Gallant named Canada’s head coach for upcoming world championship in Latvia

Veteran NHL coach Gerard Gallant has been named Canada’s head coach for the upcoming world hockey championship in Riga, Latvia.

Hockey Canada said in a release Wednesday that Mike Kelly and Andre Tourigny will join Gallant behind Canada’s bench as assistant coaches.

Gallant, from Summerside, P.E.I., was an assistant coach with Canada’s gold medal-winning team at the 2007 world championship and its runner-up squad at the 2017 tournament.

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He has coached for nearly two decades in the NHL, including stints as head coach with Columbus (2004-06), Florida (2014-17) and Vegas (2017-20).

He won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2017-18 after guiding the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup final appearance in the franchise’s first season.

Canada has 26 gold medals at the world championship, with the last coming in 2016.

“We are fortunate to lean on the professional and executive experience that all three gentlemen will bring as Canada gets set for the IIHF World Championship in Latvia,” Tom Renney, chief executive officer of Hockey Canada, said in a release. “Gerard and Mike have worked together both at the NHL and junior level and have an understanding of what it takes to compete and win. Andre complements them with his extensive coaching resume and recent experience at the World Juniors.”

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Kelly coached Canada’s under-18 team to a gold medal at the 2003 world U18 championship and was an assistant coach at the world junior championship on three occasions (2000, 2001 and 2002).

He served as an assistant coach to Gallant in both Vegas (2017-20) and Florida (2014-17).

Tourigny recently coached Canada to a silver medal at the 2021 world junior championship.

Canada opens the world championship on May 21 at Arena Riga against host Latvia.