For some reason, Jeff Blashill got hired to coach USA at the World Championships
7 years ago
Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
USA Hockey over the past year and a half has been an absolute joke. From the treatment of their women’s hockey team, to the team’s World Cup roster selection, it’s been mostly a disaster as to this organization’s leadership. Remember when Justin Abdelkader was selected ahead of Phil Kessel?
Today, USA Hockey made another questionable decision: they named Jeff Blashill the coach of their team for the 2017 IIHF World Hockey Championship.
Blashill has become one of the worst coaches in the NHL over his two seasons with Detroit, repeatedly making confusing lineup decisions, unclear tactics and being part of one of the worst power plays ever. He’ll forever be remembered as the coach who ended the Red Wings 25-year playoff run, but perhaps more impressively, the guy who made the playoffs with a -13 goal differential. What an accomplishment.
From the press release:
“We’re extremely pleased to have Jeff lead our men’s national team at the world championship,” said Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey and part of the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group. “He’s been successful at every step of his career and we know our team will be well prepared when the puck drops.”
Blashill will be making his debut as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team. He has previously been involved with U.S. teams in international competition as goatlending coach for the 2009 U.S. National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship and as assistant coach for both the U.S. Junior Select Team at the 2009 World Junior A Challenge and the U.S. National Under-18 Select Team at the 2006 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
(And yes, the press release does actually say “goatlending”. Does anyone need a copy editor?
Best of luck to Jeff… he’ll certainly need it.
Editor’s note: Look’s like he’s getting a teammate:
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