Twenty-four hours after cutting ties with head coach Jason Smith on Monday morning, the Kelowna Rockets announced on Tuesday they had a new bench boss: Adam Foote.
“Our hope is that Adam can come in and take over a team that is in transition,” Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton said in a press release. “Because we host the 2020 Memorial Cup, we know a number of personnel moves will have to be made. We are confident Adam will be able to help us move forward, not just this year but next season also.”
WATCH BELOW: An extended interview with new Kelowna Rockets head coach Adam Foote.
The Rockets are off to a dreadful start this season, with a 4-10-0-0 record. With just eight points in 14 games, Kelowna trails first-place Vancouver (10-2-2-0, 22 points) in B.C. Division standings by 14 points.
Foote is a former NHL defenceman, having played 1158 NHL games with Quebec, Colorado and Columbus. He was most recently a defensive coach with the Colorado Avalanche from 2011 through last season.
Foote, who is married, has two sons: Cal, who played for Kelowna and was last season’s team captain, and Nolan, who is in his third season with the Rockets and is an assistant captain. Cal is currently playing with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.
“I’m excited,” said Foote, a defenceman as a player. “Kelowna is a great organization, and there are exciting times ahead. I’m lucky to have played on a lot of good teams with great players throughout my career. I’ve gathered a lot of information over the years and plan to apply it to the development of Rockets players.”
Foote, 47, is a former OHL player, having played for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He was drafted 22nd overall by Quebec in 1989. He had 308 points (66g, 242a) and 308 penalty minutes during his 19-year career in the NHL. He won two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche in 1996 and 2001 and a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
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