The Memorial Centre home bench will have a new face at the helm.
Brett Gibson, the long-time head coach of the Men’s hockey team, announced through Queens Athletics and Recreation that he is retiring after 20 years behind the bench. He leaves the program as the winningest head coach in Queens Men’s hockey history with 281 regular season wins.
In an interview with The Journal, Gibson talked about the decision to step away from a mainstay in his life for two decades.
“It was a very hard decision and I still have mixed feelings about it. But, at the end of the day, I just felt it was time.” He added that he’s invested so much time in the program but is excited to now “invest that time in my kids.”
Gibson started his illustrious coaching career at Queens in 2005 as an assistant coach, before taking over the following year. Gibson admitted, “when you’re 25-years-old, you think you can change things quickly, I was humbled really quickly.”
Despite hardships in the beginning, Gibson’s vision of being a powerhouse eventually came to fruition, earning 17 playoff berths out of 20. This included 12 straight playoff experiences, that ultimately led to a Queens Cup victory in 2018-19.
When success came for the Gaels, the opportunity came to represent Canada behind the bench in numerous events. “I’m forever grateful that Queens allowed me to coach at the FISU games [an international university sports event] and represent Queens.” He continued to say that “Hockey Canada noticed, and I think our program became better for it.”
Gibson’s drive and passion heavily influenced his coaching style, which he even admits can be demanding at times.
“I’ve always cared about my players,” Gibson said. “I wanted to have close relationships with the players.” These relationships are evident by the 33 weddings he has attended of former members of the Men’s hockey program.
While there are thousands of moments and memories that can be recalled over the years, Gibson highlighted four that stick out.
“Number one: winning the Queens Cup in front of 3,300 people at the Memorial Centre and having my kids on the ice with me, it was phenomenal,” Gibson exclaimed.
READ MORE: ‘The best game they’ve ever seen’: Inside the 2018-19 Queen’s Men’s Hockey season, part seven
The second memory he recalled are the overtime winners of the Carr-Harris Cup which he candidly said “blew [his] mind away.” Three of the last seven games have gone to overtime, all going the Gaels way, including Derek Hamilton’s, ArtSci ’27, overtime winner this past February.
The third memory, which he paused before proudly voicing, was that the program never had a player fail out and not graduate from Queens in the 20 years he coached.
The last memory for him took place this last season and including going to the National Championship in Halifax, where Gibson played four years at St. Mary’s University. “For these players to bring me back to where it all started for me, that’s fate.”
Gibson will not be leaving the rink or the bench just yet, as he moves onto coaching his son’s minor hockey team.
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brett gibson, Carr-Harris Cup, Queen’s Men’s Hockey, Queen's, U Sports National Championship
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