Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Don MacAdam joins CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks

Press Release

The CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks owner, Ken Petrie, wishes to announce that Jim Bottomley, General Manager of the Lumberjacks, has retained the services of Morell, PEI native Don MacAdam as Head Coach. He will have full responsibility for all coaching duties for the remainder of the season. The rest of the coaching staff, Ron Watkins, Matt Quinn, Doug Petrie & Brad McCharles are pleased to welcome MacAdam and look forward positively to the rest of the season.

Hockey has been MacAdam's life, and it is a career which has seen him coach and manage in three different continents in some of the world's best leagues.

After a playing career which included U.N.B. and various minor pro teams in the mid-70s, MacAdam's attention turned to life behind the bench. His first real success as a coach came when he returned to U.N.B. and coached the Reds to their first varsity title in twenty years, also winning the A.U.A.A. Coach of the Year award.

A professor of Physical education at the University, MacAdam assisted Jacques Demers when he was coach at the American Hockey League's Fredericton Express, and when Demers joined the Detroit Red Wings in 1986, he appointed MacAdam as an assistant coach, a position he held for three years, Detroit reaching the play-offs each time.

Following a stint with the Cape Breton Oilers in the Edmonton organization as head coach where he worked closely with Glen Sather, MacAdam's travels took him to his home province where he coached the P.E.I. Senators from 1992-1994, and then to Milwaukee, where as associate coach he helped the Admirals to an International Hockey League division championship.

In the late 90s MacAdam was a consultant with the Canadian team, and had national coaching duties during both the Bauer Cup and the World Championships. He has coached in Japan, leading the Nippon Paper Cranes to a national title, and from 1999-2004 he coached the Charlotte Checkers in the East Coast Hockey League. In 2004 he changed direction once again in his career, where he became the coach, general manager, and owner of the Dayton Bombers.

An owner of a Stanley Cup ring from his days in Detroit, a noted author with numerous hockey instruction book titles to his credit, MacAdam was named to the PEI Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

MacAdam was the Head Coach of the Lewiston Maniacs in 2008-09 and has relocated to Halifax where he is establishing a business as a player agent.

MacAdam held his first practice on Monday and held meetings with the players.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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