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Dale Hunter returns; London Knights feel more feared in OHL
There's a scary thought for 19 other Ontario Hockey League teams — the London Knights apparently believed they were a "weaker team" last season after Mark Hunter replaced Dale Hunter as head coach.
The timing was wrong for the elder Hunter to resume his duties with the Knights immediately after he ended what Puck Daddy calls his "unconventionally successful" run with the NHL's Washington Capitals. But with the slate now clean, it makes too much sense not to go back to the familiar arrangement. Hunter, as you heard, will again tend to the home fires this season as the Knights try to defend their league title. And yes, as Mark Hunter put it, they expect to be stronger this season.
From Ryan Pyette:
"It comes down to one thing — do other teams fear us more when we're together or when we're apart," Mark Hunter said. "We're a weaker team with me coaching. I've always respected what Dale's been able to do as a coach. He has the highest winning percentage in OHL history (.691) so that has to count for something.
"It's his team and I'm happy he's here again.
"With him back, I get to do the scouting and the recruiting and the draft, which everyone knows I enjoy and I think it makes us stronger, us together. (London Free Press)
It's not a great shock. The educated guess during the MasterCard Memorial Cup seemed to be it was just a matter of when the Knights would make the switch official. His advice from that time to fellow junior hockey maven Patrick Roy on coaching in the NHL ("It's fun coaching elite players. If you're ready to make the commitment, you should go") had some subtext hinting there's benefits to being in the CHL. There are the bus rides and the headaches of working with teenagers instead of more emotionally and physically mature athletes, but the coach has more autonomy, especially with pea-in-the-same-pod sibling as general manager and a co-owner.
So this was basically the arrangement all along. From John Matisz:
"We talked about it even before I left," said Dale, one of the winningest coaches in OHL history. "Mark did a great job, but we expected it to go back to this way." (Metro London)
The Knights were relatively young for a championship team, but they did have 11 players who were either 19-year-olds or overages. They will have several new faces, including a possible new goalie from overseas. Matisz's report mentioned the Knights are confident of adding 19-year-old Team USA candidate Alex Broadhurst, a skilled Chicago Blackhawks seventh-rounder who clearly doesn't need to go back to the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers. Few expected anything otherwise in April when the Knights spent a valuable second-round choice for a player who is likely to spend only a year in the league. The Knights tend to get their man, including the one they have back behind the bench.
So far, this is a quiet summer for coaching changes in the OHL. The Oshawa Generals have the only vacancy after hiring Jeff Twohey as their new general manager. Former Florida Panthers assistant coach Jim Hulton said Tuesday he has been told he will not be the Generals' new head coach.
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.
