Former Canucks coach Alain Vigneault to head coach Canada at World Hockey Championship

This May, when Team Canada takes to the ice for the 2019 World Hockey Championships, Canucks fans will be seeing a familiar face behind the bench.

See also

• Rookie defenceman Quinn Hughes shines in Canucks debut
• These are the eight best homegrown defencemen in Vancouver Canucks history
• Making the grade: A report card for some of the newest Vancouver Canucks

According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, former Canucks coach Alain Vigneault will be the head coach for this year’s event.

Expect Hockey Canada to announce its full World Championship coaching staff early next week. Alain Vigneault will be the head coach. Assistants to be determined. https://t.co/a7Isacf757

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 29, 2019

Hockey Canada has yet to make a formal announcement, but confirmation is expected within the next several days.

Assistant coaches also have yet to be named.

Vigneault has had no shortage of experience under his belt. The 57-year-old has spent 16 years coaching NHL teams, including four years with Montreal, seven years in Vancouver, and most recently, five years with the New York Rangers.

He took home the Jack Adams award after the 2006-07 season and led the Canucks and Rangers to become conference champions in 2010-11 and 2013-14.

Earlier this week, Hockey Canada announced the team’s management group, consisting of Jason Botterill, Ron Francis, and Ron Hextall.

The 2019 World Hockey Championships will take place in Slovakia starting on Friday, May 10.

They’ll take on Great Britain, Slovakia, France, Germany, Denmark, and the United States in preliminary round play.