Flames name Peters as replacement for Gulutzan
The Calgary Flames have named Bill Peters as the team’s head coach.
The 53-year-old from Three Hills, Alta., resigned as head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday after four seasons and a year remaining on his contract.
The Flames fired Glen Gulutzan and assistants Dave Cameron and Paul Gerrard last week after missing the playoffs with a 37-35-10 record.
In his NHL head coaching debut, Peters went 137-138-53 with the Hurricanes but wasn’t able to get the team into the playoffs.
Carolina was looking for a new general manager as Ron Francis was reassigned within the organ- ization, so Peters’ tenure there would have eventually been subject to the new GM’S approval.
Peters is Calgary general manager Brad Treliving’s second head-coaching hire after Gulutzan and the fourth coach of the Flames in nine years after Gulut- zan (2016-17) Bob Hartley (201216) and Brent Sutter (2009-12).
Calgary has finished outside the playoffs seven of the last nine years.
Peters was the head coach and Treliving one of general managers of the Canadian team that won gold at the 2016 men’s world hockey championship in Russia. Peters is coaching Canada again at the world championship May 4 to 20 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
After navigating the Spokane Chiefs to Western Hockey League and Memorial Cup championships in 2008, Peters spent three seasons coaching the AHL’S Rockford Icehogs and then joined the Detroit Red Wings coaching staff.
He was an assistant for Mike Babock in Detroit for three seasons before heading to Raleigh, N.C.