Hockey coach Mike Keenan hasn’t worked for four years.
In another four years, the Canadian will turn 76 and coach Italy in his home Olympics.
Sometimes miracles happen, according to the Associated Press.
Mike Keenan is the coach who has made a name for himself by insulting his players in front of open curtains. During his just over 20 years on the NHL bench, he was nicknamed “Iron Mike” for his hard-working style.
In an interview with Sportbladet in 2011, Marcus Neslund, who coached Keenan in Vancouver in the late ’90s, testified about what he was up to.
– Among other things, Mike Keenan likes to intimidate and humiliate men just to raise himself, said Näslund.
Become the captain of the Italian national team
Now the Canadian got a job as captain of the Italian national team at the Olympic tournament in Milan in 2026. When the tournament begins, he will be 76 years old.
I have a lot of international experience, but this is a unique challenge and opportunity for me. Sometimes miracles happen. Italy is a passionate sports country, so I want to set high goals, according to the AP news agency.
His last coaching job was with the Chinese KHL team Kunlun Red Star in the 2017/2018 season.
Evidence of suffocation
For a few weeks at the end of 2019, several coaches in the same mold as Keenan were fired from their NHL clubs. Mike Babcock, Bill Peters and Mark Crawford have all been accused of insulting and insulting their players in front of others on the team.
Former great Jeremy Roenick was asked in the wake of this if a coach like Keenan could coach an NHL team today.
– number. Nowadays, you cannot stifle your players.
In 1994, Keenan led the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup title and in 2014 won the Gagarin Cup in the KHL with Magnitogorsk. In addition, he has two wins with Canada in the Canada Cup on the merit list.
