Former NHL defenceman Luke Richardson has been named the head coach of Canada’s National Men’s team for the 2016 Spengler Cup, Hockey Canada announced on Thursday.
Dave King and Gordie Dwyer will join Richardson behind the bench as assistant coaches for the tournament held this year in Davos, Switzerland.
“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 Sean Burke, the general manager for Canada. “With puck drop less than three weeks away we’re looking forward to representing Canada and defending gold.”
Richardson was the assistant coach for Canada’s National Men’s team when they won silver earlier in 2016 at the Deutschland Cup.
He coached the Ottawa Senators AHL team, the Binghamton Senators, for four seasons from 2012 to 2016 before leaving the team for a new opportunity at the end of last season. Prior to his head coaching duties, he was the assistant coach at the NHL level for the Senators between 2009 and 2012.
In 1,417 games as a player, Richardson scored 35 goals and added 166 assists while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Edmonton Oilers, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Ottawa Senators.
Internationally, he won gold with Canada’s Men’s Team at the IIHF World Championship in 1994, and silver in 1996.
Canada’s National Men’s Team has won the Spengler Cup 13 times since 1984, the latest coming in 2015.
