A former National Hockey League forward and Stanley Cup champion is joining the Salmon Arm SilverBacks as assistant coach.
Eric Godard, a native of Vernon, played eight seasons in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins, winning the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009.
Prior to making the jump to professional hockey, Godard spent three seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
During Pittsburgh’s run to the Stanley Cup in 2009, Godard was named the team’s ‘Player’s Player’ in reference to his leadership and teamwork. He was also awarded the team’s Community Service award for his time and effort towards community and charity projects.
“I look forward to teaching discipline, loyalty and systems that create champions,” Godard said. “I believe that I have earned success throughout my career because of my determination, work ethic and the plain fact that I had to work hard for everything.
“I’ve always worked well with my teammates, peers and coaches and have always brought a ‘team first’ attitude, and those are all elements that I’d like to bring to the start of my coaching career.”
Head coach and general manager Troy Mick is excited to have Godard on board.
“I’ve known Eric for a very long time and have become a fan of him personally. He worked hard and sacrificed for everything that he did in his career and nothing was ever handed to him,” said Mick.
“His message as a coach will be that hard works pays off and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t make it. He was a prime example of that message as he was never the top scorer or the guy that was heralded but the player who had to sacrifice everything every night to show he deserved to be there.
“Not many guys worked harder than he did and to top it off he was rewarded with a Stanley Cup ring. We are excited for him to be joining the SilverBacks,.”
Godard will join the SilverBacks in time for the team’s 2013 Main Camp, which begins Monday, August 19 at the Shaw Centre.
