Canadian hockey is looking for new management after last month’s devastating gold-medal defeat to rival Team USA at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Doug Armstrong, who has served as the Canadian men’s team general manager for the last decade, is stepping down from the role.
‘It’s time for a change,’ Armstrong told TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. ‘I’ve enjoyed every aspect of it. Obviously, you wish you could go out on top. But it would be selfish to want to do it again. It’s such a great experience, and I think more people should enjoy it.’
The Canadian men won three IIHF World Championship golds and two silvers under Armstrong, who was also working with the organization during the Olympic gold-medal runs in 2010 and 2014.
Armstrong will continue in his GM role with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.
Team Canada also suffered gold-medal defeats to Team USA in Olympic women’s hockey and men’s sledge hockey at the Paralympics. It’s unclear if Gina Kingsbury will continue as the Canadian women’s team GM following their overtime loss to Team USA in the Olympic final.
Doug Armstrong will step down as the GM of the Canadian men’s team, but will he continue in the same role for the St. Louis Blues, who rank among the NHL’s bottom four teams
Canada’s Connor McDavid (97) reacts to the gold-medal loss as Quinn Hughes smiles
‘If Hockey Canada feels like there is a role that I can help have an impact in, I would consider it,’ Kingsbury told reporters earlier this month. ‘But the whole plan/vision would have to make sense.’
Team Canada’s next men’s team roster could look considerably different at the 2028 World Cup, not to mention the 2030 French Winter Olympics.
Chicago Blackhawks phenom, Connor Bedard, 20, was a glaring omission in 2026, while 18-year-old New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer is already a budding Norris Trophy contender in the NHL.
Two western Canadian cities, Edmonton and Calgary, will host some of the World Cup in February of 2028, the NHL announced this week.
The league and the NHL Players’ Association also named Prague as another hist city for the event.
‘We at the National Hockey League and our partners at the National Hockey League Players’ Association can’t wait to bring the World Cup of Hockey 2028 to three spectacular venues in three cities that shine when staging big events,’ Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.
‘We know Calgary, Edmonton and Prague will serve as fantastic hosts for hockey fans from all over the globe, and that the greatest hockey players in the world will compete on a level that will make this event truly memorable.’
