Calgary Flames appoint former player Martin Gelinas as new assistant coach -NHL Update
Calgary Flames brought back a former Flame, but this time in a position behind the bench as the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise announced Martin Gelinas joining them as their new assistant coach for the upcoming 2012-2013 regular season.
Gelinas spent most of his hockey career, which consists of 19 seasons, in Canada and two with the Calgary Flames, something the veteran is definitely excited about.
"I'm happy to be back with the team and the city that I know so well," Gelinas said. "I have so many fond memories of my time as a player in Calgary, and my family and I have made it our home ever since. I look forward to contributing to Calgary's success
and being part of a winning team."
For Gelinas, this was a unique move as he did not expect to be called by the Flames organisation and be offered a job. It was all of a sudden for him since he was not looking for any such position during the offseason.
Calgary’s new head coach, Bob Hartley, is believed to have been the initiator for the hiring and he made the announcement on Thursday, June 14, 2012.
"We are excited to add Marty to our coaching staff," Hartley said. "As a player, he was known for his incredible fitness and conditioning as well as an unparalleled work ethic. We know that he will bring the same enthusiasm and commitment as a coach combined
with his experience from his former position in player development with Nashville.”
Gelinas was picked up as the seventh overall player during round-one of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, who shipped him off to Edmonton Oilers later on.
The Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada native, definitely had a colourful career as a player in the NHL with 1,273 games played and 660 points (309 goals, 351 assists) in that timeframe.
His last gig in the NHL was with the Nashville Predators, which for him, was a time that he learned a lot of the coaching aspect of the game and hopes now to utilise that knowledge for the better of Calgary Flames.
Tags: