Maxwell Hired By Lethbridge Former Chiefs Coach Returning To Whl As Coach Of Hurricanes

Bryan Maxwell is returning home.

Maxwell, a Lethbridge native, who has been out of hockey since resigning as coach of the Spokane Chiefs on Jan. 22, 1994, Monday was named director of hockey operations and head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League.

The positions became available when the Hurricanes, struggling under a 6-13 start, that includes just a 1-7 record at home, reassigned general manager Bob Bartlett and coach Rocky Saganiuk.

Both are under contract through the 1995-96 season, club president Herman Elfring said, but Bartlett has asked for some time to evaluate his situation.

In Maxwell, the Hurricanes are getting a man who achieved almost immediate success in two previous coaching stops in the WHL, including Memorial Cups in both Medicine Hat and Spokane.

In 5-1/2 seasons as a solo head coach, he has a 247-198-22 record, including 36-25 in the playoffs.

After serving as co-coach at Medicine Hat in the 1985-86 season, Maxwell became head coach the next season and took the Tigers to a first-place finish in the WHL and the Memorial Cup. His return will be in Medicine Hat tonight.

Then following two seasons with the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL, he returned to the WHL, taking over the last-place Chiefs in 1989-90.

Spokane finished fourth in that first season, then won major junior hockey’s top prize, in the second.

The depleted Chiefs went to the West finals the third year and he was named the WHL/CHL Coach of the Year.

It was the following year he quit in midseason after a dispute with management over his future with the club. He has been out of hockey since.