Gorillas announce Brian Pellerin leaving for Western Hockey League
July 29, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release
AMARILLO, TX â The Amarillo Gorillas of the Central Hockey League announced today that Assistant Brian Pellerin is leaving the organization to become an Assistant Coach with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League.
The announcement was made at a press conference at the Gorillas Hockey Offices on Thursday afternoon in front of staff, fans, media and members of the local ownership group.
"My experience in Amarillo has been wonderful," said Pellerin. "I have been fortunate to work with Joe and learn from him everyday. This was not an easy decision to make, but in the end Christy and I decided that this was an opportunity we couldn't pass up.
"I want to thank all of the Gorillas fans, especially our Corporate Partners, owners and most importantly the great staff in the Gorillas office for their support and friendship."
Pellerin, a native of Hinton, Alberta, arrived in Amarillo in the final year of the Amarillo Rattlers organization as a player/assistant along with Head Coach Joe Ferras. Pellerin took the same role with the Amarillo Gorillas for one season before retiring to become the team's Assistant Coach.
In two seasons, Ferras and Pellerin have turned around Amarillo Professional Hockey into not just a winning organization on the ice but off the ice as well. The Gorillas have been only one of three teams within the Central Hockey League to qualify for the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and last year advanced to the Southern Conference Championship Series.
"On behalf of the Central Hockey League we are very pleased for Brian on the appointment for his new position in the Western Hockey League," said Central Hockey League President Brad Treliving. "The entire staff at the Central Hockey League is very proud of all Brian's accomplishments and his dedication in helping to establish the Amarillo Gorillas as an elite organization within the CHL. We want to wish Brian well in his new endeavor and look forward to continue to work with him in the future."
For Pellerin, it's an opportunity to return to the WHL where he enjoyed great success and helped in the development of future players.
"I am looking forward to being involved with young players that have so much potential. I want to try to help them be the best players they can be," Pellerin said about his new job in Portland. "I am very excited to be a part of a great organization. The Winter Hawks have quite a reputation. I am hoping to call on my experiences as a player in both pro hockey and junior hockey to help me relate to what today's young players are going through. I can't wait to get started."
Pellerin, 34, is no stranger to the Western Hockey League after playing four seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders where in 243 regular season games he notched 71 goals and added 75 assists for 146 points and 727 penalty minutes.
Following his brilliant junior career, Pellerin signed a three-year free-agent contract with the St. Louis Blues in 1991 and played for three seasons with their top affiliate in Peoria, Illinois of the former International Hockey League. Pellerin has also spent time with Houston and Chicago before heading over to Europe to play with the Bracknell Bees of the British Super League where he was a teammate of Head Coach Joe Ferras.
After two seasons in England, Pellerin returned to North America where he played in the former Western Professional Hockey League with the Arkansas Glacier Cats and the New Mexico Scorpions before moving on to Amarillo.
In 732 professional games, Pellerin had 135 goals, 222 assists for 357 points and over 2,000 penalty minutes.
" It's a sad day and a happy day all at the same time," said Gorilla's Head Coach Joe Ferras. "Brian and I have accomplished so much together in Amarillo and went through so many highs and lows as we both jumped into the coaching profession. Going from being teammates on the ice to becoming teammates behind the bench has been very rewarding and challenging for both of us."
The Portland Winter Hawks had a record of 34-29-6-3 for 77 points in the Western Hockey League's U.S. Division. The Winter Hawks have had a long and rich history in the WHL, including winning two Memorial Cup Canadian Major Junior Hockey Championships in 1982-83 with Cam Neely and again in 1997-98 with Ottawa Senators forward Marian Hossa, and Brendan Morrow of the Dallas Stars leading the charge. Head Coach Mike Williamson is excited to have Brian Pellerin join their staff in Portland.
"This will be the first time in franchise history that we are bringing a coach on board that hasn't played with our organization before," said Williamson. "Ken Hodge was our first coach and now he is the GM; Brent Peterson, Harold Snepsts and myself all played here at one time or another.
"I think Brian will bring a bunch of fresh ideas and help our hockey club get better and help me be a better coach."
"I know that Brian will have great success in his new coaching role. With his work ethic and knowledge of the game combined with his character as an individual the Winter Hawks are fortunate to have Brian as a member of their organization," said Ferras. "Personally, I will miss working with Brian on a daily basis, but it's the close friendship that we share that I will miss the most, and hopefully we will be working together in the near future."
The Amarillo Gorillas are gearing up for their third season in the Central Hockey league. The home opener is set for Friday, October 22 when they face the Odessa Jackalopes at 7 pm. Full and partial season tickets as well as Corporate Packages are currently available by either dropping by the Gorillas Hockey Office at 1934 Civic Circle or calling 242-7825.
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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.
