CALGARY, Alta. – Luke Richardson (Ottawa, Ont.) has been named head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Team for the 2016 Spengler Cup, Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland.
Richardson will be joined by associate coach Dave King (Saskatoon, Sask.) and assistant coach Gordie Dwyer (Dalhousie, N.B./KHL Medvescak Zagreb, KHL). Hockey Canada and its general manager for the Spengler Cup, Sean Burke (Windsor, Ont./Montreal, NHL), announced the selections on Thursday.
“This coaching staff has experience at many levels of the game, and we are thrilled to have the leadership as we look to recreate the success from last year’s event,” said Burke, who recently led Canada’s National Men’s Team as general manager at the 2016 Deutschland Cup. “With puck drop less than three weeks away we’re looking forward to representing Canada and defending gold.”
Richardson helped Canada’s National Men’s Team to a runner-up finish as an assistant coach at the 2016 Deutschland Cup. He previously spent four seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators (2012-16) and was also an assistant coach with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators from 2009 to 2012. As a player, he won gold with Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 1994 IIHF World Championship and added a silver medal in 1996. He also played for Canada’s National Junior Team at the 1987 IIHF World Junior Championship. Richardson played in over 1,400 NHL games from 1987 to 2008 with six different teams.
King’s international coaching career got its start in 1982 with two medals – a gold at the 1982 IIHF World Junior Championship, and bronze at the 1982 IIHF World Championship. He followed that up with a bronze medal at the 1983 IIHF World Junior Championship before becoming Team Canada’s head coach in 1983-84 – a role he held until 1992-93 when he accepted an NHL head coaching role with the Calgary Flames. King won a silver medal with Canada at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games, and his last role behind the Team Canada bench came at the 2016 Deutschland Cup. King has held a variety of roles in the NHL, SHL, and KHL since 1992, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame as a builder in 2001.
Dwyer is currently in his second season as head coach of the KHL Medvescak Zagreb. As an assistant coach he won a bronze medal with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2012 IIHF U18 World Championship. Dwyer previously spent four seasons (2011-15) as head coach of the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders/P.E.I. Rocket and was also the director of player personnel and head coach of the MHL/MJAHL’S Summerside Western Capitals from 2009 to 2011. As a player, he was played 108 NHL games with Tampa Bay, the New York Rangers, and Montreal from 1999 to 2004.
Canada has appeared in 11 of the last 15 championship games at the Spengler Cup, winning the tournament in 2002, 2003, 2007, 2012 and 2015. Overall, Canada’s National Men’s Team has won the Spengler Cup 13 times (1984, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2012, 2015) since first taking part in 1984.
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