The National Hockey League聮s loss is the Victoria Grizzlies聮 gain.The sa国际传媒 Hockey League club announced Wednesday that Colorado Avalanche defenceman Ryan O聮Byrne has joined the team as an assistant coach while he and his NHL brethren are locked out. O聮Byrne, who played for Victoria when the organization was known as the Salsa back in 2001-02, also played for the Nanaimo Clippers in 2002-03, under the guidance of coach Bill Bestwick, the current Grizzlies聮 general manager and head coach.聯Indeed, it is a bonus to have a person of Ryan聮s character and experience that he can share with aspiring players, just like he was 10 years ago or so. It聮s a great inspiration for our kids,聰 said Bestwick.O聮Byrne is already a member of the Grizzlies聮 advisory board and will not recieve pay for his coaching work with the Grizzlies. Instead, the Grizzlies will make a donation the Ryan O聮Byrne Youth Sports Society - which raised $25,123 for KidsSport Victoria, an organization that pays the sports registration and equipment fees for low-income, earlier this summer.O聮Byrne聮s first game behind the bench will be Sept. 29 when the Grizzlies host Coquitlam. The team is on the road for three games on the Mainland this weekend.聯I聮m very passionate about hockey. And it聮s a chance for me to see what coaching is like. Who knows, maybe it聮s something I聮d like to do when I聮m done my career in the NHL,聰 O聮Byrne said after his first session.聯I just want to help this team win. Today was a great first practice. It聮s a great room, they have a lot of energy with a lot of character and I聮m happy to be a part of it,聰 added O聮Bryne.聯It聮s a great opportunity. I played for Bill in Nanaimo and I have the utmost respect for Bill. He聮s a great coach, he聮s a passionate guy and he has experience. Us working together makes sense. I think it聮s a winning situation,聰 added O聮Byrne.Unlike the current NHL lockout scenario, which will keep O聮Byrne from his usual work.聯You hear about guys who are back in their hometown, getting bored already and I didn聮t want to be in that position. I thought I would use my extra time constructively,聰 he said.IN THE DEN: Grizzlies defenceman Nolan De Jong and forward Dante Hahn are included in the NHL Central Scouting preliminary player rankings list, De Jong in B class and Hahn in C class. [email protected]
