The Tampa Bay Lightning name two assistant coaches
In case you missed it with the Kovalchuk contract drama, two assistant coaches were named by the Lightning. Both of them are former assistants of Guy Boucher's when he coached in Hamilton (AHL) last season. According to the official team press release:
The Tampa Bay Lightning have appointed Daniel Lacroix (lah-CWAH) and Martin Raymond (RAY-moh, mahr-TEHN) to the position of assistant coach today, Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced. The pair served as assistant coaches under Lightning Head Coach Guy Boucher with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League last season, where they helped lead the team to 52 wins and 115 points, the second-best record in the AHL.
Lacroix, 41, brings three seasons of experience as an assistant in the NHL to Tampa Bay after serving in the role with the New York Islanders from 2006-09. He helped the Islanders to the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2006-07.
Prior to heading to Long Island, Lacroix spent four seasons as an assistant with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2002-06. During his tenure with Moncton he helped the team to the QMJHL final on two occasions, including an appearance in the 2006 Memorial Cup Tournament. Lacroix also served as the Wildcats’ interim head coach midway through the 2004-05 season.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Lacroix played in 188 regular season games in the NHL from 1993-00 with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and the Islanders. He amassed 11 goals and 18 points with 379 penalty minutes. He also played in 16 career Stanley Cup playoff games, recording one point.
Lacroix also played in 352 career AHL games, recording 101 goals and 213 points with Hamilton, the Binghamton Rangers, Providence Bruins and Rochester Americans. He also played in 124 International Hockey League games with the Denver Rangers, Flint Spirits and the Chicago Wolves, recording 15 goals and 42 points. He won the IHL’s Turner Cup with the Wolves in 2000.
Lacroix played his junior career with the Granby Bison, where he played in 182 games and recorded 78 goals and 193 points. He was drafted by the New York Rangers in the second round, 31st overall, in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft.
Raymond, 43, was also an assistant with Hamilton in 2009-10. Prior to joining the Bulldogs for one season he served as the head coach of the McGill University (Montreal) Redmen for 14 seasons. Most recently he led the Redmen to an 18-8-2 record and an OUA East Conference title as well as a berth in the CIS National Championship, their second year in a row in 2008-09. While at McGill, Raymond amassed a 293-192-35 record in 520 games, including 206-110-30 during the regular season. In 2008 he helped the Redmen bring home the Queen’s Cup league championship for the first time since 1946.
A native of Pierrefonds, Quebec, Raymond received numerous honors while behind the bench at McGill. He was given the Father George Kehoe Memorial Award as CIS coach of the year in men’s hockey in 2006 and was named the OUA Eastern Coach of the Year in 2000, 2005, 2006 and 2009.
Before beginning his coaching career Raymond played five seasons at McGill, registering 109 goals and 253 points in 154 career games. He garnered all-conference honors on three occasions and All-Canadian status in 1991-92, his final season. Raymond was also named McGill’s male athlete of the year and team MVP that season. He also won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 1991 Spengler Cup.
Raymond received a master’s degree in physical education in 1996 and is also a former teammate of Boucher’s, who played at McGill as well from 1991-95.
Boucher is expected to announce one more coach before the season starts.
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