Rivermen Strike Deal, Keep Trudel in Peoria with Two-Year Pact
May 23, 2017 - 05:05 pm
Photo Credit: Bob Hunt/Peoria Rivermen
Rivermen Strike Deal, Keep Trudel in Peoria with Two-Year Pact
Sudbury native enters 5th season behind Rivermen bench
Peoria, IL – The Peoria Rivermen announced Tuesday that the team has agreed to terms with Jean-Guy Trudel on a two-year contract extension to keep Trudel behind the Rivermen bench through the 2018-19 season. The announcement comes after the 2-time SPHL Coach of the Year guided the Rivermen to their second straight appearance in the President’s Cup Finals.
Trudel, 41, was named the inaugural coach of the SPHL Rivermen when the franchise came to be in the spring of 2013, and over the past four seasons he has helmed the Rivermen to back-to-back regular-season titles (2014-15 and 15-16), and two straight finals berths (2016 & 2017). Last season, the Sudbury, Ontario native became the only coach in SPHL history to win the Coach of the Year award twice, doing so in back-to-back seasons.
“We’re thrilled to have coach Trudel back behind our bench again for the upcoming season and beyond,” said Rivermen co-owner Bart Rogers. “His passion for the sport of hockey and his commitment to the game at all levels in Peoria is second-to-none, and his desire to bring a championship to Peoria and create a winning atmosphere on and off the ice are among the many things that make us excited about the future of our franchise.”
Trudel will enter his fifth season behind the Rivermen bench ranked fourth all-time in franchise history with 147 wins, just six victories shy of IHL Rivermen bench boss Paul MacLean for third all-time, and 86 wins behind Jason Christie as the winningest coach in Peoria Rivermen history.
Trudel began his playing career with the ECHL Rivermen in the 1996-97 season, posting 54 points in 37 games. After a 1997-98 season in which he racked up 113 points in 62 games for Peoria, Trudel spent five seasons primarily in the AHL/IHL ranks, adding five NHL games with the Phoenix Coyotes and Minnesota Wild. The Sudbury, Ontario native returned from a four-year stint in Switzerland to play the 2007-08 season with the AHL Rivermen, notching 67 points in 78 games before returning overseas to finish his playing career.
Season tickets for the 2017-18 Rivermen season are currently on sale through the Rivermen office, located in the Peoria Civic Center next to the Toyota Box Office. Information about season, group, and individual game tickets is available over the phone at (309)-676-1040.
Full season tickets for Peoria's 36th season of professional hockey presented by Midwest Orthopaedic Center are on sale at the Rivermen office in the Peoria Civic Center, located at 201 S.W. Jefferson Street, or over the phone at (309) 676-1040. For the latest Rivermen news and notes, follow online at www.rivermen.net or through Facebook (www.facebook.com/PeoriaRivermen) - Twitter(https://twitter.com/Peoria_Rivermen)
