Blackburn joined the Ridgebacks after spending most of his life around the professional ranks with his dad as an NHL player, coach, scout and broadcaster. Most recently, as a coach, he spent two seasons with the York Lions men's hockey team and three as a scout in the Ontario Hockey League.
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He also led the Pickering Panthers Jr. A Hockey Club to an Eastern Division Championship in 1997, the same season he was named the East Division all-star coach and Metro Junior A Coach of the Year.
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Blackburn will also continue to play a major role as an instructor at the Gary Roberts High Performance Centre, a pre-camp for NHL players. He has been with the centre since 2010.
