Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid is stepping down from his role after seven seasons. (Submitted Photo/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Rob Mahon

Habscheid Resigns

End of an era: Championship coach Habscheid resigns from Raiders

Jul 14, 2022 | 10:45 AM

When Marc Habscheid arrived in Prince Albert to take over as head coach of the Raiders, the team held a sub-.500 winning percentage and had missed the playoffs the previous season. By the time he was ready to leave, he had helped transform them into a champion.

The team announced Thursday that Habscheid, one of the winningest coaches ever in the WHL, has resigned to pursue a coaching opportunity in the professional ranks in Europe. The Swift Current native has been the head coach of the Raiders for the past seven seasons.

“It’s certainly hard to lose a quality coach like Marc with his experience,” Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt said. “We appreciate the time he has given us and the culture that he has helped to build and maintain in his time here. We wish him nothing but the best of luck as he heads off for another challenge.”

Among Habscheid’s many accomplishments in Prince Albert was winning his 500th game. (Jeff D’Andrea/paNOW Staff)

“Raider fans, for the past seven and a half seasons, it has been an honour to be the Head Coach of the Prince Albert Raiders,” Habscheid said. “When I arrived in this city during the 2014-15 season, I thought I had an idea of what it would be like. Today I can say, my anticipation was blown away. As a member of this coaching staff, we watched kids grow into young men both on and off the ice, which culminated in celebrating a WHL Championship here inside the Art Hauser Centre. To every player who wore a Raider jersey, to every staff member who gave their time to our team, and most importantly to the great fans of Prince Albert, thank you.”

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Habscheid won his 500th career game as a coach in Prince Albert. His 592 wins ranked fifth all-time in the league.

Of the seven seasons Habscheid was at the helm, the most memorable for the city of Prince Albert and the team was the 2018-19 season. Not only did the team finish with an incredible 54-10-4 record in the regular season, but they also went on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions. Habscheid was named Coach of the Year for his efforts.

Habscheid (right) and assistant coach Jeff Truitt (left) brought the WHL championship back to Prince Albert in 2019. (Submitted Photo/Prince Albert Raiders)

Another hallmark of Habscheid’s tenure was players moving on to higher levels of hockey. From the 2018-19 team alone, six players have now made their NHL debut and two others, Kaiden Guhle and Ozzy Wiesblatt, were first-round picks in the NHL draft who have yet to turn professional but will most certainly be given every chance.

Habscheid’s coaching tenure with the Raiders ended with a run of the strangest seasons in league history due to the pandemic. As it turned out, the 2019 Raiders team that won a championship would be the reigning champs for quite some time, as the playoffs were not played in 2020 or 2021. Back with a younger squad coming out of their championship window in 2021-22, Habscheid nonetheless steered the squad to a postseason berth.

The Raiders’ final record in the regular season under Habscheid is 218-171-51. The team has said they will begin their search for a new head coach immediately.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @RobMahonPxP