Shannon Miller has stepped down as the Calgary Inferno’s head coach

Just over five months after being named the head coach of the Calgary Inferno, Shannon Miller has stepped down.

BREAKING: Shannon Miller has stepped down as Calgary Inferno head coachhttps://t.co/ou6MSSJox0

— Calgary Inferno (@InfernoCWHL) December 6, 2018

“The Inferno thank Shannon for her contributions to the program during her time with the team and wish her the best in her future endeavors,” remarked Inferno general manager Kristen Hagg in the team’s short press release.

The move is a bit of a surprise. Three of Calgary’s newcomers signed this off season — Zoe Hickel, Kacey Bellamy, and Brianna Decker — mentioned that playing for Miller was a big factor for them signing with the club. When the Inferno named their captains on Dec. 3, some speculated the delay was related to Miller taking some time to make the decision.

Miller was a high-profile addition to Calgary when she joined the team on June 23, 2018. She won a discrimination lawsuit against Minnesota-Duluth three months before joining the Inferno. But Miller is best known for winning five NCAA Championships at the University of Minnesota-Duluth with an impressive 383-144-50 record. She has also been credited for paving the way for the Bulldogs’ history of recruiting international talent.

Miller was Calgary’s third coach in the last three years. Her two most recent predecessors — Scott Reid and Tomas Pacina — were awarded the CWHL Coach of the Year Award.

The Inferno currently sit atop the standings of the CWHL with a record of 10-1-0-0-1. One of their two loses come from the second-place Les Canadiennes de Montreal, who recently had a coaching change of their own.

Calgary has two more series before the end of 2019 — a trip to Markham on Dec. 8 and 9 and a visit from the Furies on Dec. 15 and 16.