The Chilliwack Bruins have given head coach Jim Hiller a new contract and promoted assistant coach Dan Price to associate coach. According to a release from the Bruins: “Both have signed multi-year deals with the club. The terms of which were not released.” . . . Chances are Hiller and Price were signed for two years each with a club option on a third season. . . . Hiller has completed two seasons as the Bruins’ head coach, meaning he is the only head coach the team has known. He left the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs to join the Bruins on May 30, 2006. . . . The Bruins have made the playoffs in both seasons of their existence, only to suffer first-round losses to the Vancouver Giants on both occasions. . . . Price signed with the Bruins on July 18, 2006. He had been a Calgary-based scout for the Regina Pats. . . .
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The news that Hiller had signed got me to thinking about the contract status of the WHL’s other head coaches. The information that follows is gleaned from my files, press releases and stories from other outlets.
BRANDON: Kelly McCrimmon is the head coach for as long as he wants. After all, while most owners coach to one degree or another, he is the only owner who does it from the bench.
CALGARY: Kelly Kisio signed a multi-year deal on Aug. 1, 2007. That generally means two years with a club option for a third season. That would mean Kisio has at least one more season on his deal.
CHILLIWACK: Jim Hiller has a new multi-year deal as of Friday.
EDMONTON: Steve Pleau signed a two-year deal with a club option for a third season on June 21, 2007.
EVERETT: John Becanic was promoted from associate coach to head coach on May 31, 2007. No contract terms were released. Bet on him having one season left on his deal.
KAMLOOPS: Greg Hawgood was named interim head coach on Nov. 8, 2007. He has one year left on his contract but isn’t expected to return as head coach. He is expected to be on the coaching staff, however. Once general manager Craig Bonner, who will be introduced Tuesday, takes office he will begin the search for a head coach. The line forms on the left.
KELOWNA: Ryan Huska just completed his first season as head coach. He signed a two-year contract with a club option for a third season on July 25, 2007.
KOOTENAY: Mark Holick just completed his first season as head coach. He signed a two-year contract with a club option for a third season on Aug. 7, 2007.
LETHBRIDGE: The Hurricanes’ board of directors picked up the 2008-09 option on Michael Dyck’s contract on Nov. 27. You can bet the board will be redoing his contract after these playoffs are done.
MEDICINE HAT: Willie Desjardins signed a three-year contract on June 8, 2004. That should have run out following the 2006-07 season. There has been no mention of a deal since then but he may have just completed the first season of another three-year deal.
MOOSE JAW: No terms were announced when Dave Hunchak was named head coach on June 14, 2007. It likely was a two-year deal with a club option on a third season.
PORTLAND: Rich Kromm was named head coach on Aug. 8, 2007. No details were announced. Again, it likely was a deal for two years with a club option on a third season.
PRINCE ALBERT: Bruno Campese, who just finished his first season as head coach, is signed as GM/head coach through 2009-10 with a club option for 2010-11.
PRINCE GEORGE: Drew Schoneck is signed through 2008-09.
RED DEER: Jesse Wallin was named head coach on March 24. No details were announced. He likely is signed for two seasons with a club option on a third season.
REGINA: Curtis Hunt signed a three-year deal on June 5, 2006, meaning he has one year left on it.
SASKATOON: Lorne Molleken signed a five-year deal as GM/head coach on May 21, 2004, so there is one year left on it.
SEATTLE: Rob Sumner was named head coach on May 6, 2004. Contract details have never been revealed.
SPOKANE: On March 6, Bill Peters signed a three-year deal taking him through 2010-11.
SWIFT CURRENT: In June 2007, Dean Chynoweth agreed to terms on a new deal – two years with a club option on a third year.
TRI-CITY: Don Nachbaur is believed to have one season (2008-09) left on his contract. There will be a new one in the works when these playoffs are over.
VANCOUVER: Don Hay signed a five-year contract on Aug. 23, 2007. At the time, Giants owner Ron Toigo said the deal made Hay the highest-paid coach in the WHL.
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One game on the playoff front Sunday, with the Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans working overtime, again, in Kennewick, Wash. Are the fans getting their money’s worth, or what? . . .
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In Kennewick on Sunday night, C Drew Hoff’s second goal of the playoffs at 4:17 of the second overtime period gave the Tri-City Americans a 1-0 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . This series has opened with two 1-0 double overtimers. The Chiefs won Friday’s opener on LW Ondrej Roman’s goal 49 seconds into the second overtime period. . . . Hoff, who had three goals in 67 games in his second season with the Chiefs, also scored once in Game 4 of Tri-City’s four-game first-round sweep of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . “When Drew Hoff scores, the Americans win,” noted Tri-City play-by-play voice Craig West, pointing out that the Americans are 5-0 when Hoff has scored this season. . . . Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Spokane on Monday and Tuesday nights, meaning the teams will have played the first four games in five nights. . . . Game 5 will be played in Kennewick on Saturday night. . . . Spokane G Chet Pickard stopped 45 shots in Game 2; he has allowed five goals on 193 shots over his last six games, a save percentage of .974. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski stopped 33 shots last night. . . . The Chiefs were 0-for-6 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-4. The Chiefs’ PP time included 1:30 of 5-on-3 and a PP in overtime. . . . In Game 1, Spokane was 0-for-9 and the Americans were 0-for-5. . . . Attendance at Game 2 was 4,687. . . . When Roman scored in Game 1, it ended Pickard’s shutout streak at 167 minutes 30 seconds. When Hoff scored in Game 2, it ended Tokarski’s shutout streak at 186:15. . . . Tokarski’s streak is the fifth-longest in WHL playoff history. The record belongs to Dustin Slade of the Vancouver Giants (199:17 in 2006). . . . In these playoffs, Tokarski has a 1.31 GAA and a .947 save percentage, while Pickard is 1.58 and .945. . . .
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The Eastern Conference final, featuring the Calgary Hitmen and Lethbridge Hurricanes, resumes with Games 3 and 4 in Lethbridge on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Hurricanes lead 2-0 after taking the first two games on the road.
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