Image credit: CFJC Today

By Marty Hastings

COACHING CHANGE

‘Sometimes, it’s just the right time to make a change’: Blazers will not renew Hay’s contract

May 20, 2025 | 4:37 PM

KAMLOOPS — Don Hay will not return as Kamloops Blazers’ associate coach for the 2025-2026 WHL season.

His contract has expired and the club will not offer an extension.

“The Blazers have been great to me,” Hay said. “They brought me back for an opportunity to be part of the team that was in the Memorial Cup, honoured their contract and gave me three years.

“If it worked out, I would have come back, yes. I’m a competitive guy. I love coaching. But I also know that I’ve had a great opportunity here. I really enjoyed it and I respect their decision.”

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Blazers’ head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston said Hay has been inspirational since joining the club for a third stint in 2022, when he was hired to bring experience to a team preparing to host the 2023 Memorial Cup.

“You look around up here, you know, and it’s a little bit emotional,” Clouston said, pointing to illustrations of Blazers’ heroes on the walls of the dressing room. “I mean, he’s a major part of the history of this organization.

“I’ve been through it before in my career. He’s been through it before in his career. And it doesn’t mean anything was wrong or bad. Sometimes, it’s just the right time to make a change. There was some — I wouldn’t say consensus — but some understanding that… sometimes it’s timing. He talked about those things.”

The winningest head coach in WHL history is without a job, but does not plan on retiring.

“I haven’t thought that much beyond the Blazers,” Hay said, noting he does not expect to return to the Blazers next season in a diminished role. “I don’t think I’m the type of guy that would really like to retire right now. I feel I’m pretty active, pretty competitive.”

Clouston said the search for a coach — most likely an assistant, not an associate — is underway and it may be brief if the right candidate is right in front of them, noting prerequisites include excellent people-person skills and good rapport with young players.

“It could be that I’m getting older, but I just think the game evolves and changes and we wanted a fresh set of eyes, a fresh mindset for this next phase where we want to get back to the playoffs and we believe that we can be a championship-calibre team here in the near future,” Clouston said, noting the Blazers are considering tweaking their practice and workout schedules.

“The players in today’s world have a lot of questions. I think that relationship part is extremely important. And we want to make sure the person who comes in is excellent in those areas.”

Recruiting chops will also be considered.

“I think the NCAA situation probably played a small factor in the decision,” Clouston said. “We think recruiting is going to become a bigger part of it. It’s not just going to be a draft league. You’re going to lose some players. You need to find somebody to replace those players.”

Hay was an assistant coach for the Blazers from 1985 to 1992, head coach for two stints – from 1992 to 1995 and 2014 to 2018 – and associate coach from 2022 to 2025.

He is a four-time Memorial Cup champion.

“These things are never easy,” Clouston said. “And what we want to do is create a situation where Hayzer feels welcome here.

“He’s an inspiration for me, for the players. His work ethic, his commitment, his dedication, are elite.”