Hurricanes GM Peter Anholt resigns following disciplinary hearing

Peter Anholt has resigned as the Lethbridge Hurricanes' general manager following a disciplinary hearing.

Lethbridge Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt resigned Friday.

Anholt was being investigated after a verbal altercation he had with a player dating back to 2015 came to light.

The resignation brought to an end an 11-season run with the WHL club.

Anholt was previously suspended in November after a display of intimidating behaviour to the team following a game.

Both claims were filed via the league’s 1-800-WHL Respect hotline, and a 2015 claim was investigated by the WHL’s security department.

The WHL deemed that incident fell outside the league’s standards of conduct in regards to the use of threatening and intimidating language.

Despite his departure, Anholt has agreed to participate in counselling, which will be sponsored by the Hurricanes and WHL.

In a statement released Friday, Doug Paisley, the Hurricanes president of the team’s board of directors, said, “It was mutually determined that this is the best path forward following the conclusion of the investigation.

“The claim alleged Anholt breached the WHL standard of conduct with respect to threatening and intimidating language.

“The Lethbridge Hurricanes will move forward with the highest commitment to fostering a positive player environment.”

Parneta takes over

The club has named Barclay Parneta as interim general manager for the rest of the season.

Parneta was hired as a senior advisor ahead of this season.

Paisley showed support for Parneta in a statement.

“We are confident in Barclay with his extensive experience as a general manager in our league and are fortunate to have already had him on staff as a senior advisor with the Hurricanes.”

Anholt took over as Hurricanes GM and head coach in December, 2014.

Before Anholt took over, the club was in turmoil and under threat of being sold and relocated.

Under his watch, the team managed a dramatic turnaround, making back to back eastern conference finals appearances in 2017 and 2018.

His son Matt remains the Hurricanes’ head coach.

CTV Lethbridge reached out to the Hurricanes for an interview, but the declined to comment on camera.

With files from CTV Lethbridge’s Quinn Keenan