Wintoneak of the Walleye
Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League has confirmed the hiring of veteran coach Larry Wintoneak as its new bench boss. He replaces Dwight Lee, who recently resigned 10 games into his first season with the Fighting Walleye.
“First I would like to thank the ownership group for giving me this great opportunity to be the head coach of this franchise,” Wintoneak said. “It is a first class organization and it has everything that a player or coach would want. Hockey is a great game and it is a privilege to be able to coach Junior A hockey.”
The 66 year old Wintoneak, who is a native of Thunder Bay, coached the minor pro Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks and Thunder Bay Thunder Cats as well as the Junior A Thunder Bay Flyers in the 1990s. Following his time in the Lakehead, Wintoneak moved on to become the head coach of the Dryden Ice Dogs, Flin Flon Bombers, La Ronge Ice Wolves, and Kindersley Klippers. As a coach, he has helped lead his teams to one Colonial Cup championship and two Centennial Cup appearances.
“I couldn’t be more excited about bringing Larry to our organization,” said Kam River general manager Kevin McCallum. “He will bring a brand of hockey that our fans deserve: hard working and high energy. Having known Larry for many years and having worked with him for two years in Dryden, I am confident that he will have a huge impact on this group of young players. We are excited to see him elevate this team to new heights.”
As a player, Wintoneak skated for the Thunder Bay Twins from 1986 to 1991, where he helped the Twins capture two Allan Cup national championships in the 1987-1988 and 1988-1989 seasons.
“It all started in Thunder Bay 30 years ago and now I’m back doing what I love to do,” Wintoneak continued. “We will take it one day at a time and I look forward to working with this group on and off the ice. Team first mentality, passion, and hard work is what our fans will see from here on in.”
Wintoneak will make his debut behind the Fighting Walleye bench this Friday at NorWest Arena.