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
Hackers release corporate data stolen from London Drugs
Retailer London Drugs says cybercriminals who stole files from its corporate head office last month have released some of the data after it refused to pay a ransom.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Approximately 50 Montreal-area students — the vast majority of them female — were suspended Wednesday after their school deemed the shorts they were wearing were too short. On Thursday, several students staged a walk-out to protest what they believe is a "sexist" dress code that unfairly targets girls.
McDavid scores in 2OT to lift Oilers over Stars in West Final opener
Connor McDavid tipped Evan Bouchard's shot from the boards past Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger 32 seconds into the second overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final..
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
What is 'slapped cheek disease' and should parents be concerned?
Despite its rough name, experts say most cases of 'slapped cheek disease' are mild and not a cause for concern.
American Airlines retreats after blaming a 9-year-old for not seeing a hidden camera in a lavatory
American Airlines has distanced itself from a court filing in which the carrier said a nine-year-old girl should have noticed there was a camera taped to the seat of an airplane lavatory.
Unknown Newfoundland soldier from the First World War heads back home from France after 100 years
Canadian soldiers and government officials arrived in northeastern France this week for a historic mission: returning an unknown Newfoundland soldier back home.
Calgary Philharmonic takes action following investigation into 'deeply troubling' comments by 2 musicians
The Calgary Philharmonic has confirmed its taking action after controversial online comments made by two members of the orchestra.