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USA Hockey Selects Former Wheeling Coach Laviolette To Coach National Team In World Championships

April 1, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey has announced that former Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette will serve as head coach of the United States Men's National Team at the 2004 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's World Championship, to be held April 24-May 9 in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic. Jay Leach and Greg Poss were named as assistant coaches for the 2004 U.S. Men's National Team.

Laviolette began his professional coaching career in the ECHL in 1997-98 leading Wheeling to a second place finish in the Northeast Division with a 37-24-9 record. The Nailers advanced to the Northern Conference Finals of the Kelly Cup Playoffs before losing to eventual ECHL Champion Hampton Roads.

"Peter is a talented, up-and-coming NHL head coach who has worked his way through the coaching ranks, achieving success at various levels," said 2004 United States Men's National Team General Manager Larry Pleau. "Peter's attention to detail and international experience, both as a player and coach, will be instrumental to Team USA's preparation and success at the upcoming IIHF Men's World Championship. We are thrilled Peter has accepted this opportunity to coach for USA Hockey and we look forward to working with him."

"I am very excited and honored to have the opportunity to represent my country in this capacity," said Laviolette. "I have had great experiences with USA Hockey in the past as a player and a coach and I am looking forward to this new challenge."

Last year in Laviolette's first stint as a head coach in international competition was met with wide success as he guided the 2003 U.S. Men's National Select Team to the championship of the 2003 Deutschland Cup in Hannover, Germany. Team USA went undefeated with a 3-0-0 record as Laviolette guided the United States to its first title in the tournament in just its second year of participation.

Most recently, Laviolette has served as head coach of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes this season since being hired on Dec. 15, 2003.

Laviolette became the second ECHL coach to become a head coach in the NHL coaching the New York Islanders from 2001-03. The Islanders were 77-68-19 (6 overtime losses) under Laviolette and qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2002 and 2003 after missing the postseason for seven consecutive seasons. Prior to joining the Islanders, Laviolette was an assistant coach with Boston of the NHL in 2000-01 and was head coach of Providence of the American Hockey League from 1998-2000.

A former defenseman, he spent 11 years as a player in the professional ranks, and was a member of the 1988 and 1994 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Teams, serving as captain in 1994.
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