Hurricanes bid farewell to head coach Brent Kisio
After eight seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Head Coach Brent Kisio is moving on after accepting a new coaching job in the American Hockey League (AHL).
It's a big step in the right direction for his coaching career but he's leaving the ‘Canes organization with a heavy heart.
"My goal was to hopefully leave this place and leave the jersey in a better place and that's what I wanted to do and I hopefully achieved that," said Kisio during Thursday’s announcement at the ENMAX Centre.
Both Kisio and the ‘Cane's General Manager, Peter Anholt, say it's a tough goodbye for the organizations longest-tenured and winningest head coach.
"It's obviously bittersweet leaving Lethbridge, a place that my family has grown to know as home," said Kisio.
"We love it here and my family will stay here when go for my first year by myself, but this is home to us."
"He's a slam dunk for the Wall of Honour at some point," said Anholt.
"He came here to an organization that was floundering and he put a stamp on this team right off the bat."
Over the course of his career in Lethbridge, Kisio put up 267 wins in 484 games, ranking first in games coached and total victories in ‘Canes history and was the only coach to reach the 200-win plateau.
He's looking forward to bringing his talents to the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights, where he's accepted an assistant coaching position, and looks forward to learning some things along the way.
"I’m fortunate to be a part of another great organization that won a cup, getting to hang around NHL coaches and getting to hang around the AHL club and seeing those experiences and learning more and growing as a coach," he said.
Kisio says there were multiple highlights during his time Lethbridge.
Those include an overtime game seven playoff win against the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2017 and getting the opportunity to help Team Canada bring home gold as an assistant coach at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships.
However, working with the up-and-coming players on the ‘Canes is something he'll hold true for years to come.
"We have some great kids and you want to be a part of their development," said Kisio.
"You want to help them meet their goals, you want to see them play in the NHL one day and I'll really miss being a part of that process with them."
Kisio's impact on the team and the community won't soon be forgotten, having helped set the standard for ‘Canes hockey in Lethbridge for nearly a decade.
"There's always some non-negotiables that I think that Brent has really, really established here and so those non-negotiables will carry on with whoever's the head coach," Anholt told media earlier today.
"Leaving here and leaving the great people is always hard but in coaching you have to try and push yourself, you have to try to move up and this will be another step in my career," added Kisio.
The ‘Canes have yet to announce Kisio's replacement but with training camp beginning on Aug.31, fans can expect that news to come out in the coming weeks.
The Hurricanes' pre-season starts Sept.5 against the Medicine Hat Tigers and the home opener is set for Sept.22 versus the Swift Current Broncos.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Evacuation order issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods as wildfire nears
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
About 1,000 wildfires confirmed so far this year: Here's a quick look at the situation in Canada
Nearly 1,000 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year. Here's an overview of the situation in Canada.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Tavares scores in OT, rescues Canada from potential upset in 7-6 win over Austria
Captain John Tavares scored 15 seconds into overtime and saved his teammates some embarrassment as Canada held on for a 6-5 win over Austria on Tuesday at the world hockey championship.
BREAKING 'A remarkable time': After 8 years at Toronto Public Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa announces resignation
The doctor who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic as the city’s top public health official is stepping down.