Team Canada named Andre Tourigny as the coach of the men's national team ahead of the 2023 World Championship in May.
As the 16 teams competing in the Stanley Cup playoffs are determined, the national teams are preparing for the men's World Championship on May 12 to 28.
Team Canada announced Andre Tourigny as the coach of the national men's team ahead of the tournament in Tampere, Finland and Riga, Latvia. D.J. Smith will return for a second straight year as an assistant coach, with Alex Tanguay and Troy Ryan joining as the other assistants. James Emery is the video coach.
“We are excited to unveil the experienced coaching staff that will lead Canada’s national men’s team at the IIHF World Championship this year,” said Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong. “This group brings many years of experience at the NHL, CHL, Olympic and World Championship levels, and we know they will provide great leadership as we look to compete for a gold medal in Riga and Tampere next month.”
Tourigny finished his second season as coach of the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. In his two years with the Coyotes, he has a 53-90-21 record. However, he's been a frequent choice for Team Canada in the past, winning silver at last year's World Championship as an assistant and with the 2021 world juniors team as the head coach. Tourigny has also won gold as an assistant at the 2020 world juniors and silvers in the 2010 and 2011 editions.
But wait, there's more – Tourigny led Canada's men's U-18 team to gold at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and won as an assistant during the 2008 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament.
Smith also completed his NHL season on Thursday, compiling a 120-139-32 record in four seasons so far as coach of the Ottawa Senators. Besides winning silver as an assistant at the 2022 World Championship, Smith also won gold as an assistant with the men's U-18 team at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.
Tanguay was selected to make his international coaching debut at this year's worlds. He's spent the past two NHL seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings following two years as an assistant in AHL Iowa. Most folks will know him as the man who put up 863 points in 1,088 NHL games over 16 seasons and won the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche.
Ryan is currently the coach of Canada's national women's team for the fourth year at the 2023 women's World Championship in Brampton, Ont. He'll become the first coach to serve on Canada's men's and women's national squads. He's won gold as the coach at the 2021 and 2022 women's worlds and gold at the 2022 Olympics. Ryan's also earned a silver medal at the 2018 Olympics, silver at the 2017 women's worlds and bronze at the 2019 women's worlds.
The Canadian roster has yet to be announced, but it was reported in March that Hockey Canada won't allow players of the 2018 world junior squad to represent their country in international play until an investigation into an alleged group sexual assault is completed.
Whoever is selected for the squad is expected to practise in Budapest, Hungary, from May 5 to 9 and face the Hungarian men's team on May 9. Canada will open the World Championship against Team Latvia on May 12 at 1:20 p.m. ET.