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Kristi
06-05-2007, 08:31 AM
Former T-Bird returns as coach
NHL veteran Stevenson joining staff as assistant
By MATTHEW GASCHK
SPECIAL TO THE P-I

The Seattle Thunderbirds gained some invaluable insight from Turner Stevenson when he spent the entire 2004-05 campaign with the Western Hockey League club while he was waiting out the NHL lockout.

After displaying a great acumen for teaching young players during that stint, the now-retired NHL forward will be named assistant coach of the Thunderbirds on Tuesday, filling the void left by the departure of Blake Knox this offseason.

"This will be a good challenge," said Stevenson, a right wing who played four seasons for the T-Birds from 1988 to 1992. "I hope I can have the same impact I had two years ago. That was a good head start for me."

During the lockout, he practiced with the T-Birds, giving young players the unique opportunity to work out every day with a veteran NHL player.

"He didn't need to be there, but he didn't miss a day at all," T-Birds head coach Rob Sumner said. "With his work ethic on the ice, it really sent a message to our players, and it was a real telltale sign to the coaching staff that we might want to look at him when we needed an assistant."

One of the greatest differences for Stevenson from his routine with the T-Birds two years ago will be the off-ice duties, such as video work.

He also will be able to focus more on teaching the players.

"Last time I was here, I was still a player," Stevenson said. "I had to be ready for the lockout to end at any time, so I was focused on myself."

A 2003 Stanley Cup champion with the New Jersey Devils, Stevenson, 35, will take over the assistant position immediately, joining Sumner and assistant Jim McTaggart.

"That carries a lot of weight," Sumner said of Stevenson's Stanley Cup win. "All these guys are trying to get where he's been and where he's been successful. He's a great fit for us in this role."

Stevenson notched 100 goals and 103 assists in 246 WHL games and was a Memorial Cup all-star in 1992 before embarking on his professional career. A native of Prince George, B.C., he was a first-round pick (12th overall) of the Montreal Canadiens in 1990.

In 11 seasons in the NHL, Stevenson finished with 75 goals and 115 assists over 644 career games. He spent six years with the Canadiens before a successful stint with New Jersey. He played one season with the Philadelphia Flyers after the lockout year, but retired with hip problems in 2006.