Memorial Cup champ to coach Mooseheads
Eric Veilleux named Halifax’s bench boss as team prepares to host CHL championship in 2019
Eric Veilleux will take over behind the Halifax Mooseheads bench.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) team announced on Thursday he will be the new head coach, replacing Jim Midgley who was let go a little more than a week ago.
“We looked at a lot of different resumes and a lot of different coaches but first of all you look at his resume as a player,” Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell said. “He played major junior and professional hockey, and he had skill and character so he understands both sides of the game, which is very important. He’s been a head coach in the AHL and (eight) years of major junior and he only had one losing season, made it to the final three times, won a Memorial Cup and was CHL coach of the year.
“There are lots of different things we liked about him and we also liked the fact that he’ll bring intensity and accountability to our team. He was also coach when Shawinigan hosted the Memorial Cup so he understands the year we’re ready to have; the process and all the obstacles that can come up along the way.”
Veilleux coached the Cataractes from 2006 to 2012, winning the Memorial Cup in his final year with a club that included Islanders Brandon Gormley and Morgan Ellis. Veilleux then spent two years with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, making it to the league final both years and winning CHL coach of the year in 2013-14.
Following that season, Veilleux jumped to pro hockey and spent the past two seasons as head coach of the San Antonio Rampage, the AHL affiliate for the Colorado Avalanche. They did not renew his contract at the end of the season.
“I had a few leads on pro hockey jobs and had some talks with those teams,” Veilleux said. “But pro teams usually take a little more time to make those decisions, sometimes not even until after the draft (in late June) . ... So, I was going into the unknown and I happened to get a call from Bobby Smith last week to see if the Mooseheads could be a possibility for me.
“He called me back on Monday and I’d had a chance to think about it and decided this could be a great opportunity. I’m not going to lie, obviously it’s Halifax, number one, and, also, they’re hosting the Memorial Cup next year. That made it easier to decide on shorter notice.”
Veilleux’s career record in the QMJHL is 347-208-45 and he is an intense presence on the bench who demands the same commitment from his players. He was the same way as a player as a gritty scoring centre in the QMJHL and later for eight years in the AHL and International Hockey League.
“That’s not going to change; I am who I am,” Veilleuix said. “There are different types of toughness but being aggressive and playing fast is something I’ve always preached and that is not going to change. Even at the pro level, I always had teams that worked extremely hard and major junior was the same thing. This is to be expected next season.”
Local fans who watched the Mooseheads win the 2013 President Cup may remember Veilleux’s Drakkar pushing them hard in the championship series. His team did not back down in what was a physical, edgy best-of-seven that ended with a Mooseheads win on home ice in Game 5.
“I thought we worked Halifax extremely hard that year,” Veilleux said. “Even though it ended in five games, I thought they were all close games and I do remember it as if it was yesterday. I remember going into Game 5 in Halifax and how loud the fans were and how supportive they have always been of their teams there. I even remember getting a few sips of a few drinks on my way to the bench before Game 5 on my head. Those guys are winners and they know their hockey. It’s going to be an exciting year, I believe.”
The impression Veilleux made during that series stuck with Russell and the Mooseheads.
“I hated when we had to coach against him but it was the same as playing against a player you hated to play against - you love having those guys on your team,” Russell said. “He’s a competitor, that’s for sure.”
Veilleux signed a three-year contract and will move to Halifax once his kids finish school in Texas.
“We’re not bringing a guy in for one year just for the Memorial Cup,” Russell said. “This is the guy we wanted to coach our team and we’re really happy to have him.”