Andrew Brunette will return to Nashville Predators for game vs Utah Hockey Club
Nashville Predators coach Andrew Brunette will be back behind the bench when they take on the Utah Hockey Club at Delta Center on Thursday.
Brunette has been away from the team since Saturday while dealing with a family matter. He released a statement via the Predators' X account explaining he's been attending to his father's illness in Ontario.
Here's the full statement by Brunette:
"My father experienced an event that required urgent medical attention back home in Ontario, which is the reason why I was away from the team for the past few days. I'm happy to be back with our group beginning today in Utah. I'd like to thank our ownership and Barry Trotz for allowing me to spend this time with my family, and thank our entire coaching staff for their help in guiding our team in my absence. My family and I sincerely appreciate the support from everyone in our organization, our players and our fans."
After missing the Predators' 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday and a 7-6 overtime win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday, Brunette will be back behind the bench against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday.
Assistant coach Todd Richards handled head coaching duties in Brunette's absence.
Brunette, 51, is from Valley East, a small suburb outside Sudury in Ontario. His father, Dan, worked for Natural Resources Canada, which was influential in Brunette's love for the outdoors growing up.
Hired by the Predators in May 2023, Brunette led the Predators to a 47-30-5 record in his first season and was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the league's coach of the year. This year, the Predators have struggled under Brunette and have been eliminated from playoff contention.
The Predators take on the Utah Hockey Club at 8 p.m. CT (FanDuel Sports Network).
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Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Andrew Brunette will return to Predators for game vs Utah Hockey Club
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