Hockey Canada names Men’s Olympic Team management group for Beijing 2022

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has announced the management group that will build Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, if NHL players are able to participate.

Doug Armstrong (Sarnia, Ont./St. Louis, NHL) has been named general manager. He will be joined by associate general manager Ken Holland (Vernon, B.C./Edmonton, NHL), assistant general managers Ron Francis (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont./Seattle, NHL), Roberto Luongo (Montreal, Que./Florida, NHL) and Don Sweeney (St. Stephen, N.B./Boston, NHL), and senior vice-president of national teams Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.).

The management group for Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team will be overseen by Tom Renney (Cranbrook, B.C), chief executive officer of Hockey Canada, and Scott Smith (Bathurst, N.B.), the organization’s president and chief operating officer.

“It is an exciting time to be able to introduce the members of Canada’s management group, who each bring a tremendous amount of international and championship experience that will benefit our team if NHL players are able to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics,” said Renney. “Under Doug’s leadership, as well as that of our entire management group, we’re thrilled to task them to lead us into 2022, with the opportunity to oversee our staff and players as they compete for an Olympic gold medal.”   

Armstrong takes the reins for the first time as general manager of Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team, having previously served as a member of the management group in 2010 and 2014, winning a pair of gold medals. His international résumé also includes the 2016 World Cup of Hockey championship as general manager, gold medals at the IIHF World Championship in 2007 (special assistant) and 2016 (senior advisor), and silver in 2008 (assistant general manager) and 2009 (general manager). He was also part of the worlds staff in 2002 and 2013. Armstrong is in his 11th season as general manager of the St. Louis Blues, winning the Stanley Cup in 2019 and the NHL GM of the Year Award in 2011-12. He previously spent 16 years with the Dallas Stars, winning the Stanley Cup as assistant general manager in 1999.

Holland has a wealth of international experience, having served with Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team management group in 2010 and 2014, winning two Olympic gold medals. He was also general manager of Team Canada at the 2006 IIHF World Championship, won silver as assistant general manager in 2005 and was part of the management group in 2013. Holland is in his second season as general manager and president of hockey operations with the Edmonton Oilers, joining the Oilers after 22 seasons as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings that included three Stanley Cup championships (1998, 2002, 2008). He spent more than 35 years with the Red Wings as a player, scout and management, winning another Stanley Cup as assistant general manager in 1997. In 2019 Holland was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category.

Francis won a silver medal with Canada’s management group at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, and was co-general manager at the 2018 Spengler Cup when Canada finished second. As a player, Francis represented Canada just once, winning a silver medal at the 1985 IIHF World Championship. A two-time Stanley Cup champion (1991, 1992), 2007 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee and one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players, he ranks second all-time in assists (1,249), fourth in games played (1,731) and fifth in points (1,798) in NHL history. He was named general manager of the Seattle Kraken in July 2019 after 12 seasons in the front office of the Carolina Hurricanes, serving as executive vice-president of hockey operations and general manager from 2014-18.

Luongo will make his debut with the management group, where he will be relied on for his playing experience and will lead all goaltender evaluation. He is no stranger to the Olympic Winter Games, tending goal for Team Canada in eight games across three Olympics (2006, 2010, 2014), winning gold in his final two appearances. He also played in four IIHF World Championships, winning two gold medals (2003, 2004) and one silver (2005), along with a World Cup of Hockey championship in 2004. He was also Top Goaltender at the 1999 IIHF World Junior Championship, backstopping Canada to silver. Luongo is one of only three goaltenders in NHL to play more than 1,000 games, finishing with 1,044 over a 19-year career. He was twice named to the NHL Second All-Star Team (2003-04, 2006-07), won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2010-11 and ranks third all-time in wins (489).

Sweeney will join the management group for the first time. He represented his country once as a player, helping Canada to a gold medal at the 1997 IIHF World Championship. Sweeney is in his sixth season as general manager of the Boston Bruins, winning the NHL GM of the Year Award in 2018-19 as the Bruins reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and guiding the team to the Presidents’ Trophy in 2019-20. He played 15 of his 16 NHL seasons with the Bruins, helping the team to the Stanley Cup Final in 1990, and rejoined the organization as director of player development in 2006. He became assistant general manager in 2009, winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.

Salmond was promoted to senior vice-president of national teams with Hockey Canada in 2018 after serving as vice-president of national teams for four years. In this position, Salmond oversees all operations for Canada’s men’s, women’s and para hockey teams. He has helped lead Canada to gold medals at two Olympic Winter Games (2010, 2014), four IIHF World Championships (2003, 2004, 2015, 2016), five IIHF World Junior Championships (2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2018), one IIHF U18 World Championship (2013), one IPC World Para Hockey Championship (2017) and one Paralympic Winter Games (2006), as well as a World Cup of Hockey championship (2016) and a Spengler Cup three-peat (2015, 2016, 2017). Salmond joined Hockey Canada in 2001 and has held increasingly senior high-performance roles during his tenure with the organization.

The management group will work together to select the coaching and support staff that will help lead Team Canada at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, which will be announced at a later date.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team, visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along through Twitter and Facebook.