Senators Articles: Busniuk to return with B-Senators
August 30, 2004

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Scott Lauber of Press Connects.com

Busniuk to return with B-Senators

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- It's not the job he wanted, but Mike Busniuk will return to the Binghamton Senators' bench again for a second straight season.

Busniuk, who made it clear he was interested in the head-coaching position after John Paddock accepted an NHL job on Ottawa's staff last month, has confirmed that he will be an assistant under recently hired coach Dave Cameron.

"I'm ready to go," Busniuk said this weekend from his summer cottage in Thunder Bay, Ontario. "It's been a long summer. I'm not used to being off for this long."

Busniuk, 52, said he didn't receive a face-to-face interview for the head coach job. Ottawa general manager John Muckler had said he was seeking a young coach for the Senators' AHL club, and he appointed the 46-year-old Cameron.

In Busniuk's first season in the Senators' organization, Binghamton was swept by the Norfolk Admirals in a best-of-five preliminary-round playoff series last spring after going 34-34-9-3 during the regular season.

Busniuk, who spent four seasons (1993-97) as an assistant coach with the Binghamton Rangers, had assisted Paddock for three seasons with the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack. They were also teammates with the Philadelphia Flyers, for whom Busniuk played 143 games as a defenseman from 1979-91.

Busniuk said he hasn't spoken with Cameron, but they will work closely together during the Senators' annual rookie camp, which opens Sept. 8 in Ottawa.