Flames Name Jordan Sigalet Goalie Coach

After a bit of a search, the Calgary Flames got their man. And, as luck would have it, they didn’t have to look all that far to find him. The club has officially named Jordan Sigalet to the position of goalie coach for their NHL team.

If the name sounds familiar, it should: Sigalet’s been the goalie coach for the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat for the past three seasons, and was tabbed to continue that position with the Adirondack Flames prior to his promotion to the bigs. In his capacity as goalie guru in Abbotsford, his work contributed to the NHL appearances of Danny Taylor, Leland Irving, Reto Berra and Joni Ortio. Of those four, Ortio is arguably the brightest spot, and his emergence as a bonafide NHL option is probably a huge positive on Sigalet’s resume and the prospect of working with Ortio in the NHL was probably a nice bonus for him (and for the club, most likely).

Sigalet’s a great hockey story. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while a collegiate netminder with Bowling Green just two years after being drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2001. He was undeterred and got to play in an NHL game for the Bruins on January 7, 2006, after being recalled to replace the injured Hannu Toivonen as back-up (granted, it was 43 seconds of ice-time in a 6-3 Bruins win, but NHL appearances are NHL appearances). He played three seasons with the AHL’s Providence Bruins and retired after a 2008-09 campaign that saw him putter around Europe a bit. He spent the 2010-11 season as goalie coach for the WHL’s Everett Silvertips before being hired by the Heat in August 2011.