Binghamton Whaler Coaches for 1989-1990

Doug McKay, Head Coach

In July, the Hartford Whalers announced the new head coach for our Binghamton Whalers—36 year old Doug McKay. The Burlington, Ontario native brings with him 3 years of NHL experience and has proven that he possesses two essential qualities necessary for an outstanding coach: his abilities to teach and motivate.

Most recently, McKay was the assistant head coach for the New Jersey Devils, leading the team to their first-ever playoff appearance, culminating in a berth at the Wales Conference finals.

His career began after graduating from Guelph University in 1975. He played in several minor leagues until concluding in the 1979-80 season with the IHL Kalamazoo Wings, coached by his father, Doug Sr. After coaching a season of Division A hockey in Italy, McKay was named assistant coach of the Maple Leafs.

He then took a turn and headed to the off-ice sector by becoming a color commentator for the Leafs in 1981. In ’83, he began a four-year stint as Director of Canadian Marketing for the Buffalo Sabres before returning to the ice with the Devils. During the off-season, he runs the Ontario-based Micron Hockey School and the Hamilton Hockey School.

Whaler General Manager Tom Mitchell commented, “We’re excited about Doug joining our team and our community. His experience in coaching at different levels will be a real plus in molding our team together. We are also looking forward to his contribution in our marketing and community programs as he put together some great programs for the Sabres in those areas.

We look forward to a fantastic season with Doug at the helm.

Jacque Caron to assist goalkeepers

Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Vancouver were lucky enough in the past to have Jacque Caron playing on their teams. Caron played 5 seasons in the NHL, and returns once again this year to enhance the Whalers netminders.

There are many talented goaltenders in the Hartford system, which is anchored by Mike Luit. As of this printing, Kay Whitmore, Peter Sidorkiewicz, Sean Envoy, Ross McKay, and Daryl Reaugh form a unique blend of experience and future potential which makes the Hartford organization the envy of many NHL operations.

Jacque will continue to develop Hartford’s top prospects in Binghamton.

Information on the page was derived from the Saturday, February 24, 1990 edition of the "Whale Watch", 10th Anniversary Edition. Whale Watch was the official magazine of the Binghamton Whalers back in the 1980's. Thanks to Karl Howard for the edition to help with Binghamton Hockey.net's continued efforts on creating the most complete Binghamton Pro Hockey archive of information on the web.