NEW YORK: Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma will guide the US men’s ice hockey team at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, USA Hockey announced yesterday.
Bylsma has been in charge of the NHL’s Penguins for 4 1/2 seasons and built a solid resume.
He took over behind the bench midway through the 2008-09 season and led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup title that season, then won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach for the 2010-11 campaign.
He guided Pittsburgh to the best record in the Eastern Conference in the recently completed lockout-shortened 2013 campaign.
“It’s an unbelievable honor to be selected to represent our country,” Bylsma said. “Together with our coaching staff and management group, I will do everything I can to prepare our team to be in a position to win gold in Sochi.”
The Pittsburgh team guided by Bylsma includes Canadian star Sidney Crosby, who scored the overtime winner as hosts Canada beat the United States for Olympic gold in Vancouver in 2010. Assistant coaches and support staff for the team were to be named later.
A management team was also formally announced Saturday, as Nashville Predators general manager David Poile will serve as general manager and Penguins general manager Ray Shero will be the associate general manager.
Brian Burke will be the director of player personnel.
Bylsma will coach a USA Hockey team for the first time.
“In Dan, we’ve chosen someone that has had terrific success and relates well to players,” said Poile.
Reuters
