Barrie Colts welcome back a familiar face as head coach
Marty Williamson is back as the head coach and general manager of the Barrie Colts, the organization announced Tuesday.
Williamson spent six years leading the Barrie team before heading to Niagara to head up the Ice Dogs.
"My family and I are extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to be back in Barrie," Williamson said.
Colts President Howie Campbell said the move was bittersweet after the death of the league's longest-serving head coach Dale Hawerchuk.
"It's not easy to replace Dale Hawerchuk. Since his passing some 18 months ago, there is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him and his love for the game," Campbell said in a release.
- 'He will be missed,' Barrie Colts create memorial to honour Hawerchuk
- Dale Hawerchuk dies at 57 following cancer battle
Campbell noted Williamson's dedication to the Barrie team.
"When Dale fell ill, Marty stepped up in an advisory role and helped us make many trades that have benefitted the club now and in the future. We have more draft picks than we have had in years, and we have a great stable of both veteran and young players to build upon in the future," the organization's president added.
Throughout his 12 years coaching in the OHL, Williamson has never missed the playoffs. He led the Colts to six playoff appearances, two conference championship series appearances, taking home the 2009-2010 season conference championship title.
The team will also have a new assistant coach.
Chris Dennis will join Williamson behind the bench this season. Dennis spent three years with the Vegas Golden Knights organization and as an assistant coach with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
He began his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005 as the video coach before being named assistant coach for the club from 2013 to 2015.
The Barrie Colts are scheduled to face off against the Niagara Ice Dogs on Oct. 7 in the home opener after a 19-month hiatus - if all goes according to plan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.