Queen's men's hockey head coach Brett Gibson is pleased to announce the addition of former National Hockey League defenceman John Erskine to the Gaels coaching staff as an assistant.

Erskine had a successful NHL career spanning 12 seasons while spending the majority of his career with the Washington Capitals. He comes to Queen's after long-time assistant Tony Cimellaro joined the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League.

"I'm so excited to work with these young student-athletes and translate my many experiences on the ice to behind the bench," said Erskine on the chance to join Queen's. "It is a great opportunity to get back into the game at a very high level."
Gibson knows that the loss of Cimellaro would be difficult but having Erskine jump into the fold so quickly will be an excellent opportunity for both him and the team.

"I was extremely pleased when John accepted the position as he was my only target when I knew Tony was leaving," said Gibson on his newest assistant. "He is a guy I have played with and also a guy that played hockey with a great passion. He has been coached by some of the best this game has, and he will be a tremendous asset to our coaching staff. Our players, when informed, were very excited to get to work with John."

The Gaels enter 2018 sitting in a tie for fifth in the OUA East and play host to the UOIT Ridgebacks at the Memorial Centre this Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available online at www.gogaelsgo.com/tickets.