Sports stats

AHL Syracuse Crunch

Gary Agnew and Ross Yates Return for Sixth Season with Syracuse

August 11, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Syracuse, NY (August 11, 2005) - The Syracuse Crunch announced today that the Columbus Blue Jackets have signed head coach Gary Agnew and assistant coach Ross Yates to one year contracts. Both Agnew and Yates will be returning for their sixth season behind the Crunch's bench.

Agnew, 45, guided the Crunch to their first-ever division and regular season conference championships in 2001-02, setting franchise marks in wins (39) and points (96). His .526 career winning percentage is tops in club history.

Prior to joining the Crunch, Agnew spent 10 seasons as a head coach in the Ontario Hockey League, the last three with the London Knights. Born in Niagara Falls, Ontario and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Agnew began his coaching career with the London Knights in 1990-91 before moving to the Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) in 1994-95. Agnew returned to the Knights for the 1997-98 season and coached them to a Western Division Title.

In 664 OHL games, Agnew posted a 329-282-53 record. Agnew was named OHL Coach of the Year and First Team All-Star Coach in both 1992-93 and 1997-98 seasons. Before coaching, Agnew played for the University of New Brunswick (CIAU), Fredericton Express (AHL) and Milwaukee Admirals (IHL). He has a Masters' Degree in Coaching from the University of Western Ontario.

Agnew is the third head Coach in Crunch history (Stan Smyl, 1999-00 and Jack McIlhargey, 1994-95 - 1998-99).

Yates, 45, began his playing career at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, where he was an All-Canadian selection in 1980. He signed a free agent contract with Hartford in 1981 and went on to spend four years with the Whalers' AHL affiliate in Binghamton, NY. His finest season came in 1982-83 when he tallied 41 goals, 84 assists for 125 points and was named the AHL Most Valuable Player and The Hockey News Minor League Player of the Year. He earned AHL All-Star honors the next year (1983-1984) and made his NHL debut with Hartford late in the season, collecting two points (1g, 1a) in seven games. He was selected to the Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame during the 2002-03 season.

Before joining the Crunch prior to the 2000-01 season, Yates spent more than a decade as a player and coach in Europe. Most recently he served as the head coach of Hamburg, a member of the German Bundesliga League. Yates has held four other head coaching positions in Europe in the 1990's, including stints in the German, Italian and Swiss Elite Leagues.

A native of Montreal, PQ, Yates signed with Manheim of the German Elite League in 1984. Over the next eight years, he suited up for four different teams in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In 1986, he also made a brief North American stop in Rochester (AHL), playing 22 games, recording four goals and eight assists.

Season tickets for the 2005-06 season are now on sale and can be purchased by calling the Crunch office at (315) 473- 4444 or by stopping by the Crunch office in the War Memorial at Oncenter.

Check out the Syracuse Crunch Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from August 11, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Syracuse Crunch Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central