Chris Lazary has officially left the Saginaw Spirit for a new job in college hockey
Saginaw Spirit head coach Chris Lazary has left his coaching job with the club in an unexpected move, the team has announced.
Lazary has left the Spirit to pursue a "further opportunity", the team said in a statement. Jeff Marek reported that Lazary was taking an associate head coaching job with the University of Michigan Wolverines.
Spirit General Manager Dave Drinkill thanked Lazary in a statement, praising Lazary as some who created a "culture of winning" for the Spirit.
First off, I want to thank Chris for putting everything he had into our organization since his hiring in 2016. He has done an outstanding job developing young talent, creating a culture of winning, and helping to build this organization into one of the premier programs in junior hockey. I look forward to watching Chris start the next chapter of his coaching career and wish him nothing but the best. He will be missed tremendously here in Saginaw, but we will continue to build on our success from the last eight years.
Team President and Managing Partner Craig Goslin called Lazary "an exceptional coach", praising his "commitment to excellence, resilience, and work ethic".
The University of Michigan had not at this time confirmed the hiring of Lazary, who has been one of the OHL's leading head coaches for the Michigan-based Spirit.
Lazary has a team record of 507 games leading behind the bench in eight seasons, holding a 249-171-16-12 record as the Spirit's head coach. Lazary had a 50-16-1-1 record in 2024, winning the Memorial Cup as hosts of the tournament.
Lazary will reunite at Michigan with forward Nicholas Sima, a former Spirit alum under Lazary who was a member of the 2024 CHL winning roster. Levi Harper, who spent last season with Saginaw, is spending one more season with the Spirit before he's expected to join the Wolverines in 2027-28.
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