Dineen’s coaching stock rises with Olympic gold
Kevin Dineen led the Canadian women’s hockey team to gold at the Sochi Olympics, then got the call to coach the men’s under-18 team at the world championship in April.
Is he becoming Hockey Canada’s go-to guy?
“I don’t know about that,” Dineen said. “Mike Babcock’s Canada’s guy as well. He’s pretty busy.”
Sure, Babcock’s still around after coaching Team Canada to back-to-back Olympic gold medals and is immersed in trying to help the Detroit Red Wings overcome a plethora of injuries to reach the playoffs. And if NHL players return to the Olympics in 2018, Babcock would likely get the right of first refusal to go for three in a row.
But Dineen could play a major role in Canada getting to that point if he continues coaching internationally, a path he has taken since getting fired by the Florida Panthers in December.
“You’re hurt, you’re mad, you’re sad when you get fired,” Dineen said in a phone interview this week.
“But at the end of the day I look back at this last two months as one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in my whole life.”
Dineen considers himself a “product of Hockey Canada,” dating to his time playing in four world championships, the 1984 Olympics and the 1987 Canada Cup.
“When I look back at my playing career I always consider that one of the best experiences that I had,” he said. “Now to get back and be on the coaching side of it, it’s a thrill, it really is.”
Dineen experienced the thrill of victory in Sochi with the women’s team after taking over for Dan Church, who resigned two months before the Olympics. Dineen wanted to ensure that Canada peaked at the right time.
It worked throughout an undefeated tournament that ended with a stunning overtime win over the United States for Canada’s fourth straight women’s gold medal. Then Dineen got to soak it all in.
“With our success in Sochi, it was a great time for me to sit back and enjoy that, just watch how my players were able to get out and celebrate their medals in so many different NHL rinks,” he said.
While experiencing some down time following the Olympics, Dineen got a call from Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson asking if he was interested in coaching the men’s under-18 team at the April 17-27 world championship in Finland.
“I was thrilled immediately,” Dineen said.