PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- With a name like the Mariners, the choice of a helmsman carries importance. And we now know whose hand will be on the tiller when the team makes its debut.
The Mariners introduced 33-year-old Riley Armstrong as their head coach on Saturday during a break in the action at an alumni hockey game of Bruins and Flyers players at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
The cheers he got from local fans were a change for Armstrong. His reception was less friendly in years past when he tried to beat the now defunct Portland Pirates as a member of the visiting team.
Armstrong played professionally for 12 years starting in 2004. Except for two NHL games in 2008, most of his time was spent in the lower tiers of the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames organizations along with a stint in the European leagues.
Armstrong hung up his skates in 2016 to become assistant coach of the Wheeling Nailers, the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He'll stay in the league to build the new Mariners team from the ground up. That work will include signing players and hiring staff to get ready for their first game in October.
The Mariners listed Armstrong's hockey I.Q. and his skill at developing prospects among his strengths. His connections with former coaches and teammates were also seen by the team as a valuable asset.
Joining Armstrong at his new home in Maine will be his wife, Amber, and their two children, Peyton and Ezra.