McGill grad Raymond joins NHL coaching ranks in Tampa
Jul. 20, 2010
(PHOTO CAPTION: Guy Boucher (left) and Martin Raymond (right) coaching behind
the Hamilton bench at the Bell Centre last December. PHOTO BY: Andrew Dobrowolskyj)
MONTREAL -- Martin Raymond, who played and served 14 seasons as head coach of
the McGill University men's hockey team, has been appointed as an assistant
coach with the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning. He was named, along
with Daniel Lacroix, as assistants to head coach Guy Boucher, another McGill
grad.
Raymond becomes the sixth former McGill hockey player to make the move up to
the NHL coaching ranks, joining previous McGillians Guy Boucher (Tampa Bay),
Mike Babcock (Detroit, Anaheim), George Burnett (Edmonton, Anaheim) and Lester
Patrick (New York), along with Jamie Kompon, currently an assistant coach with
the Los Angeles Kings.
Raymond, a 43-year-old native of Pierrefonds, Que., and current resident of
St-Basile-le-Grand, Que., will be reunited with Boucher for the third time.
The twosome worked together behind the bench of the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs
last year and Boucher served as an assistant to Raymond at McGill in 1996-97.
They also played together for one season with the McGill Redmen.
"Daniel and Martin are two very smart and hard-working coaches,"
said Boucher in a release issued by the Lightning. "They are an excellent
complement to me and are outstanding one-on-one coaches. I have total confidence
in them and they know how I work, what I do, my philosophy and my values. Because
they know me and the way I work, we already have a head start in terms of chemistry."
Boucher indicated that Lacroix will be behind the bench and handle the defence,
while Raymond will mostly be in the press box as an eye in the sky. A third
assistant, yet to be named, will be primarily behind the bench and handle the
penalty-kill, while splitting in-game duties with Raymond.
But Boucher noted that the entire staff will be involved in all aspects of
the team.
"That's the way I like my staff. I don't like anybody being pegged down
as the guy taking care of this or that," he told the media.
Raymond was the most successful coach in McGill hockey history. He posted a
293-192-35 record in 520 games overall with the Redmen, including a stellar
206-110-30 regular-season mark (.638) since he took over the coaching duties
from Jean Pronovost midway through the 1994-95 season.
Over his last three seasons at McGill, Raymond guided the Redmen to a pair
of Ontario University Athletics eastern conference titles, including the 2008
Queen's Cup league championship, the team's first since 1946. He produced 28
players who have gone on to playing careers in pro hockey, including one who
reached the NHL (Mathieu Darche) and five in the AHL (Darche, plus Greg Davis,
Pierre Gendron, Dan Jacob and David Urquhart).
Raymond won OUA East coach-of-the-year honours four times and in 2005-06, became
the first McGill bench boss to win the Father George Kehoe memorial award as
CIS coach of the year in men's hockey.
Raymond graduated from McGill in 1992 with a physical education degree and
played professional hockey in Germany (with EA Schongau) for one season before
returning to McGill in 1993 to work on a master's degree in physical education,
which he completed in 1996.
Prior to serving as head coach of the Redmen in 1996, Raymond served for three
years as an assistant coach with the team after a stellar five-year playing
career at McGill. He also served one season as an assistant to Terry Bangen,
who guided the Redmen in 1995-96, before moving on to accept an assistant coaching
position with the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.
Raymond also coached the Quebec provincial team to a bronze medal at the 2004
under-17 world hockey championships in St. John's, Nfld. At the pro level, he
directed the Montreal Canadiens rookie camp in 1997.
As a player, Raymond earned all-conference honours three times and All-Canadian
status in his final season (1991-92) when he served as team captain. He became
McGill's all-time assist leader with 144 (currently ranked second) and is still
third in career points (253 in 154 games) and third in career goals (109). Raymond
was also a member of the bronze medal-winning Team Canada squad at the 1991
Spengler Cup tournament in Davos, Switzerland. He received the Forbes Trophy
in 1992 as McGill's male athlete of the year, and the Bobby Bell Trophy as Team
MVP in 1991-92.
FORMER McGILL HOCKEY PLAYERS WHO HAVE COACHED IN THE NHL
Lester Patrick (New York, head coach, 1926-39)
George Burnett (Edmonton, head coach, 1994-95; Anaheim, asst. coach, 1998-99)
Mike Babcock (Anaheim, head coach, 2000-02; Detroit, head coach, 2002-present)
Jamie Kompon (St. Louis, asst. coach, 1998-05; Los Angeles, asst. coach, 2005-present)
Guy Boucher (Tampa Bay, head coach, 2010-present)
Martin Raymond (Tampa Bay, asst. coach, 2010-present)
