This attitude will certainly raise eyebrows.

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This attitude will certainly raise eyebrows.

The Windsor Spitfires named Greg Walters head coach on Tuesday, just one day after the Ontario Hockey League reinstated him following a more than six-month suspension for violating the league’s code of conduct.

“Knowing Greg’s years of work in the league, his time with Hockey Canada, I think he’s a perfect fit,” said Spitfires general manager Bill Bowler. “Everywhere Greg has been, he’s been given a lot of praise. I have no concerns. He’s learned from the incident and we’re moving on like everyone else.”

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Last October, when Walters, 53, was head coach of the Owen Sound Attack, he got into a verbal altercation with a team employee during a game. Two days later, Walters was fired by the Attack and a subsequent league investigation into the matter led to his suspension.

“Hockey is an emotionally charged game and sometimes in the heat of the moment you say things you regret and that was the case,” Walters said. “I took full responsibility for that and met all of the OHL’s requirements (for reinstatement).”

Frankly, the Spitfires have had plenty of fiery personalities on the bench over the years, but Walters knows this is a different era in the game and it’s his responsibility to adapt.

“Given the situation in the OHL and their protection of everyone involved, I would never have been named head coach if there was an issue,” Walters said. “Now I’m reinstated, I can’t wait to get back to work and bring a great culture to Windsor. I’m just so excited to get back to work.”

The OHL also believes that the matter is settled with the reinstatement of Walters. In addition to the Spitfires, the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL also seem to have no concerns and brought Walters in as a guest coach for the team’s development camp this week.

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“Greg Walters has complied with the terms of his reinstatement,” OHL Commissioner David Branch said in a press release. “The league takes enforcement of its policies very seriously and believes Mr. Walters has taken the appropriate steps to be able to resume coaching in the OHL.”

With Walters, the Spitfires get a head coach with a proven track record behind the bench. In five seasons in the OHL, his team has never had a losing record.

“He cares about his players and demands responsibility from them, and the timing is just right for an individual like that, for a (young) group like ours,” Bowler said. “Nothing (about the suspension) was so egregious that he shouldn’t be allowed to return to coaching.”

“We’ve done our homework. He’s passionate, he’s good and we believe we’ll have a hungry and revitalized coach.”

Walters played three seasons in the OHL with the Ottawa 67’s before embarking on a 12-year professional career. He joined the Sarnia Sting in 2002 and spent eight seasons as an assistant/associate coach with the team before returning to Toronto to coach the Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Juniors Hockey League for three seasons.

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“I went to Georgetown for family reasons, to be close to my children, and now they are grown,” Walters said.

The Oshawa Generals hired him as head coach in 2018 and he compiled a record of 75-40-11 in two seasons and led the club to the Eastern Conference finals in 2019.

However, after the lost 2020-21 COVID-19 season, he left the Generals when the two sides could not agree on an extension, and joined the Attack in 2021. In parts of three seasons with Owen Sound, Walters posted a 71-56-16 record with the Attack, including a 4-2-1 record before being fired last season. After his firing, Owen Sound posted a 25-28-5-3 record under interim coach Darren Rumble, who was promoted from assistant coach. Runble was fired at the end of the season, along with assistant coach Sean Teakle.

Casey Torres, who served as the Spitfires’ interim coach following the firing of Jerrod Smith last season, will continue to assist the club as an assistant coach on Walters’ staff, as will former NHL player Kris Newbury.

“I love what I do and I’ve been doing it since 2002,” Walters said. “To be a coach here, especially with the Windsor Spitfires and the team that’s moving up in the future, is very exciting. I can’t wait to get started.”

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