Sports

UAA assistant coach takes bench boss, GM job

Well, at least Regg Simon knows where he'll rest his head when he starts his new gig in Des Moines, Iowa.

The UAA assistant coach has resigned that post to once again become head coach and general manager for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the U.S. Hockey League. He still owns a home in Des Moines, though he's taking it off the market.

"I certainly have housing lined up,'' Simon said.

Simon, 34, the former UAA captain and former Des Moines captain, is a native of Elk River, Minn., but has spent much of his adult life bouncing back and forth between Anchorage, his professed favorite town on the globe, and Des Moines, which he ranks No. 2.

After playing two seasons for the Buccaneers and captaining them in 1996 to the Triple Crown -- USHL regular-season and playoff titles and the national junior A championship -- Simon spent the next five seasons at UAA. He sat out one season to heal from his third surgery on his right shoulder.

After a year of traveling following the completion of his college career, he began his coaching career as an assistant, then head coach, with Tri-City of the USHL. After one season there, he returned to Des Moines for five seasons, about three full seasons of which he was both head coach and general manager. In 2006, he guided the Buccaneers to the playoff championship and was named the circuit's general manager of the year.

Simon in 2008 returned to UAA and served two seasons as an assistant under bench boss Dave Shyiak.

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But when former Minnesota assistant coach Mike Guentzel last week gave up the reins in Des Moines to join Nebraska-Omaha as an assistant coach, Buccaneers special assistant John Pettit and owner Gil Peled reached back into the franchise's past and reached out to Simon.

"Probably second to Anchorage, Des Moines is my most favorite city in the world,'' Simon said. "Really what it comes down to is becoming a head coach again in one of the best league's in junior hockey.''

The USHL is the only Tier I junior circuit in the country and serves as a pipeline to Division I college hockey and the NHL. Last season, 240 USHL players committed to Division I schools, and about 150 active NHLers have USHL time on their rink resumes. Also, the college ranks are stocked with former USHL head coaches, and Simon wants to be a college head coach.

Simon said learning new ideas and philosophies under Shyiak and associate head coach Campbell Blair enhanced his hockey knowledge and boosted his network of contacts in the game. That's why Simon two years ago made the move from head man at Des Moines to Seawolves assistant.

"Working with Dave and Campbell was been a blast,'' Simon said. "It's not like going to work with a boss and a colleague. It's like going to work with two friends. The experience here has been nothing but great.''

Simon said he told Des Moines officials they needed to go through Shyiak before offering him the job -- particularly so late in the offseason -- and said Shyiak was supportive and accommodating.

In Des Moines, Simon not only gets to be in charge of a program again but will certainly bag a substantial pay raise.

UAA athletic director Steve Cobb said he and Shyiak will miss Simon but encouraged him to seize a golden opportunity.

"When opportunities come along, you've got to take them,'' Cobb said. "He's done a great job here and he'll do a great job there.''

Cobb said UAA will conduct an abbreviated search to replace Simon. The school received inquiries Wednesday, the day both Des Moines and UAA announced Simon's job switch.

"We're actually looking, and getting calls already,'' Cobb said. "The hockey community is pretty small.

"Obviously, it's too close to the season for a full committee search. We'll identify someone and get them onboard. Historically, we've had lots of interest. The only wild card here is the timing.''

Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.

By DOYLE WOODY

dwoody@adn.com

Doyle Woody

Doyle Woody covered hockey and other sports for the Anchorage Daily News for 34 years.

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