On Tuesday afternoon, in what has to be seen as a move to push for the playoffs, the Kamloops Blazers announced they have hired Blazer co-owner and alumnus Darryl Sydor as an assistant coach.
Sydor could be seen around the team this year often helping out at practices and taking in games from the press box.
“We’ve been fortunate to have Darryl join our coaching staff on the ice for practices at different times throughout the season and excited that he will now be able to join Serge and Dan on a regular basis for the remainder of the season,” said General Manager Matt Bardsley in a press release. “His playing and coaching experience, along with his familiarity with our team, will be another great resource for our players and coaches as we prepare for the final stretch of the season and the goal of making the 2019 playoffs.”
Darryl patrolled the Blazers backend for four seasons from 1988-1991 totalling 227 games played and 274 points including 197 assists.
In the NHL, Sydor played 1291 games with Los Angeles, Dallas, Columbus, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. He collected 507 career points and won two Stanley Cups with the Dallas Stars in 1999 and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.
He retired in July of 2010 and continued his work in the game almost immediately as an assistant coach for the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League.
Sydor then spent the next seven years split between one year with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and six seasons in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues.
Kamloops finds themselves in the thick of a playoff race and will need all hands on deck Wednesday when they take on the Victoria Royals at the Sandman Centre.
