Hartsburg leaving Soo Greyhounds

The triumphant return of Craig Hartsburg to the Soo Greyhounds is about to end after just one season. SooToday.com has learned that the 42-year old Hartsburg has decided to accept an assistant coaching position with the National Hockey League Philadelphia Flyers. Hartsburg, who starred as a Greyhound defenceman from 1975-78, returned to his adopted hometown last spring as coach and general manager of the Ontario Hockey League club. Almost immediately, Hartsburg turned around the sagging fortunes of the Hounds, leading them to a fifth-place finish in the 20-team OHL. The Hounds had struggled on and off the ice the previous season, missing the playoffs. But things started to turn around after Sam Biasucci and partners purchased the hockey club from previous ownership last spring and hired Hartsburg to replace Paul Theriault as coach and Dave Mayville as general manager. Ironically, Biasucci and co. outbid the duo of Hartsburg and local businessman Vic Fremlin in purchasing the Greyhounds from Mert Wright, Dr. George Shunock and partners. Hartsburg and his wife Peggy are en route back to the Sault from their son Chris's graduation from Colorado College. But sources close to the scene have confirmed Hartsburg's imminent departure from the Greyhounds. Hartsburg will serve as the top assistant to Ken Hitchcock, hired just last week as the Flyers' head coach after parting company with the Dallas Stars midway through last season. Hartsburg previously worked with Hitchcock in Philadelphia when both were assistant coaches. Hartsburg left the Flyers in 1994 to take over as head coach of the OHL Guelph Storm. After one season in Guelph in which he was named coach-of-the-year, Hartsburg returned to the NHL as bench boss of the Chicago Blackhawks. He later coached in the NHL with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks before taking the job with the Greyhounds. He was named OHL first all-star team coach for the great job he did with the Hounds this season. The departure of the extremely popular Hartsburg leaves a big hole for Biasucci and the Greyhounds to fill. It is not known if assistant coaches Steve Harrison and Kevin Hodson will be candidates to replace Hartsburg, though it's expected that Biasucci will try to land a high-profile coach. Sources say the Hounds may try to lure Ted Nolan or Jeff Jackson back to the Sault. But Nolan, who coached the Hounds to three straight Memorial Cup appearances from 1991-93, is being considered for the vacant coaching position with the NHL New York Rangers. Jackson, meanwhile, is in his second season as coach of the OHL Guelph Storm, which is battling for the Memorial Cup. It should be noted that Jackson -- who coached the Lake Superior State Lakers to a pair of national championships in the early 90s -- has maintained a summer home in the Michigan Sault. *** DEAL NOT DONE: The trade in which the Greyhounds traded their second-round pick at the May 5 OHL draft and a fourth-round pick at the 2003 lottery to the Owen Sound Attack for the no. 1 selection at next month's June 26 import draft has yet to be played out. First of all, the Hounds have to decide which European from a number of available plums they will select. Secondly, the OHL embargo on trading players ends on June 22 and sources say the Hounds will recoup the fourth-round pick at next year's OHL draft from Owen Sound. It is being speculated that Owen Sound wants one of 18-year old defencemen Brad Staubitz or Patrick Sutton from the Hounds in return for the fourth-round pick.