Kilrea signs 10-year extension with 67’s

The Ottawa 67’s announced on Tuesday that the team has agreed on a ten year contract extension with Head Coach and General Manager, Brian Kilrea, that would see the CHL’s all-time winningest coach remain behind the Ottawa 67’s bench until the end of the 2013-2014 season.

“I am hoping that this will pre-empt the commonly asked question by many, that being, ‘How much longer will Brian be here?'” quipped Ottawa 67’s owner and Governor, Jeff Hunt.

Kilrea, born and raised in Ottawa, will embark on his 27th season behind the Ottawa 67’s bench in 2003-04. Over the course of the 2002-03 season, the 67’s finished first in their division and conference, second overall in the OHL and were three wins away from a berth in the Mastercard Memorial Cup tournament in Quebec City.

During the same time frame, Kilrea won his 1,000th game as a head coach on March 9, 2003 against the Sudbury Wolves, had the CHL’s Coach of the Year trophy renamed in his honour, had a new amateur coaching award in the Ottawa area created and named in his honour, and he was notified recently that he will also be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in November.

Kilrea’s overall coaching record with the Ottawa 67’s currently stands at 1,002-609-137.