Fans of the Seattle Thunderbirds know that the head coach of the team is none other than Steve Konowalchuk. He was the 16^th head coach in the history of the Western Hockey League. The team announced his leadership on June 16, 2011.

Konowalchuk had plenty to bring to the team, including his own experience. He was a left winger for both Colorado Avalanche as well as the Washington Capitals. The first NHL player from Utah, he was born on November 11, 1972. He hails from Salt Lake City. Konowalchuk is 6’1 and weighs 195 pounds. He shot left when he played. In 1991, he was the 58^th overall NHL draft pick. The Washington Capitals chose him in the third round of the 1991 Entry Draft, but he was traded to Colorado during the 2004 draft in exchange for Bates Battaglia. His career ran from 1992 to 2006, when he discovered that he had Long QT Syndrome and decided to retire from playing.

No stranger to the Western Hockey League, Konowalchuk played for the Portland Winterhawks during his junior career. In his junior years, he played in 790 games, scoring a total of 171 goals. He also made 225 assists, accumulating an impressive 396 points in 14 seasons. He started his coaching career as an assistant coach to Joe Sacco, remaining with the Avalanche during that time. Sacco said that Konowalchuk “wore the uniform with pride” and that it was good to have them back in a coaching capacity. He served as assistant coach during both the 2009 to 2010 and 2010 to 2011 seasons. He left to become head coach to the T-birds afterward.

Konowalchuk played a total of 790 games during his career. He scored 171 goals and made 225 assists, giving him a total of 396 points. He had 703 penalty minutes. During the playoffs, he played in 50 games, scoring nine goals in those. He also made 12 assists during those games, racking up a total of 21 points and 56 penalty minutes.

Seattle Thunderbirds general manager Russ Farwell told the press that the team was very excited to welcome Konowalchuk to the team, saying that the former player was respected for his work ethic and has lots to teach the Birds. He also said that Konowalchuk brings a strong enthusiasm to the team that he hopes will help fuel the players’ desire to really go for it and achieve their goals beneath his tutelage.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia