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Former NHL player Pascal Rhéaume was named head coach of the Toronto Sceptres on Wednesday, the second member of his family to join the PWHL this spring.
His older sister, Manon Rhéaume, is general manager of the Detroit expansion team.
In Toronto, Rhéaume replaces Troy Ryan, who left the Sceptres after their first three seasons to take over as coach and GM of the PWHL’s expansion team in San Jose.
Rhéaume won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2003 during his nine-year NHL career split among six teams.
The 52-year-old from Quebec City has spent the past 14 years in coaching, including the last two as an assistant with the New York Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate in Bridgeport, Conn. He had one stint as head coach, spending two seasons overseeing Val-d’Or of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
“Pascal brings a fresh perspective, a new voice, and valuable professional experience to our organization,” Sceptres GM Gina Kingsbury said. “We believe Pascal’s leadership, experience, and approach to player development will have a tremendous impact on our group.”
The Sceptres finished fifth last season, missing the playoffs for the first time in their three-year history. The team is in transition, as are all eight of the PWHL’s existing franchises, during the league’s latest expansion phase, which involves four new markets.
Toronto lost two of its top three leading scorers, with Daryl Watts and Jesse Compher joining Detroit in the expansion signing process.
Rhéaume also won an AHL Calder Cup in 1995 with Albany. He finished his NHL career with 39 goals and 91 points in 318 games that included stops in St. Louis, Atlanta, Chicago, the New York Rangers and Phoenix.
He becomes the second former NHLer to coach in the PWHL, joining Minnesota’s two-time Walter Cup winner Ken Klee. With PWHL expansion Las Vegas preparing to hire Kim Weiss as its first coach, the league has one remaining opening in Vancouver after Brian Idalski was fired following one season.
CBC Sports insider Karissa Donkin sets the scene for the Walter Cup final in Montreal and gives her insight on the PWHL expansion decisions.
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