(Reuters) – USA Hockey named John Vanbiesbrouck as general manager and David Quinn as coach of the 2022 U.S. men’s Olympic ice hockey team on Monday, after the National Hockey League (NHL) announced it would not make its players or personnel available for the Games.
Vanbiesbrouck, a former Olympian who spent two decades in the NHL, and former New York Rangers head coach Quinn face the hectic work of building a squad from players outside the league with scant time before the Beijing Olympics kick off on Feb. 4.
“We have to get to work and we have to get to work quickly,” said Vanbiesbrouck. “We have a deep bench all around our country.”
NHL last week said it would not send its players to Beijing after the pandemic forced numerous delays to its schedule, making a major impact on the tournament as players in the league represent 11 of the 12 nations competing at the Games.
The league did not send its players to the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, ending a longstanding run of participation.
“You look at the 2018 Olympics (and) it was very competitive, there was a lot of parity,” said Quinn. “It’s going to be a very, very competitive tournament.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
