Serious health problems for Mike Keenan, changes coach for World Cup.

Mike Keenan stopped by health problems

With just over a month to go before the start of the World Championship Division I Group A in Bolzano, the sports management of the Italian National Ice Hockey Team learns with regret that head coach Mike Keenan will not be able to attend the event due to some serious health problems, which will force the coach to undergo surgery and a subsequent recovery period. To coach Mike Keenan, from the staff, the team and the entire Italian Ice Sports Federation, go the best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Mike Pelino will lead the Blue Team, among the assistants the new face è Pearn

So Mike Pelino, already associated coach, will lead the Azzurri during the upcoming rainbow review, and he will be joined by the staff that has so far followed the Italian selection, composed of assistant coaches Fabio Armani, Giorgio De Bettin and Diego Scandella and goalie coach David Jamieson. With Pelino there will also be a new face, that of Perry Pearn.

A Canadian born in 1951, Pearn has a very long coaching career behind him. After serving as head coach for Team Canada at the 1991 Spengler Cup and for Ambr’-Piotta in the 1993-94 season, è returned to North America where from 1995 to 2017 he served as assistant coach of the Ottawa Senators(eight seasons),Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiensand Vancouver Canucks(three seasons for each franchise). In 2018, he led Canada Women’s to the World Championship, then returned as an assistant coach in the KHL, with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Last year, finally, was his experience as head coach of Japan, during which he led the Japanese right to promotion to Group A with five wins in five games.

From April 28 to May 4, two spots up for grabs in the Top Division

The World Cup in Bolzano will be held from April 28 to May 4, and vying for the two Top Division spots along with rsquo;Italy will be South Korea, Japan, Romania, Slovenia and Hungary. Next April 7, the Azzurri will begin the official camp that will propel them to the big engagement. Before the debut, scheduled for Sunday, April 28, against Romania, five friendly matches have been scheduled: two against France on April 13 and 14 in Megève and Aosta, two against South Korea on April 20 and 24 in Egna and one against Hungary on April 23 in Merano.