CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced Wednesday that Doug Shedden (Wallaceburg, Ont./EV Zug, SUI) will be head coach of Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2013 Spengler Cup, Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland. This will mark the 30th year that Canada participates in the Spengler Cup.
Serge Pelletier (Montreal, Que./HC Ambri-Piotta, SUI) will join Shedden behind the bench as an assistant coach.
Doug Shedden, 52, will be making his second appearance as head coach for Canada at the Spengler Cup after guiding the team to the championship in 2012. Shedden has twice been an assistant coach with Canada at the Spengler Cup, in 2009 and 2010. He was head coach of Finland’s national team in 2007-08, leading the Finns to a bronze medal at the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Halifax, N.S. and Quebec City, Que. Shedden is the head coach of EV Zug in the Swiss National League A, a position he has held since 2008. He has a wealth of international coaching experience and NHL playing experience, totaling 325 points in 416 games with Pittsburgh, Detroit and Toronto from 1981-91, and has previously coached in the Finnish Elite League, AHL, CHL, UHL and ECHL.
Serge Pelletier, 48, 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, he 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 2013-14 season is his fifth season with HC Ambri-Piotta, over two stints.
In addition, Brad Pascall, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of hockey operations/national teams, announced that Craig Heisinger (Winnipeg, Man./Winnipeg, NHL) and Brad Treliving (Penticton, B.C./Phoenix, NHL) will join him to form the team’s management staff, which will oversee player selection and team operations.
Brad Pascall, 43, has been Hockey Canada’s vice-president of hockey operations/national teams since July 2010, overseeing the operation of all of Canada’s national men’s teams for the organization. Pascall led team operations and player personnel decisions for Canada at the 2012 Spengler Cup, helping Canada win for a 12th time.
Craig Heisinger, 51, is the senior vice-president and director of hockey operations, and assistant general manager with the Winnipeg Jets, and has worked with Team Canada on three previous occasions, serving as equipment manager and winning gold medals at the 1988 IIHF World Junior Championship and 1997 IIHF World Championship. Heisinger was also an equipment manager for Canada at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games.
Brad Treliving, 44, is vice-president of hockey operations and assistant general manager with the Phoenix Coyotes, and was previously the president of the Central Hockey League and one of the founders of the Western Professional Hockey League.
“We are extremely pleased with the coaching and management staffs that we have assembled to lead Team Canada at the Spengler Cup this year,” said Pascall. “Doug brings great international experience as the head coach and has helped guide Canada internationally on many occasions. Both Craig and Brad have extensive knowledge of the game, having combined for more than 60 years in hockey, and will be great assets to assembling Canada’s team for the Spengler Cup.”
Hockey Canada also named its support staff for the Spengler Cup, including team manager Adam Crockatt (Uxbridge, Ont./Hockey Canada), goaltending coach Leo Luongo (Montreal, Que./HC Lugano, SUI), equipment manager Kasey LaMorre (Belleville, Ont./Hockey Canada), team doctor Jim Thorne (Calgary, Alta.), therapist Mike Gudmundson (Arborg, Man./Calgary Stampeders, CFL) and massage therapist Andy Huppi (Rapperswil, SUI/HC Lugano, SUI)
Canada’s National Men’s Team will be made up of Canadians that are 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 against HC Vitkovice Steel from the Czech Republic, and host HC Davos from Switzerland. Swiss side HC Genève-Servette, CSKA Moscow from Russia and the AHL’s Rochester Americans will play in the Torriani Group. Canada opens the tournament against HC Vitkovice Steel on Dec. 26 at 2:15 p.m. ET/11:15 a.m. PT. Hockey Canada’s official broadcaster TSN will carry all of Canada’s games live. Check local listings for times in your area.
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 the tournament in 1984.
The Spengler Cup, held annually since 1923, is the oldest professional international hockey tournament in the world.
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_men.