New Williams Lake GM *UPDATED*

UPDATE: I did just talk to President John Wright and Murdoch is indeed the former BCHL and WHL goaltender. He doesn't have a lot of hockey management experience, but Wright is planning to lead what is more of a management team in Williams Lake. Wright also says there was no conflict with Brad Fox, but that he simply decided to leave the job for personal reasons. It appears Fox is returning to coach in Revolstoke. Wright has high hopes and is targeting having a competitive team as early as next season. I'll post my interview with Wright later tonight. He has a lot of interesting stuff to say. I'll also have it on Mountain FM's Overtime tonight for those in the West Kootenay.


(Brad Fox from the Revelstoke website)

According to the Williams Lake website, Geoff Murdoch is the new General Manager of the Timberwolves. In searching Murdoch online the only reference I could find is a Geoff Murdoch who played goal for Bellingham in the BCHL and Seattle in the WHL. Is this the same Murdoch? I've put in a call to Williams Lake and hopefully I'll get some details out of them. Does anyone know about his coaching or management background? I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

The move comes just a few days after they announced the departure of Coach/GM Brad Fox before the franchise had even played a game or carded a single player. Fox had left the Revelstoke Grizzlies of the KIJHL to take the Williams Lake job. I've heard rumblings about why he left but nothing substantial other than the typical personal reasons response.

Where will Fox end up? Some have speculated he could be after the Quesnel job, but I'm hearing that's not happening. I would think he'll likely surface back in KIJHL.

What does a change like this mean so early in the re-birth of the Williams Lake franchise? Obviously the optics aren't very good, but I also think that if they discovered this early that the working relationship wasn't going to work then it's a good thing they didn't try and drag it out.

Again I'm hoping to talk with the folks up in Williams Lake to get more on this situation and the credentials of their new top hockey man.