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nivek_wahs
05-30-2007, 09:17 AM
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=15da1ff1-b3d9-4561-93f0-59506b491247


Parker OK with Hunt's choice

Rob Vanstone, Leader-Post
Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Curtis Hunt has a good gig. He will be paid in full for an entire month that he isn't even coaching the Regina Pats.

That is fine with Pats general manager Brent Parker, who welcomed Tuesday's announcement that Hunt had been named an assistant coach with Canada's world junior team for the second consecutive year. Those responsibilities will force Hunt to be on leave from his WHL team during the selection camp and the world junior tournament.

"He's coming back a better coach,'' Parker said Tuesday. "It's good for us and good profile for the organization and good for Curtis. We're more than happy to support him.''

Hunt and Clement Jodoin were the assistants to head coach Craig Hartsburg when Canada won its third consecutive world junior title in January. All three world junior coaches are returning for the first time in the 26-year history of Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence.

"It speaks volumes about what Curtis did inside the program last year,'' Parker said. "He spoke extremely highly of the people he worked with. As a group, they've been very successful. Hockey Canada looked at that, I'm sure, and said, 'Why mess with a good thing?' ''

Hartsburg, the head coach of the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, was an assistant coach with Brent Sutter when Canada won its second successive gold medal in 2006.

The 2008 world juniors are to be held from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in in Pardubice and Liberec, Czech Republic.

"I consider the world junior championship to be one of the greatest hockey events there is, so it is a great honour to be part of it once again," Hartsburg said in a prepared statement.

"With that honour comes great responsibility, and I am looking forward to the challenge ahead, as well as the opportunity to work with Curtis and Clement once again."

Hunt -- who could not be reached for comment Tuesday -- has completed three seasons as the Pats' head coach. He was previously the Moose Jaw Warriors' bench boss. Jodoin led the Lewiston Manieiacs to the QMJHL crown this season, after which he was named CHL coach-of-the-year.

Although Jodoin is back in the world junior fold, he will not be returning to his major-junior team next season. He informed the Maneiacs on Monday that he was stepping down for family reasons.

n Parker may eventually cite family reasons as a reason for his departure as the Pats' GM. However, such a move will not be made this year.

Parker confirmed Tuesday that he will return for a 13th season as the GM. Following each of the last two seasons, he has pondered whether to return, given the amount of time that the job takes away from his family.

"You have to weigh things,'' Parker said. "In the not-too-distant future, it will be time.''

Parker considered stepping down more seriously after the 2005-06 season. That said, returning for a 13th year was not a lock when the 2006-07 campaign concluded.

"I still enjoy it, and I still enjoy working with the kids,'' Parker said. "Some things are taxing and draining, but that's life and that's any job.

"I didn't wake up one morning and say, 'Yup, I'm coming back.' I've just been doing what I've always been doing and making the transition into next season.''

The 2006-07 Pats advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 1998 before losing to the Medicine Hat Tigers -- the eventual WHL champion and Memorial Cup runner-up -- in an Eastern Conference semifinal.

"I like the personnel we have here and the coaching staff,'' Parker said. "I look forward to the possibilities that lie ahead.''




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007