The Prince George Cougars have hired former NHL head coach Jim Playfair as their new associate coach.
The 59-year-old native of Fort St. James continues an association with the Cougars that began last season when he was a guest coach.
“After last year ‘s experience being around the team and the ownership and the excitement of the playoffs it really energized me about getting back into the game,” said Playfair. “And certainly the opportunity in Prince George makes it more exciting being close to home.”
Playfair replaces Josh Dixon, who left the Cougars to accept a coaching position at the University of Guelph.
Playfair brings 15 years of experience as an NHL coach with Calgary, Arizona and Edmonton, having served as head coach of the Flames in 2006-07. The former NHL defenceman also worked in the AHL coaching in Saint John and Abbotsford after starting his coaching career in the ECHL in Dayton and the IHL in Michigan.
“Anytime you have an opportunity to work with a person like Jim, you take the opportunity,” said Cougars general manager and head coach Mark Lamb. “We are very honoured to have Jim join our group and his experience in hockey and coaching goes without saying. There could not be a better fit at this time.”
Playfair, a former WHL player with the Calgary Wranglers and Portland Winterhawks, played 21 NHL games for Edmonton and Chicago over his nine-year pro career. In 1990 he won a Turner Cup International Hockey League championships with the Indianapolis Ice.
As a player with the Winterhawks he won the WHL championship in 1982 and the Memorial Cup in 1983.
Playfair was drafted 20th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 1982.
He said he’s had discussions this summer with several NHL teams and another WHL team but decided the Cougars' job offer fit him bet.
“I just felt like Prince George is in a window of winning right now and I think they’ve got a window where you can add some parts and really makes some headway in Prince George the next couple of years and last year tied into that for me,” said Playfair.
