Iron-Mike jumps at Italy’s helm.
Mike Keenan commanded Metallurg Magnitogorsk in Helsinki seven years ago. Petteri Paalasmaa/AOP
Mike Keenan72, returns to coaching.
Iron-Mike, who has been away from coaching for almost five years, has been hired as the head coach of the Italian national team. Pest’s goal is the 2026 Olympics, which will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The Canadian is surprised to get behind the bench once again after a long break.
– Now and then miracles happen. Italy is a country with a passion for sports, so that’s why I want to set high goals, said Keenan.
There is plenty of work to do, as Italy was last in Olympic hockey in Turin 2006. At that time, the team from the boot country finished second to last in the tournament, i.e. 11th.
Keenan started coaching in the NHL in the mid-80s at the helm of the Philadelphia Flyers. The crowning glory of his career came in the 1993-94 season, when he piloted by Mark Messier and Esa Tikkanen starred New York Rangers as the Stanley Cup champion.
Keenan is the only coach to have won a championship in both the NHL and the KHL. The man was able to lift the Gagarin Cup with Metallurg Magnitorgorsk in the spring of 2014.
Source: AP