Former star goaltender Luongo named general manager of Canada’s hockey worlds team

CALGARY — Former star goaltender Roberto Luongo has been named the general manager for Canada’s men’s team for the 2021 world hockey championship.

Hockey Canada said Tuesday in a release that Luongo will oversee all hockey operations, including staff and player selection and evaluation for the May 21-June 6 tournament in Riga, Latvia.

Shane Doan and Scott Salmond were also named to Canada’s management team.

Doan and Luongo have long histories representing Canada on the ice.

Luongo appeared in three straight Winter Olympics from 2006 to 2014, helping Canada win gold in his final two Games.

Luongo made 34 saves in Canada’s 3-2 overtime win over the United States in the 2010 gold-medal game in Vancouver. Montreal’s Carey Price became Canada’s starting goalie ahead of Luongo when it defended its title in Sochi, Russia in 2014.

The Montreal native also helped Canada to two world championship gold medals (2003, ’04) and one World Cup title (2004). 

Luongo is one of only three goaltenders in NHL history to play more than 1,000 games, finishing with 1,044 over a 19-year career. He was twice named to the NHL second all-star team (2003-04, 2006-07), won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2010-11 and ranks third all-time in wins (489). 

Luongo was recently named assistant general manager for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, where he will lead goaltender evaluation.

Doan represented Canada six times at the world championship and helped his country win gold in 2003 and 2007.

Doan was also a teammate of Luongo at the 2004 World Cup and the 2006 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

He played 21 seasons (1995-2017) with the Winnipeg/Arizona franchise, and is the all-time franchise leader in goals (395), assists (560) and points (955).

Salmond was recently named assistant general manager for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. He was promoted to senior vice-president of national teams with Hockey Canada in 2018 after serving as vice-president of national teams for four years.

“Hockey Canada is excited to have Roberto lead our management group at the IIHF World Championship this year, and to continue to work with our entire Olympic management team as we continue to prepare for the 2022 Olympics,” Tom Renney, chief executive officer of Hockey Canada, said in a statement. 

“We are also fortunate to have Shane and Scott contribute as assistant general managers; both individuals bring a wealth of experience to Canada’s national men’s team.”

Canada opens the world championship May 21 at Arena Riga against host Latvia with preliminary-round games through Tuesday, June 1. 

Canada will also face Italy, Finland, Germany, Kazakhstan, Norway and the United States in the preliminary round before the tournament wraps up with the bronze and gold medal games June 6.

Canada has 26 world championship titles, with the last one coming in 2016, along with 15 silver and nine bronze.

The 2020 world championship scheduled to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2021.

The Canadian Press