After Canadian men’s hockey coach Claude Julien suffered an injury that will prevent him from traveling to Beijing for the upcoming Olympics, assistant coach Jeremy Colliton will take over behind the bench, Hockey Canada announced Sunday.
Colliton, the former coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, was elevated to his new role after Julien suffered fractured ribs during a team-building activity in Switzerland, according to Hockey Canada officials.
“While it is difficult to fill in for a coach that has a pedigree like Claude Julien, I am honored to be considered as the person to lead Canada’s men’s Olympic team as head coach,” Colliton said in a statement.
According to Sportsnet, Tyler Dietrich and Nolan Baumgartner will serve as assistant coaches on Colliton’s staff.
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Colliton took over as head coach of the Blackhawks following the firing of Joel Quenneville in 2018. In 205 games, Colliton posted a record of 87-92-26, and was fired after a 1-9-2 start to the 2021-22 season.
Colliton has appeared in three tournaments as a player for the Canadian squad, including the 2005 World Junior Championships, where he won a gold medal.
Canada will get their Olympic tournament underway on Feb. 10 when they take on Germany, the reigning silver medalists in men’s hockey.
