Farrish accepts position with Anaheim

August 9, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Pensacola Ice Pilots News Release


Pensacola, Fla. - The 2004-2005 Brabham Cup Champion Pensacola Ice Pilots announced today that Ice Pilots Head Coach and Vice President of Hockey Operations Dave Farrish has announced his resignation to accept an assistant coaching position with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the National Hockey League.

Farrish coached the Ice Pilots last year to the team's best regular season record in franchise history 51-16-5 for 107 points winning the Brabham Cup, which goes out to the team with the best regular season record in the ECHL. The Ice Pilots also set team records for most wins during the regular season (51), winning percentage (.743), home wins (26), road wins (25), points (107), longest winning streak (12), longest home winning streak (9) and tied for the longest road winning streak with 6. He also represented the Ice Pilots as a coach for the Southern Conference in the 2005 ECHL All-Star game played in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Farrish coached Louisiana in the ECHL for four seasons from 2000-2004 and was named ECHL Coach of the Year following the 2001-2002 season. He has an all-time record of 520-402-105 in 14 seasons as a professional coach including six seasons in the American Hockey League with Springfield and Moncton and two seasons in the International Hockey League with Salt-Lake and Fort Wayne.

Farrish, whose teams have qualified for the postseason in 11 out of his 14 seasons, also served as an assistant coach with New Jersey of the National Hockey League in 1992-93. Selected by the New York Rangers in the second round (24th overall) in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft and in the first round (fifth overall) by the San Diego Marineers in the 1976 World Hockey Association Draft, Farrish played 14 professional season from 1876-89.

As a defenseman, Farrish played 430 games in the NHL over seven seasons including as a member of the New York Rangers team that advanced to the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals. He is a native of Wingham, Ontario.

"We are very excited that Dave gets the opportunity to work in the National Hockey League. We appreciate the job that he did for us last year," said Ice Pilots Owner Tim Kerr.

"This is a great opportunity to get back to the NHL level and to work with the premier athletes in the game," said Farrish. "It is tough to leave Pensacola with the great ownership and fans as I have the utmost respect for Tim Kerr and the Ice Pilots organization. Our goal in the coaching profession is to reach the NHL and I am excited about the opportunity."

The search for a new head coach has already begun. Frank Milne and Tim Kerr are actively pursuing and interviewing candidates immediately. Dave Farrish will be back in Pensacola on Friday to answer questions from the media.

The Ice Pilots will begin their tenth anniversary season wearing their new colors and logo at home on Saturday, October 22 vs. Mississippi at 7:05 p.m.

Season tickets for the Ice Pilots 2005-2006 season are on sale. Prices for all 36 home games for floor and glass seats are $678.96, side seats are $489.60, goal seats and lower upper seats are $443.52 and upper seats cost $356.40. Partial season ticket plans are also available for as low as $85.84. Fans can call the Ice Pilots office at 432-7825 for season ticket and corporate sponsorship information.



ECHL Stories from August 9, 2005


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