturday's Weiner Dog Races Night — which drew a state record crowd for an indoor sporting event with 11,167 attendees — wasn't a bigger game than most because they all count the same, you'll want to hear what Cruthers said.