Ex-Canucks coach Boudreau to coach Team Canada for first time
Former Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau is getting the chance to lead his country for the first time.
The Toronto-born coach has been named the bench boss for Team Canada at the upcoming Spengler Cup.
Coaches are set for the #SpenglerCup! š
Voici nos entraĆ®neurs pour la #CoupeSpengler! š
HC/EC: Bruce Boudreau
AC/EA: Larry Mitchell
AC/EA: Jim Playfair
AC/EA: Jeff Tomlinson— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) December 15, 2023
The Spengler Cup was first played 100 years ago and is now contested annually, although there have been a few years missed due to a variety of reasons, most recently COVID-19.
The tournament features Team Canada up against club teams from around Europe. The players that represent Team Canada at the Spengler Cup are mainly Canadians playing for clubs in Europe.
This year’s tournament takes place from December 26 to December 31 and is held in Davos, Switzerland.
Boudreau coached the Canucks for parts of two seasons. He finished his tenure with the team with a 50-40-13 record but was fired after a tough start to the 2022-23 NHL season.
His firing was an emotional moment in the organization as he was left to coach the team despite the decision seemingly having been made. His replacement, Rick Tocchet, has taken the team to a new level and is a leading candidate for the Jack Adams Award as a result.
He has more than 600 wins as an NHL head coach, making him one of only 22 head coaches ever to break that mark at the highest level. He does not currently have a regular head coaching job. Instead, he works as an analyst for NHL Network.
Last year’s Team Canada Spengler Cup roster featured players that have played in the Canucks organization, such as Michael DiPietro and Wyatt Kalynuk. That team was coached by another former Canucks bench boss in Travis Green.
Green did not experience much success at the 2022 Spengler Cup. Team Canada lost all three of their games and did not place in the top three. Prior to that, they had won four of the last five tournaments.
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