Whale Mourn the Passing of EJ McGuire
April 7, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release
HARTFORD, April 7, 2011: The National Hockey League today announced the loss of Edward John "EJ" McGuire, who passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 58.
McGuire, who was Vice-President of the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau at the time of his death, was the Hartford Wolf Pack's head coach for the first two seasons of the franchise's existence, 1997-98 and 1998-99. The Buffalo, NY native led the Wolf Pack to an 81-55-17-7 record over those two years, a .581 winning percentage, and a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals in the team's inaugural season.
"The National Hockey League was privileged to benefit from EJ's expertise and enthusiasm, both of which were limitless," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "EJ loved scouting games and loved the internal debates over the strengths and weaknesses of Entry Draft prospects. The way he ran Central Scouting made it vitally important to every one of our Clubs.
"The NHL family has suffered a tremendous loss," Commissioner Bettman added. "As we celebrate EJ's contributions and mourn his passing, we send our condolences - and our gratitude - to EJ's family and friends."
McGuire is survived by his wife, Terry, and their daughters, Jacqueline and Erin.
McGuire had been director of NHL Central Scouting since 2005. Prior to that, in addition to his two years with the Wolf Pack and extensive scouting stints, he served as an NHL assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators. McGuire also had head-coaching stints with the AHL's Maine Mariners and the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League.
Funeral arrangements will be announced once they are finalized.
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from April 7, 2011
- Newcomers Help Crunch Defeat Norfolk, 5-3 - Syracuse Crunch
- Crunch Power Past Admirals - Norfolk Admirals
- Whale Sign Forwards Andrew Yogan and Shayne Wiebe to ATOs - Connecticut Whale
- Bruins Sign Forward Carter Camper - Providence Bruins
- Monarchs Sign Toffoli to Tryout - Manchester Monarchs
- Wild Recalls McMillan, Ortmeyer from Aeros - Houston Aeros
- Nemisz and Bouma Return to Abbotsford - Abbotsford Heat
- Phantoms Make Roster Moves - Adirondack Phantoms
- Portland's Luke Adam Named American Hockey League's Outstanding Rookie - AHL
- Marlies Announce Roster Moves - Toronto Marlies
- Columbus Blue Jackets Assign Goaltender David Leneveu to Falcons - Springfield Falcons
- Canucks Re-Assign Yann Sauve & Chris Tanev to Moose - Manitoba Moose
- B-Sens Host "Jersey off Our Back" Promotion this Saturday - Binghamton Senators
- Whale Mourn the Passing of EJ McGuire - Connecticut Whale
- Bulldogs Playoff Tickets Go on Sale Monday - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Columbus Blue Jackets Assign Kubalik to Springfield Falcons - Springfield Falcons
- Rampage Fan Appreciation Night This Sunday - San Antonio Rampage
- Senators Recall Five Players from Binghamton - Binghamton Senators
- Amerks Sign Hedden, Luciani to Tryouts for Final Weekend - Rochester Americans
- Free Checkers Jersey - Charlotte Checkers
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.
