The Italian National Ice Hockey Team has named ex-NHL coach, Mike Keenan, as head coach of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Team, the Italian Ice Sports Federation announced. Keenan led eight teams in the National Hockey League over 25 years from 1984 through 2009.
Italy did not compete in the 2022 Beijing Games, but with the Olympics coming to Italy in 2026, they get an automatic entry into the event. In the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships, Italy finished last and was relegated to the lower level Division 1, for next year's event. Italy's highest ranking in the IIHF came in 2007, when they were ranked 13th in the world.
Keenan, 72, won the Jack Adams trophy, awarded to the best coach in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers, and then went on to lead the New York Rangers to their 1994 Stanley Cup victory. Keenan has also led the Canadian men’s hockey teams to victory in 1987 and 1991. Nicknamed "Iron Mike," for his tough style of coaching, Keenan is the only coach to win both the Stanley Cup in the NHL and the Gagarin Cup in the Russia-based KHL.
Keenan told the Associated Press, “I’ve had a lot of great international experiences but this is both a challenge and a unique opportunity for me. I’m excited to be involved in a building and development process in the run-up to an Olympics. . . . Every once in a while, miracles happen. Italy is a nation passionate about sports so that’s why I want to set high expectations.”
Although Italy is considered a respectable hockey country, regularly appearing in the top level of the IIHF World Championships, the Azzuri have not participated in the Olympics since 2006 when they hosted the Games in Torino. Italy has qualified for the Olympic Games nine times since 1936.
AJ Forrisi
Assistant Editor for America Domani, AJ Forrisi is a Brooklyn-based writer and photographer. His work focuses on food, travel, sports, landscapes, and urban scenes. You can find him on Instagram @aj.photo.works.