Petes hire Grimes: 'He's the right fit'
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Jake Grimes has gone from mourning the loss of his Belleville Bulls family to the excitement of joining the Peterborough Petes family — within weeks.
A Bulls alumnus and assistant coach for 11 seasons, Grimes, 42, admits the uprooting of the Bulls to Hamilton was devastating for the community, alumni and staff not going to Hamilton.
Introduced as the Petes new assistant coach during a press conference Tuesday at the Memorial Centre, Grimes said how fortunate he feels to find a new family, as he put it, so quickly.
“I know I belong in this league and under these circumstances to be back in the league so quickly is very good fortune,” said Grimes. “Part of the pain of the franchise leaving is I'm a 14-year alumnus of the Belleville Bulls which no longer exists. It's easy to dwell on that but it's a lot better to think of what kind of family I'm joining. You talk about 60 years of tradition and the list of people who have gone on as coaches, players, trainers and teams that have won.
“What an opportunity to be a part of that family.”
Grimes will assume the role of defensive coach as a full-time assistant alongside head coach Jody Hull and assistant Andrew Verner. He worked for 11 seasons as defensive coach in Belleville and will oversee a large group of returning defencemen.
“I'm going to learn more and more about them as I get to know them — I'm really looking forward to that,” said Grimes. “The defence corps should be strong next year. There is NHL interest all over the place and this will be a good group to manage and work with to get the most out of their careers.”
In addition to experience and ability, Hull looks for assistants who mesh personality-wise and will work well together.
“Jake has that passion and energy you look for in coaches,” said Hull. “The fact he's been in our league, has worked with a number of quality defenceman who have come through the Belleville program, most notably P.K. Subban, it was just a good all-around fit.”
The Petes interviewed six candidates and Grimes offered a seamless fit given his experience.
“It'll be a bit different for him because he took care of some things in Belleville we already have people in place for here,” Hull said. “He'll really be able to put most of his focus on hockey.”
• Can concentrate on hockey
Grimes was the Bulls' academic adviser, recruited billets and supervised curfews.
“They were all necessary and important but it sounds like a pretty neat opportunity to concentrate on hockey more than I have ever been able to,” said Grimes. “That's exciting because, as a coach over the years, you run out of time in the day.”
Petes GM Mike Oke said Grimes checked off all the boxes he and Hull set out as criteria for an assistant.
“Ideally, you'd like to find somebody who has experience coaching,” said Oke. “Experience working with defence. The fact he's familiar with the OHL is good for us. The learning curve really isn't going to be there.
“The only learning curve for Jake is familiarizing himself with the processes of Peterborough and the routine of being a Pete rather than a Bull. It's not only helpful for Jake, it's helpful for Jody and Andrew because they don't have to spend some of their time educating and bringing Jake up to speed.
“It's a good fit.”
Grimes's wife Kim teaches at Loyalist College and his son Dixon is a goalie for the Quinte Red Devils AAA major peewee team. Grimes said his family will remain in Belleville and he'll likely get a place in Peterborough and get home as his schedule allows.
Grimes, a native of Dartmouth, N.S., played with the Bulls from 1989-1992. He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in 1992 (10th round) and played four seasons for the Senators' AHL and Colonial League affiliates.
He earned an economics degree at Dalhousie University where he began coaching as an assistant with the varsity men's team. He was head coach for four years in the OHA's Western Jr. B league with Strathroy, London and Petrolia. He was Coach of the Year in 2004.
Grimes joined the Bulls in 2004-05 where he coached until this past season. Four times the Bulls reached the Eastern Conference final during his tenure, winning the conference in 2008 to reach the Memorial Cup in Kitchener.
Grimes also won three gold medals and one silver with Team Ontario at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge from 2008-11. He served as head coach for two years after two as an assistant.