The Fort McMurray Oil Barons are certainly going for the shock factor this week. Two days after firing Head Coach and General Manager Bob Beatty, the club announced the hiring of former bench boss Gord Thibodeau Thursday morning.
“I’m very excited to be back in Fort McMurray and with the Oil Barons,” said Thibodeau. “It’s a great organization with great people. It’s also a place where I’ve spent most of my coaching career and had some great years. I’m looking forward to coming in, mentoring our younger coaches, and helping this organization achieve long-term success.”
“Gord’s familiarity with our organization and understanding of recruiting and coaching players in Fort McMurray made him a great candidate,” said Oil Barons President David Fitzgerald.
Thibodeau had many successful seasons with the MOB, coaching the team to five AJHL finals during his 11 years behind the bench from 2003-2014. The MOB won an AJHL Championship with Thibodeau in 2006.
After Thibodeau was let go by the MOB after the 2013-14 season, he joined the Lloydminster Bobcats for two seasons before heading to Whitecourt for parts of three seasons. Thibodeau’s first two years with the Wolverines saw his club upset the Oil Barons in back to back playoff series and once again reaching the AJHL final in 2017. In February of last season, Thibodeau decided to step away from hockey, citing ‘hockey burnout’ as the reason he parted ways with the Wolverines.
“After 25 years of coaching, I have reached the inevitable point of hockey burnout. Moving forward I will take some time to rest, recharge and re-evaluate my future within the game of hockey,” said Thibodeau in the Wolverines press release.
After nearly a full year away from the game, the veteran coach whose AJHL coaching career began way back in 1994 with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders is ready to hit the ground running with a MOB team that finds itself in 7th place in the North Division with a 15-27-2 record.
“Coming back to hockey, the Oil Barons are really the only organization I considered coming back to,” said Thibodeau who had a record of 411-194-63 with the MOB during his 11 seasons. “After spending some time away from the game over the past year, I’ve gained more perspective. Coaching today’s athlete is different. Today, coaching is about empowering players and having them buy in to a common goal. I look forward to coaching the young-athletes on this team.”
Thibodeau has coached over 1,700 games in the AJHL and is the winningest coach in AJHL history. He broke the record of 833 career wins in February of 2017 and it just so happened to occur at the Casman Centre with him coaching the Whitecourt Wolverines.
“Gord’s recent time away from coaching has also allowed him to recharge, spend time with family, and focus on his personal development as a coach. He brings a tremendous amount of organizational knowledge and will be a great mentor to our younger coaches.” said Fitzgerald.
Mike Brodeur and Justin Rose will stay on as Thibodeau’s Assistant Coaches. Rose is a former player of Thibodeau’s having played for him from 2009-2012 with the MOB.
Thibodeau will make his return to the MOB bench Friday night when the Oil Barons welcome the Okotoks Oilers to the Casman Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
