Contingency plans required for the 14 NHL head coaches taking part in World Cup
One significant voice could be missing for several NHL teams when training camps get under way in mid-September.
Fourteen of the league’s 30 head coaches will take part in the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto, potentially sidelining them for the start or bulk of their own NHL camps.
It’s a unique scenario that has led to some meticulous planning for Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper.
“If you’re going to go on vacation you plan for somebody to watch your house, sit your dog, all those type of things, so this is no different,” said Cooper, an assistant with Team North America. “You’re planning exactly what’s going to go on every single day, you’re just not out there blowing the whistle. But everything is set right down to the minute on how things are going to go.