Silvertips Promote Becanic to Associate Head Coach
Everett, WA – August 5th, 2005: Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coach of the Everett Silvertips, Kevin Constantine has officially promoted assistant coach John Becanic to Associate Head Coach for the 2005-2006 WHL season.
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râThis is another opportunity to continue what the coaching staff is doing to achieve our ultimate goal to win a Memorial Cup,â? mentions Becanic. âWith Kevin assuming the Director of Hockey Operations role with the organization I will be able to share the load with Kevin and help him with some of the Head Coach responsibilities.â?
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râWith John having eight years of head coaching experience at the junior level we just felt that he should have the appropriate job title that relates with his experience level,â? states Silvertips Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coach Kevin Constantine. âIn addition with my new responsibilities with the Silvertips organization, we will be asking more of our assistant coaches. Both John Becanic and Jay Varady are experienced and capable coaches who will be sharing some of the coaching responsibilities with our hockey club.â?
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rJohn came to Everett from Pittsburgh where he worked as the Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations of the Pittsburgh Forge Junior âAâ? team of the North American Hockey League. As head coach, John led the Forge to a regular season finish of 43-9-4 and went on to win the USA Junior âAâ? National Championship in 2002-2003 where John was named Coach of the Year.
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rIn 2001-2002, the Pittsburgh Forge’s expansion year, Becanic was the assistant coach and helped the Forge become the first USA Junior âAâ? expansion team to reach the National Championship of the NAHL.
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rPrior to working with the Forge in Pittsburgh, John spent five seasons as the Head Coach/Director of Operations with the Bismarck Bobcats Junior âAâ? team in the America West Hockey League. John compiled a 121-93-22 record with the Bobcats and led them to 3 Semi Final Appearances From 1992-1994, John was the Assistant Coach of the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. In 1993 they won the Memorial Cup.
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rWHEAT KINGS COACHING STAFF INTACT
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rBrandon, Manitoba – With the start of training camp less than a month away, the Western Hockey League’s Wheat Kings have announced that the three coaches that led Brandon to its third Eastern Division pennant in four years as well as the Eastern Conference Championship title will remain behind the bench for the 2005-2006 campaign.
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rThe WHL club has confirmed that General Manager and owner Kelly McCrimmon will stay on as head coach while Brad Wells and Dwayne Gylywoychuk will return to the Wheat Kings as his two assistants.
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rA former WHL and Canadian Hockey League Executive of the Year, McCrimmon took over as coach of the club in March 2004 and promptly led the Wheat Kings to a first round playoff upset of the Prince Albert Raiders. This past season, he led Brandon to an impressive 45-21-5-1 regular season record and a berth into the league Championship Final for the first time in seven seasons.
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rMcCrimmon arrived in Brandon in 1988 from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League where he had served as both coach and general manager of the Lloydminster Blazers and North Battleford North Stars. After taking over a franchise that had been mired near the bottom of the WHL standings for most of the eighties, the Wheat Kings have been one of the Canadian Hockey League’s most successful franchises since. From an eleven win season in 1991-92, the Wheat Kings have qualified for post season play in eleven of the last twelve years, winning six Eastern Division pennants, one WHL Championship and earning two trips to the Memorial Cup during that time. In the process they have won more games in the last 13 seasons than any team in Major Junior Hockey.
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rA former bench boss with the Manitoba Junior Hockey league’s Neepawa Natives, Wells will be entering his sixth season as a member of the Brandon coaching staff while Gylywoychuk returns for his third season as an assistant and fourth within the organization.
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rMcCrimmon is also pleased to announce that Rob Stouffer will return for his sixth season as the club’s athletic trainer. A graduate of Brandon University as well as the athletic therapy program at Calgary’s Mount Royal College, Stouffer served as head trainer for the Brandon University hockey Bobcats for four seasons before joining the Wheaties in August 2000.
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