The Prince George Cougars search for a new general manager has come to an end.
53-year-old Mark Lamb joins Prince George as the sixth GM in the team’s 25-year history.
“My initial reaction is total excitement and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”
He served as Head Coach and GM of the Swift Current Broncos from 2009 to 2016, and six years prior as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
“I’ve been involved in coaching and managing in hockey for the past 17 years and have done several different jobs in scouting, coaching, and management in this league and at the professional level. I have a strong work ethic, a passion for the game and I’m patient and I think those traits are key in building up a franchise,” said Lamb in a team news release.
PG ownership has signed the Saskatchewan native to a four-year contract and considers himself lucky with Richard Matvichuk as bench boss.
“You want to come in and you want to evaluate as soon as you can. I’ve known Matvichuk for a long time; I coached him in Dallas, so we have that relationship, we can communicate with each other and the other coaching staff too. I look at it as a big positive and it’s going to get me up and running a lot quicker.”
NEWS: Mark Lamb named sixth General Manager in Cougars franchise history. | https://t.co/Sa0rXtLyS8#CityofPG #WHL pic.twitter.com/5go8SZ5x9z
— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) June 19, 2018
Lamb replaces Todd Harkins, who was let go in March after the season came to an end.
As a player, he won the Stanley Cup in 1990 with the Edmonton Oilers.
He understands Prince George’s desire to hang another BC Division title in the CN Centre after a dismal 2017-18 campaign.
“The first thing you always want to do is meet all your staff; you want to get to know your guys because communications going to be key moving forward. We want to improve, they want to improve, and it’s about getting better.”
– with files from Hartley Miller, My PG Now
Lamb believes building a winning franchise takes patience, starting with the players, and promises a culture of ‘enjoying the game on and off the ice’ will be implemented come training camp.
#CityofPG #WHL pic.twitter.com/AWD7EsSHZs
— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) June 19, 2018