Everett, WA – Everett Silvertips Vice President / General Manager Doug Soetaert introduced Craig Hartsburg as the club’s new Head Coach at a press conference Tuesday afternoon at Comcast Arena.
Hartsburg, 49, is a veteran of the National Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League coaching ranks, having coached 491 games through seven seasons as Head Coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Ottawa Senators. In his first season as an NHL Head Coach in 1995-96, he piloted a Blackhawks team that swept the Calgary Flames four games to zero in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs before falling in six games to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche.
Having coached both of Team Canada’s gold-medal winning teams at the 2007 and 2008 IIHF World Junior Championships, Hartsburg has developed a consistent coaching record in the Major Junior ranks, having won three divisional titles in his six years behind the bench of the Guelph Storm and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. After leading the Storm to the Ontario Hockey League Finals in his first year as a Head Coach in 1994-95, he returned to the OHL as Head Coach of the Greyhounds in 2001-02, inheriting a team that had finished with a 23-38-4-3 the previous season and guiding them to the playoffs in 2002 with a record of 38-20-10-0. Following two seasons as an Assistant Coach with the Philadelphia Flyers, Hartsburg returned to Sault Ste. Marie and led the Greyhounds to divisional titles in 2004-05 and 2007-08. Through six seasons and 397 games as a coach in the OHL, he compiled a record of 226 wins and 125 losses along with 23 overtime losses and 23 ties.
Following his selection sixth overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, Hartsburg played in 570 games with the Minnesota North Stars from 1979-89, collecting 98 goals and 315 assists for 413 points and representing the Campbell Conference in the 1980, 1982 and 1983 All-Star Games.
“I’m very excited about the challenge,” Hartsburg said. “Obviously the Silvertips have been a great franchise, and my wife and I are looking forward to moving west. It will be a great opportunity to work with Doug Soetaert and the rest of the staff.”
Through six seasons in the Western Hockey League, the Everett Silvertips have compiled a record of 228-163-10-14-17 (W-L-OTL-SOL-T) for a .583 winning percentage. The Silvertips play out of the $71.5 million dollar, 8,300-seat Comcast Arena, inaugurated in 2003-04 by an Everett run to the 2004 WHL Finals.
“I was looking for someone with experience and someone who would be able to take control of the team and guide it to success, and I think we’ve come up with the right man for the job,” Soetaert said. “I’m very excited to be working with Craig and want to welcome him and Peggy to the organization. We all look forward to working with such a solid individual with extensive coaching experience.” |
