USA Hockey today named John Tortorella, head coach of the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers, and Scott Gordon, head coach of the NHL’s New York Islanders, as assistant coaches for the 2010 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team that will compete in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C.
Tortorella previously served as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship in Halifax and Quebec City, Canada, and an associate coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2005 IIHF Men’s World Championship in Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria.
He recently finished his first year as head coach of the Rangers after being named to that position on Feb. 23, 2009. Prior to the Rangers, Tortorella spent six seasons as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He led the club to its first-ever Stanley Cup championship in the 2003-04 season and was voted the Jack Adams Award recipient as the league’s top coach.
A Boston, Mass., native, Tortorella won a Calder Cup championship as head coach of the Rochester Americans in 1996.
Gordon, most recently an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2009 IIHF Men’s World Championship in Bern and Zurich-Kloten, Switzerland, was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. The 2008-09 season was his first as head coach of the New York Islanders.
In 2007-08, Gordon led the Providence Bruins to the American Hockey League’s best regular-season record at 55-18-3, and was named the recipient of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s Coach of the Year. After being promoted to head coach in his third season with Providence for the final nine games, Gordon then spent the next five seasons as the club’s head coach.
The Easton, Mass., native played in net for Boston College and posted a career mark of 64-35-3, while leading the Eagles to the 1985 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four.
The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will take place Feb. 12-28, in Vancouver, B.C.
