Pearn out as coach of Team Canada
Change comes less than three months from worlds in Nova Scotia
CALGARY— Perry Pearn is out and Troy Ryan is in as head coach of the Canadian women’s hockey team in a mid-season change.
Less than three months out from the women’s world hockey championship in Nova Scotia, Hockey Canada’s director of women’s national teams Gina Kingsbury says a change in leadership style was required.
“Sometimes, you respond differently to different leaders and I think this was the change this particular group needed,” Kingsbury said.
Pearn, who came in with 21 years of experience as an assistant coach in the NHL, went 10-7 behind the Canadian women’s bench after he was named head coach prior to the 2018-19 season.
Canada went 2-6 versus the reigning Olympic and world champion United States during
Pearn’s tenure.
The Canadians were upset by host Finland in the 2019 world championship semifinal and did not play the United States for gold for the first time in the history of the tournament. Canada beat Russia for bronze.
“Perry had brought a tremendous amount to our program, experience, a ton of hockey knowledge,” Kingsbury said. “He’s changed some of our identity of a group. He’s brought some great ideas to the forefront.
“We certainly don’t regret having him on board for the past year and a half. Sometimes, someone else needs to be crossing the finish line.”
Ryan, from Spryfield, N.S., will be at the helm for February’s three Rivalry Series games against the U.S., as well as the world championship in his home province March 31 to April 10 in Halifax and Truro, Kingsbury said.
“We’ll re-evaluate after this year to see what it looks like for Beijing in 2022,” Kingsbury said.
“We would like to name our coaching staff after this world championship for Year 3 and Year 4, so we have some consistency moving into the Olympics.
“We’re looking at the next four months and trying to get this team as prepared as possible to compete on home soil at a world championship.” The Americans have won eight of the last 10 world titles, including five straight gold. Canada last won a world championship in 2012.
Ryan, 47, has been on the national women’s team’s coaching staff since 2016, including the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where Canada settled for silver in a shootout loss to the U.S.
Pearn, 68, joined the staff as an assistant to Laura Schuler just prior to the 2018 Winter Games.