Hockey Canada has announced that it has named Roberto Luongo Team Canada general manager for the upcoming Men’s World Hockey Championship in May. This is not the Olympics, but it will be an important barometer of what could come afterwards. Shane Doan has been named his assistant with the country’s Olympic Management group supporting. Darren Dreger announced the news Tuesday morning.
Roberto Luongo will be named Team Canada’s GM for the upcoming Men’s World Hockey Championship. Shane Doan will be named an assistant gm. The Olympic Management group will also provide support.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 20, 2021
Hockey Canada Names Robert Luongo Team Canada General Manager
This is a strong move on paper. Luongo was one of the best goalies in the league during his 19 seasons in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers. The Montreal native appeared in over 1000 NHL contests, winning 489 of them. He also posted a career save percentage of .919 with a 2.52 goals-against-average. Luongo was an all-star twice, received Vezina votes nine times, and won the Jennings Trophy in 2010-11 for allowing the fewest goals against with a minimum of 25 games. He never won a Stanley Cup, but there is little doubt that Luongo was wildly successful otherwise. His experience should be invaluable in selecting Canada’s World Championship team.
The same can be said of Doan. The Alberta product was one of the best scorers during his tenure. He posted 402 goals and 972 points in 1540 games while receiving votes for numerous awards. Doan was never all all-star, but he did win the King Clancy Trophy for leadership in 2009-10 and the Mark Messier Award for the same quality in 2011-12. He brings a measure of integrity and respect on top of the other qualities both he and Luongo possess.
What This Means
The team’s two leaders now need to begin selecting players as representatives. This should not be a huge problem as Canada still produces the largest percentage of elite talent in the hockey world. Luongo and Doan will attempt to return Canada to the top of the championship standings after the nation finished second at the 2019 championships after Finland.
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