Timmins Rock coach search
It stands out as an attractive job in one of the bigger Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League markets that is also the attendance leader in the 12-member loop.
Timmins Rock is again on a coach search to replace NOJHL icon Paul Gagne, who retired following the 2016-2017 season after 19 years as a bench boss (and general manager) in the league.
While Kevin Peever has taken over half of Gagne’s duties as general manager of the Rock, the head coach position is once again vacant. Timmins did hire former Ontario Jr. Hockey League assistant Ryan Woodward as its new head coach a few weeks back only to recently part ways with him.
Woodward was abruptly let go for what Timmins president Ted Gooch stressed were “not hockey related issues.”
Gooch, meanwhile, is taking resumes for the Rock coaching gig while also revisiting previous applications with Peever.
Who ever gets the Timmins job stands to inherit a fairly-deep roster of players who helped the Rock to a solid third-place finish in the East Division of the NOJHL in 2016-2017 with a 36-16-4 record. Timmins then upended second-place Cochrane Crunch in its first round of the playoffs before losing to the eventual champion Powassan Voodoos in the East Division finals.
Players eligible to return to Timmins for the 2017-2018 campaign include forwards Cole Gilligan, Wayne Mathieu, Stewart Parnell, Jacob Shankar, Nicholas Hway, Alexandre Brisson and Bain Cunningham, defensemen Jared Hester, James Watier and Grant McClellan and goalie Jeff Veitch.
PHOTO: Iconic, now-retired coach Paul Gagne, formerly of the Timmins Rock. (Photo by Postmedia.)
Former Guelph Storm star and Detroit Red Wings pick Sylvain Cloutier would be a great pick. Mature, very experienced and a winner .
Seen Sylvain Cloutier this winter and he runs a good bench and team.
Where was he coaching?
If the Rock wants to come back to Iroquois Falls that would be great, We have enough depth in coaching talent here to fill the job.