Grimes steps down as Eagles head coach

Cape Breton Eagles head coach Jake Grimes has resigned due to ‘personal/family reasons,’ effective immediately, according to a team news release issued late Tuesday morning.

“This is personal and no one from the Eagles organization will be commenting further,” according to the news release.

Assistant Coach Matt Anthony has been appointed interim head coach and Chris Culligan will remain as an assistant coach, while John Hanna has been appointed an interim assistant coach.

According to the news release, the search for a new head coach is underway and the organization’s focus is on “making this a smooth and productive transition for the team.”

Grimes took over as coach of the Eagles in June 2019 when he replaced Marcandré Dumont and compiled a 46-34-0-7 record over oneand-a-half seasons.

The Eagles were off to a 6-14-0-4 record at the time of his resignation.

Grimes, who's originally from Dartmouth, began his coaching career in 2000 in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOHL), holding head coaching positions with the Strathroy Rockets, London Nationals and Petrolia Jets.

After four seasons in the GOHL, Grimes accepted an assistant coaching role with the Ontario Hockey League's Belleville Bulls, spending 11 years with the organization from 2004-2015.

Grimes later joined the Guelph Storm as an associate coach. The Storm reached the 2019 Memorial Cup in Halifax.

In a June 2019 interview regarding his hiring as Eagles head coach, Grimes told the Cape Breton Post his wife and son would remain in the Guelph area.