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Coyotes’ new coach sees a fresh start for the team

BY JOE MCHUGH Peoria Times Staff Writer

After a season in which the Arizona Coyotes barely missed the playoffs, they will start a new era with their recently hired leader, gold medal-winning coach Andre Tourigny.

“I want the players to see this as a fresh start,” Tourigny said. “I don’t want to hold them accountable for what happened in the past. I think sometimes in life, when you get a fresh start and get to prove yourself, you control your destiny.”

The Arizona Coyotes hired Tourigny as their head coach for a three-year contract. This follows the team’s 24-26-6 record, landing them fifth in the West Division.

“It is an honor to be named as the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes,” Tourigny said. “I would like to thank Mr. (Alex) Meruelo, Bill Armstrong and Xavier Gutierrez for providing me with this incredible opportunity. I am looking forward to working with this group and our players to build a winning culture here in the desert for our loyal and passionate fanbase.”

Tourigny joins the Coyotes after spending time with Hockey Canada’s coaching staff as an assistant coach at the 2021 IIHF World Championship in Riga, Latvia. He was on a one-year loan to Hockey Canada from Ottawa 67’s. He inked a one-year deal in March with Hockey Canada.

Overall, Tourigny has been to four international events, making him the first full-time Hockey Canada coach since 2005. But his success continued, with another gold medal victory for Canada. This time for the Men’s Under-18 Team, where it captured gold in 2018 with him as the head coach. The winning continued with his 130-52-16 record as the head coach of the Ottawa 67’s. The journeyman coach has helmed a number of Canadian teams, including the Ottawa 67’s, Halifax Mooseheads and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. As for the NHL, he worked with the Colorado Avalanche and the Ottawa Senators but now finds his home in Arizona. The Arizona Coyotes hired Andre Tourigny to a threeyear contract as their head coach. (Photo courtesy the “I would also like to thank everyone at Hockey CanaArizona Coyotes) da and the Ottawa 67’s for all their support the past few years,” Tourigny said. “It was an honor and a privilege to coach Team Canada, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to represent my country. The 67’s are a first-class organization, and I wish them all the best in the future.”

The Coyotes searched for a coach after Rick Tocchet and the team mutually parted ways. In his time with the organization, Tocchet held a record of 125131-34 and led the team to the playoffs once. In that playoff run, they were defeated by the Colorado Avalanche, with the final game of their season resulting in a 7-1 loss.

They found their guy in Tourigny, and Armstrong was excited to announce the news.

“I feel very fortunate in this process to land a coach such as (Tourigny),” Armstrong said. “Probably the best thing about him is his ability to teach and bring young talent to the forefront. We’re excited about him leading this franchise into the new era.”

Moving forward, Tourigny has work to do. After the Coyotes violated the NHL’s combine testing policy, they lost their first-round pick this year and traded their second-highest pick to the Ottawa Senators for Derek Stepan.

With two of their top picks down, Tourigny’s talent of bringing new players up will be tested right away. But with a new coach comes a new mentality, and the Coyotes could be up and running very soon.

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EVEN EXCHANGE

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Each numbered row contains two clues and two answers. The two answers differ from each other by only one letter, which has already been inserted. For example, if you exchange the A from MASTER for an I, you get MISTER. Do not change the order of the letters.