ONTARIO, CA – The Ontario Reign, proud affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, is proud to announce that head coach, Jason Christie, has been selected by ECHL organization representatives and members of the media as the All-ECHL second-team coach.
In his first year with the Ontario Reign, Christie has turned the team around bringing them from a last place league standing to first place division, second place conference, and third place league standings during the 2011-12 season. The team has continued to break franchise records throughout the season and has made the Kelly Cup Playoffs after a two year absence.
On February 4 2012, Christie became the fourth most winning coach in ECHL history with a 6-4 victory over the Utah Grizzlies marking his 333rd ECHL win. The Reign’s 3-2 shootout-win over the Idaho Steelheads on March 17, 2012 broke the franchise record of most wins in a regular season being the 39th. Under Christie’s command, Ontario broke their previously held franchise record of 214 goals-for on March 13 with their 215th goal of the season.
“Jason has done an exemplary job here this season and is very deserving of being recognized amongst the league’s best,” said Reign president, Justin Kemp. “We’re very fortunate to have a head coach like Jason behind our bench, leading a team that competes every night and has us in a position to compete for our first ever Kelly Cup Championship.”
Prior to joining the Reign in the summer of 2011, the Gibbons, Alberta native led the CHL’s Bloomington PrairieThunder’s 2010-11 team to a 37-22-7 record and their first postseason appearance. That year, Christie was named CHL Coach of the Year. From 2008-10 Christie was the Assistant Coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
During his professional coaching debut in the 2000-01 season, Christie was selected to coach the ECHL All-Star game and began a five season run with the ECHL’s Peoria Rivermen. He took the Rivermen to four postseason appearances in those five seasons. In 2005 Christie moved to behind the Utah Grizzlies’ bench for three seasons where he twice took the team to the playoffs.
Christie played 10 seasons of professional hockey as forward between the ECHL, IHL and AHL, and in his final season took the Peoria Rivermen to the Kelly Cup championship as a player and assistant coach and assisted the game-winning goal.
(note: the above press release was issued by the Ontario Reign earlier today)
Earlier this season, Reign President Justin Kemp stoMayorsManor . You can find that interview here.
