Hockey Canada announced Monday that Rick Tocchet, Bruce Cassidy, and Peter DeBoer will serve as assistant coaches under Jon Cooper for the 2026 Olympics.
The coaching staff mirrors the group that led Canada to victory at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. None of the four coaches have Olympic experience behind the bench.
Tocchet joined the Philadelphia Flyers in May after three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. The 61-year-old earned the Jack Adams Trophy in 2024 when he guided Vancouver to a 50-23-9 record and their first playoff appearance in several years.
The Canucks struggled last season, finishing 38-30-14. Tocchet decided to leave Vancouver for Philadelphia following the disappointing campaign.
As a player, Tocchet represented Canada at the 1987 and 1991 Canada Cups but never competed in the Olympics.
Cassidy led the Vegas Golden Knights to a 50-22-10 record last season before falling to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. The Golden Knights captured the Stanley Cup in Cassidy’s first year after he left Boston following six seasons with the Bruins.
DeBoer remains unemployed after Dallas fired him in June. The 57-year-old coached the Stars to three consecutive Western Conference Finals appearances.
DeBoer has reached the conference finals in six of the past seven seasons between San Jose, Vegas, and Dallas. None of those runs advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
Hockey Canada previously announced six players for its Olympic roster in June. Forwards Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart earned spots along with defenseman Cale Makar.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
