The Hershey Bears announced that head coach Todd Nelson returned to the team on Thursday morning per a release.
Nelson, who took family leave on November 4, was away for nine days and missed three games.
Hershey went 3-0-0 with Nelson gone, defeating the Springfield Thunderbirds during a weekend back-to-back and the Bridgeport Islanders in the morning on Tuesday as part of a “School Day” game.
Assistant coaches Patrick Wellar and Nick Bootland led the club in Nelson’s absence. Nelson was ultimately credited with the wins as he was still the leader of the team — the 105th, 106th, and 107th of his Hershey career. Nelson’s 105th victory pushed him past Spencer Carbery and Gary Inness for sole possession of 10th on the franchise coaching wins list.
“Cannot say enough about this room, the leadership group, and the resiliency you guys showed is excellent,” Wellar said when addressing the team after its 5-4 victory, Tuesday. “Obviously, it’s a great stretch of games. Doing it for Nelly and him not being here. Lot to build off of, a lot of good stuff.”
Nelson’s return came as the Bears had practice at 10:30 am at Giant Center. He will be back behind the bench for Hershey’s game versus Bridgeport on Friday night.
