±«ÓãÖ±²¥ grad to coach Canada at IIHF U-18 world championship in Belarus
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(PHOTOS COURTESY OF BELLEVILLE BULLS)
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MONTREAL - George Burnett, a ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ graduate, has been named by Hockey Canada as part of Guy Carbonneau's coaching staff with the Canadian men's team that will be competing at the IIHF under-18 world championship in Belarus, April 13-23.
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Burnett, a 48-year-old native of Port Perry, Ont., just completed his sixth season as head coach and general manager of the OHL's Belleville Bulls. This is his second stint with the national U-18 squad, a program he previously guided to gold in 2001 at the Six Nations Cup in the Czech Republic.
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He skated for the ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Redmen from 1982 to 1985, earning all-Canadian honours in his freshman season and graduating with a physical education degree in 1986. He was the first OHL graduate ever to skate for ±«ÓãÖ±²¥, joining the Redmen out of the London Knights. He led the country in scoring during his freshman campaign at ±«ÓãÖ±²¥, posting a 21-60-81 record in 38 games overall, establishing single-season school records for assists and points. Almost three decades later, his Redmen assist record still stands. In 84 career games at ±«ÓãÖ±²¥, he scored 47 goals and 148 points.
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Among his Redmen teammates were Mike Babcock, Real Paiement and Yves Beaucage, all of whom went on to extensive coaching careers.
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Burnett also brings NHL experience, having coached the Edmonton Oilers for 35 games during the strike-shortened 1994-95 season and serving as an assistant with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks from 1998 to 2000.
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He recently completed his 13th full season as a head coach in the OHL, where he has registered a 461-412-51 record in 924 regular season games. He led Belleville to three consecutive East Division championships and a Memorial Cup appearance in 2008.ÌýBurnett previously served as head coach for Niagara Falls, Oshawa and Guelph, where he also won an OHL banner with Storm. He is the active leader in career OHL coaching victories.
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A two-time OHL coach of the year (1990-91, 1991-92), Burnett led the AHL's Cape Breton Oilers to a Calder Cup championship in 1993 and also coached the AHL's Binghamton Rangers for two seasons before returning to the OHL in 1997.
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In October, 2009, Burnett was inducted into the Township of Scugog Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony held in Port Perry.
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The U-18 world championship is a 10-team tournament featuring Canada in a pool with the United States, Switzerland, Sweden and Belarus. The other pool is comprised of the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Slovakia and Russia. All games will take place in Minsk and Bobruisk, Belarus. Canada is a two-time champion at the tourney, earning gold in 2003 and 2008. It finished fourth at the 2009 championship in Fargo, N.D. and Moorhead, Minn.
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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Athletics & Recreation
514-398-7012
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