CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced Monday that Guy Boucher (Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Que.), head coach of SC Bern of the National League A in Switzerland, has been named head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Team for the 2014 Spengler Cup, which will be held Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland.
Serge Pelletier (Montreal, Que.) will join Boucher behind the bench as an assistant coach.
Guy Boucher, 43, is in his first full season as head coach of SC Bern, having taken over on Jan. 27, 2014. He has also been a head coach with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning from 2010-13, AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs in 2009-10, and QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs from 2006-09. He was named QMJHL personality of the year in 2008-09, and AHL coach of the year in 2009-10. Boucher was an assistant coach with Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship, winning a gold medal, and was an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team program three times, at the 2008 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, 2007 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka summer tournament and 2006 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.
Serge Pelletier, 48, returns as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup for the second year in a row. He has been coaching in Switzerland since the 1989-90 season, first serving as head coach of HC Lugano’s under-20 hockey program for eight years. Since then, Pelletier has been a coach in the National League A, with HC Lugano, HC Fribourg-Gottéron, EV Zug and HC Ambri-Piotta, and is in his 16th season coaching at that level. The 2014-15 season is his sixth season with HC Ambri-Piotta, over two stints.
The coaching staff for the 2014 Spengler Cup was assembled by Canada’s National Men’s Team management group, led by Steve Tambellini and also including Craig Heisinger and Scott White.
“We’re excited about the staff we’ve got in place for the Spengler Cup,” said Scott Salmond, vice-president of hockey operations and national teams with Hockey Canada. “Guy is very familiar with Hockey Canada, Serge knows this tournament extremely well, and together with our management group we’re looking forward to getting on the ice in Davos next month.”
“Guy and Serge are tremendous coaches who have found success wherever they’ve gone,” said Tambellini. “We’re thrilled they’ve agreed to join our staff for the Spengler Cup, and we can’t wait to name a roster that will make Canadians proud in Davos.”
Canada has appeared in 10 of the last 13 championship games at the Spengler Cup, winning the tournament in 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2012. Overall, Canada’s National Men’s Team has won the Spengler Cup 12 times (1984, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2012) since first taking part in 1984.
Canada will be part of the Cattini Group at the 2014 Spengler Cup, opening the tournament Dec. 26 against host HC Davos (SUI). The loser of that game faces KHL Medvescak Zagreb (CRO) on Dec. 27, while the winner takes on the Croatian side on Dec. 28.
For more information on Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca, or follow along via social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada, www.twitter.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hc_teamcanada.