CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced Thursday that Marc Crawford (Belleville, Ont.) will be head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2011 Spengler Cup, scheduled for December 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland. In addition, Doug Shedden (Wallaceburg, Ont.) and Trent Yawney (Hudson Bay, Sask.) will serve as assistant coaches.
Marc Crawford, 50, has been behind the Team Canada bench on two previous occasions, serving as head coach at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games and as an assistant at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. He has spent parts of 15 seasons as an NHL head coach with Quebec, Colorado, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Dallas, compiling a 549-421-100-77 record, becoming one of just 15 coaches in NHL history to win 500 games. Crawford won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996 and received the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach with the Avalanche in 1994-95. He was also named AHL coach of the year with the St. John’s Maple Leafs in 1992-93. Crawford played parts of six NHL seasons with Vancouver from 1981-87, recording 50 points in 176 games.
Doug Shedden, 50, will make his third appearance as an assistant coach at the Spengler Cup with Canada, having served in the same role at the 20 tournaments. He also coached Finland to a bronze medal at the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Halifax, N.S. Shedden is currently the head coach of EV Zug in the Swiss A League. He has NHL playing experience, totaling 325 points over 416 games with Pittsburgh, Detroit and Toronto from 1981-91, and has previously coached in the Finnish Elite League, AHL, CHL, UHL and ECHL.
Trent Yawney, 46, returns to the Team Canada bench for the first time since leading Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2007 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. He was also an assistant coach with Canada at the 2006 IIHF World Championship. Yawney spent parts of two seasons as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, and was head coach of the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals from 2000-05. He spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks from 2008-11 and currently serves as a scout for the Anaheim Ducks. As a player, Yawney played 208 international games for Canada, including the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, 19 IIHF World Championships and three seasons (1985-88) with Canada’s National Men’s Team, recording 68 points. He spent 12 seasons in the NHL, finishing with 129 in 593 games with Chicago, Calgary and St. Louis.
“The coaches we have named today have experience at all levels, from the NHL to the Spengler Cup and Olympics,” said Brad Pascall, vice-president of hockey operations/national teams for Hockey Canada. “We are confident they have what it takes to bring the Spengler Cup back to Canada.”
Canada’s team will be made up mostly of Canadians playing professional hockey in Europe and could also include American Hockey League players on loan from NHL teams. The roster will be announced in mid-December.
Canada will play in the Cattini Group with HC Vitkovice Steel (CZE) and host HC Davos (SUI). Dinamo Riga (LAT), EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams (GER) and Kloten Flyers (SUI) will play in the Torriani Group. Canada opens the tournament against HC Vitkovice Steel on December 26 (2:15 p.m. ET/11:15 a.m. PT).
Canada has appeared in nine of the last 11 championship games at the Spengler Cup, winning the tournament in 2002, 20. Overall, Canada’s National Men’s Team has won the Spengler Cup 11 times (1984, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007) since first taking part in the tournament in 1984.
The Spengler Cup, held annually since 1923, is the oldest professional international hockey tournament in the world.