A soon-to-retire Burnaby fire captain is taking on some extra responsibilities as the new general manager of the Coquitlam Adanacs senior lacrosse team.
Randy Delmonico was announced Thursday as the club's new general manager, replacing Les Wingrove.
Delmonico served this past season as an assistant coach with the Adanacs.
Delmonico, who's also throwing his hat into the civic ring as a Coquitlam councillor candidate in the November election, also played his entire senior career with the Adanacs and was a member of the 1980 squad that represented Western Canada and helped the A's win the Nations in 80 World Championship.
"My career in the fire department and my work in lacrosse have prepared me somewhat for this. These are similar skill sets," said Delmonico.
"Fortunately I've got a big hat rack on the go."
Prior to playing for the senior Adanacs, Delmonico was a Minto Cup champion with the Burnaby Cablevision Junior A team.
He has won many awards in his coaching career, twice being named coach of the year in the Junior A league, twice winning the John Cavillan Award as the top coach in B.C. and winning once the Dorothy Robertson Award as the top coach in the Western Lacrosse Association.
The move to replace Wingrove caught many in the lacrosse community by surprise.
"Les was there for a long time and it took us (coaches) all by surprise," noted Delmonico, who will be retiring from the fire department in October after 34 years. "(The executive) had to talk me into it."
Wingrove, 67, has been the club's GM since 1997, and served as its coach until 2000. He did both jobs at various times between 1989 and 1994 as well.
Incoming club president Ed Ponsart said the decision to relieve Wingrove was extremely difficult.
"After the result from our AGM on Sunday (Sept. 25), there was some discussion by some members of the executive, not all, that we needed to make some changes," said Ponsart, who previously served as a director.
Wingrove was not available for comment.
