Eric Belanger Named Head Coach of Trois-Rivieres Lions
Now, as a bit of ancillary content (and something admittedly much less recent than these other developments), the Trois Rivieres Lions now have their first bench boss in former NHL forward Eric Belanger. Along with former Canadiens defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron being named GM, Belanger should bring experience and a calming presence to the first-year team.
Eric Bélanger devient le premier entraîneur-chef de l’histoire des Lions de Trois-Rivières 🦁⚜️
— Lions de Trois-Rivières (@Lions3r) June 15, 2021
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Eric Bélanger becomes the first Head Coach in the history of the Trois-Rivières Lions pic.twitter.com/FaCs1y8mBv
A former fourth round pick of the LA Kings in the 1996 NHL draft, Belanger found a consistent shift in the NHL after making his debut in 2000-01, getting into 820 games split across 7 teams, with 138-220-358 totals. Since retiring after a brief stint in the KHL in 2013-14, Belanger has found work with a number of U-16, Midget Espoir and Midget AAA teams, both in the USA and Quebec. After spending the past two seasons as head coach of QMAAA’s Levis Chevaliers, he’ll see his first professional gig with the Lions.
With a city brimming with excitement over the prospect of a new team, and a number of untested rookies and junior products coming into Montreal’s system, Belanger should be a solid fit, comparable to Bouchard’s tenure with the Rocket, and with the right touch, can, in my mind, turn the Lions into a true contender similar to the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers, who found immediate success with a Kelly Cup title in their first season.