Tourigny set to coach Canada at worlds; Crosby, Bedard roster possibilities
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Arizona Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny is expected to serve as Canada's head coach once again for the IIHF men's world hockey championship in May, TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports.
The 49-year-old guided Team Canada to a gold medal at the tournament last year, having previously served as head coach of Canada's World Junior team in 2021, when the team won silver.
Tourigny is in his third season as head coach of the Coyotes, who have missed the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 years with a 30-37-5 record through 72 games.
"I expect that Andre Tourigny, the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes, will again return as head coach for Team Canada at the upcoming men's world hockey championship," Dreger said Tuesday on Insider Trading. "Again, that's not official from Hockey Canada's perspective, but what I know is that Rick Nash, the newly minted GM for Team Canada, is pushing hard. Crosby
"So, this is a decision that will be made in the very, very near future and then after that, as soon as NHL clubs are eliminated from the postseason, Rick Nash and his management group will start reaching out to general managers, seeking permission to invite specific players to play for Canada."
Tourigny could be behind the bench of a star-studded Team Canada, with two generational talents potentially being available to Nash.
"There's a tantalizing possibility here with the fact that you have Connor Bedard – obviously the Chicago Blackhawks are not going to be in the postseason – and the Pittsburgh Penguins don't appear going there with Sidney Crosby," TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston added on Insider Trading. "That is a very intriguing possibility, two first-overall picks 18 years apart. The past, the present and the future all rolled into one. And remember, Crosby had a great experience in Prague at the 2015 worlds. That's where he entered the Triple Gold Club.
"Bedard, of course, has had success at the World Junior level. We're not at the point where these players are being asked, but we know they will be in due course and there's at least a possibility, the way their seasons went, that they could be playing together in the Czech Republic."
Despite being on pace for another point-per-game season, Crosby is on track to miss the playoffs for the second straight year in Pittsburgh. The 36-year-old centre has 35 goals and 76 points in 71 games this season as he closes on Phil Esposito, who is 12 points ahead at 1,590, for 10th all-time in career points.
Bedard has been as advertised for the Blackhawks, posting 21 goals and 56 points in 58 games as he closes on the Calder Trophy. The 18-year-old forward dominated for Team Canada at the 2023 world juniors, posting nine goals and 23 points in just seven games en route to winning gold for the second straight year.
The worlds begin on May 10 and run through May 26, with play taking place in Prague and Ostrava.