As per John Shannon of Sportsnet, Hockey Canada has named their team of four men who make up Team Canada’s management team for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. They are; St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong, Detroit Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland, Montreal Canadiens General Manager Marc Bergevin and Los Angeles Kings Assistant General Manager Rob Blake. Armstrong will serve as Team Canada’s General Manager, while Holland, Bergevin and Blake will serve as Assistants.
Hockey Canada names management team for 2016 WC of Hockey Monday.Doug Armstrong will be GM.Assisted by Ken Holland,Marc Bergevin,Rob Blake.
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) June 22, 2015
Doug Armstrong has been a part of the St. Louis Blues organization since 2008, when he signed a two-year deal with the club to be their director of Player Personnel. Once the two years were completed, Armstrong took over as General Manager and made an impact with his first big move, trading Lars Eller to the Montreal Canadiens for goaltender Jaroslav Halak. Since taking over, the Blues have made the playoffs in four of the five seasons under Armstrong’s guidance, however they’ve only made it out of the first round once.
Ken Holland brings a tremendous amount of experience and success to the management team. Noted as one of the best General Managers of his time, Holland was named GM of the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, a position he has held to this day. He has three Stanley Cup rings as a GM with the Red Wings and a fourth one as Assistant General Manager and goaltending coach. Through his tenure, the Red Wings have won the Division title ten times, the regular-season Conference title five times, the President’s Trophy four times, and has led his teams to more wins in the regular-season (789 games) and post-season (118 games).
Marc Bergevin joined the Montreal Canadiens three years ago, when the team had hit rock bottom, finishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Through smart drafting and development of young players, Bergevin has turned the Canadiens around and made them a contending team in the league. Making the playoffs in all three seasons under Bergevin and Head Coach Michel Therrien, the Canadiens reached the Conference final two years ago, in a losing effort against the New York Rangers. Last season, they lasted six games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round. Bergevin also has a Stanley Cup ring as a member of the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks, where he served as Director of Player Personnel.
Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, Rob Blake retired from competition after twenty years in the NHL and took a front-office position with the Kings before the start of the 2013-14 season. Acting as Assistant General Manager, the team won the Stanley Cup that very year. Blake also served as General Manager for the 2014 Men’s World Ice Hockey Championship. In his playing career, Blake has plenty of success at the International level, winning three gold medals (one Olympic gold) and two silver medals. A former All-Star, Norris winning defenseman and Stanley Cup Champion, Blake brings familiarity and experience to Canada’s management team.
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