Brian Kilrea

Brian Blair Kilrea ( born October 21, 1934 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a former Canadian ice hockey player and coach and general manager. Over 30 years, he oversaw the Ottawa 67 's in the Ontario Hockey League and was meanwhile also active in the National Hockey League. In 2003, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Career as a player

Brian Kilrea began his career in 1954 with the Hamilton Tiger Cubs in the Canadian Junior Football League OHA. He moved the following year to the seniors and played for the Troy Bruins in the IHL and established himself as one of the top scorer of the team. Because of his achievements, he took his leave for the NHL and came in 1957/58 to an intervention at the Detroit Red Wings. Thereafter, however, he returned to the IHL and moved in 1959 to the Springfield Indians in the subprime AHL.

Also in Springfield, he was one of the best players and played 1961/62 his best season when he scored 73 of 20 goals prepared. From 1960 to 1962 he won with the team also three consecutive Calder Cup. In 1967, he again got a chance in the NHL, as the Los Angeles Kings took him under contract and he scored the first goal in franchise history. However, he was only 25 missions in which he totaled three goals and five assists. He then played two years in lower leagues before he finished his career.

Career as a coach

After the end of his playing career Kilrea returned to his hometown of Ottawa in 1974 and head coach of the Ottawa 67 's from the OHA junior league, which changed its name to OHL later. After he had already done in his first two seasons, the team slowly to the top, they won in the 1976/77 season for the first time the playoffs for the J. Ross Robertson Cup. In the following years were the 67 's to the dominant teams in the league, reached 1978-1983 once the finals of the playoffs three times and the semi-finals and feiteren 1979-1983 in each season at least 45 victories. In the time Kilrea was twice honored as best coach of the league with the Matt Leyden Trophy. Also in the 1983/84 season the team was able to build on these achievements and won for the second time the J. Ross Robertson Cup, after which they then also triumphed at the Memorial Cup.

Due to this success, the NHL had become aware of him and the New York Islanders committed him in 1984 as an assistant coach. Had the Islanders in the previous five years each time reached the Stanley Cup finals and won four times, as the team seemed to have already peaked and in the next two years they failed prematurely in the playoffs.

Kilrea then returned in the summer of 1986 back to the Ottawa 67 's, where he tried to build on the earlier successes. However, the team came in the next seven years only once to the semifinals and completed in 1992/93 the weakest season since its debut season with 16 wins in 66 games. In the next season he was able to lead the team back to the playoffs, but then submitted his coach resigned. Peter- John Lee became the new coach, but under it played the 67 's a disappointing season with only 22 wins. Kilrea then took over for the 1995/96 season again the post as head coach for the first time as well as the office of General Manager and with success. He led the team in the first year to third place in the OHL and peaked in the following two seasons, the finals of the playoffs. In three years he was twice honored as the best coach in the league. In addition, he received the first time the CHL Coach of the Year Award as the best coach in the Canadian Junior Hockey.

1999 failed the Ottawa 67 's indeed already in the second round of the playoffs, but could still participate as host to the Memorial Cup finals. The team took advantage of the home court advantage and won for the second time, the most important trophy in the Canadian Junior Hockey. A further part in the tournament followed when they won the OHL playoffs in 2001, but this time they finished the Memorial Cup last place.

Also in the following years led Kilrea his work continued successfully. He led the team again in 2003 already won the finals of the playoffs and was the fifth time with the Matt Leyden Trophy as the best coach. In the same year he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and the price of the best coaches in the CHL Brian Kilrea was renamed Coach of the Year Award.

2005 witnessed the Ottawa 67 's again the playoff finals of the OHL failed there but to the London Knights. As the Knights were already set to host the Memorial Cup for the tournament, the 67 's were allowed to move up as the fourth participant and reached the semi-finals, where they lost to the Rimouski Océanic to young star Sidney Crosby there. In the following three years, the performance of the team subsided and she came out since then no longer on the first round.

On March 15, 2009, Ottawa won 67 's the last game of the regular season 2008/ 09 against the Kingston Frontenacs 5-3. It was in 2156. Game of 1193. Victory in the OHL for Kilrea, both record highs in the league. At the same time it was also the last regular season game for Kilrea in his coaching career. Ottawa had presented itself more strongly in the season and reached for the first time in six years, the mark of 40 victories, which they finished third in the Eastern Conference. His career finally ended March 31, when his team lost in a close first-round series against the Niagara IceDogs in extra time of the seventh and decisive game.

Brian Kilrea in charge of the Ottawa 67 's in 32 season the OHL. Under his leadership, the team missed the playoffs only once, reached eight times the finals of the OHL playoffs and could deny this successfully three times. In addition, two Memorial Cup victories and three other appearances came in the tournament.

Awards and achievements

As a player

As a coach