Former North Bay Battalion coach/GM takes over in Erie
Stan Butler, the former coach and GM of the North Bay Battalion, is taking over as coach of the OHL's Erie Otters.
Butler, 66, coached the Battalion for 22 years, first in Brampton and again when they moved to North Bay in 2013.
He was let go from that position in 2019 and moved into a role as an adviser to owner Scott Abbott.
A social media post today from the Otters welcomed Butler as the team's new head coach.
According to a report from TSN, Butler-led teams made the Ontario Hockey League playoffs 18 times and he led his team to the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals twice.
The East York, Ont., native's 22-season with the Battalion organization is the longest single-team tenure in OHL history.
Butler is third all-time in OHL Games coached with 1,558 behind long-time Ottawa 67's head coach Brian Kilrea and North Bay Centennial's long-time coach Bert Templeton and four all-time with 747 wins behind Kilrea, Templeton, and London Knights coach Dale Hunter.
"Stan is one of the CHL's elite coaches, and we hope to create a bright future in which we can all share and celebrate in," Otters general manager Dave Brown said in a statement.
"Stan has a wealth of knowledge in terms of player development, in-game execution, and understanding of what it takes to get things done in terms of (winning) and advancing players to the pro level."
Butler became the third coach in Hockey Canada history to coach Team Canada in back-to-back years at the World Junior tournament, leading them to a bronze-medal performance in 2001 and a silver-medal performance in 2002. He most recently coached the Canadian under-18 national team to an eighth straight gold medal at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Tournament.
-- Files from TSN
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.