Paul Maurice named as assistant for Team Europe in upcoming World Cup
The NHL and NHL Players Association announced today that Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice has been named as an assistant coach for Team Europe.
In addition to Maurice's recognition, Team Europe announced that Peter Bondra, Sean Burke, Ricky Olczyk, Vaclav Nedomansky and Lorne Henning will serve as the team's scouting department.
“We are pleased to announce these great additions to the Team Europe staff for the World Cup of Hockey 2016,” Franz Reindl, the president of Team Europe, said. “Peter, Sean, Lorne, Paul, Vaclav and Ricky will serve important roles in helping our efforts to make next year’s tournament a successful one for our team.”
Maurice will join head coach Ralph Kruger on Team Europe's coaching staff. Kruger, a former head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, served as a consultant for Canada in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Maurice has coached over 1,200 NHL games for three different franchises: The Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg Jets. His most notable coaching achievement in the NHL came in 2002, when he coached the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final. Maurice also became the second-youngest coach to win 500 NHL games on Jan. 13, 2015. This assignment will be Maurice's first at the international stage.
Team Europe features players from European countries outside of Russia, Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic.
The World Cup of Hockey begins in September of 2016. Eight teams will participate in the tournament, including Team Europe, Team Canada, Team USA, Team Russia, Team Finland, Team Sweden, Team Czech Republic and Team North America, which is comprised of Canadian and American players under the age of 23.
