Hunt has unfinished business

By Greg Harder

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As Curtis Hunt leans back in his old chair and looks around his new office, the feelings of nostalgia are overwhelmed by the smell of fresh paint.

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Everything old is new again for the veteran head coach, who's back with the WHL's Regina Pats after a one-year hiatus to pursue his NHL dream. Hunt spent four seasons in Regina before leaving in the summer of 2008 to join the Ottawa Senators, reprising his role as a sidekick to head coach Craig Hartsburg, who teamed with Hunt to win back-to-back gold medals with Canada at the world junior championship. But the reunion was short-lived.

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Hartsburg lasted only half a season at the helm of the Senators, who fired their head coach and replaced him with minor-league bench boss Cory Clouston. Hunt was caught in the crossfire, relieved of his duties in Ottawa but given a second chance as the head coach of the team's AHL affiliate in Binghamton.

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The Senators wanted Hunt to return to Binghamton this season, but he declined in favour of a reincarnation with the Pats, who had an opening after rookie head coach Dale Derkatch was jettisoned in the wake of a nightmarish 2008-09 season.

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After just a year away, you might think Hunt would easily settle back into his old digs — almost like he never left. But that's not entirely the case.

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"It's funny because it's fresh," offered the 42-year-old Regina native. "Believe it or not, it feels fresh. And maybe that's because of the work done to get us new offices across from the (dressing) room. We've made some changes to the inside of the room. Even the Brandt Centre itself has a new look with the paint and the end-zone seats."

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"It has a terrific feel and it all feels fresh and exciting. It's energizing to me. It's part of the whole 'old but new guy' thing. It's a new start for us and a new start for a lot of our returning guys."

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Read the rest of the story here

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