Mike Babcock to coach Team Canada at 2016 World Cup

Shawn McKenzie spoke with John Shannon about the changes the World Cup of Hockey is making going from a multi-city event to a single city event and how that may help enhance the experience.

Mike Babcock’s track record of success on the international circuit has landed him another run as the man behind the bench for Team Canada.

Babcock will be named head coach of Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup, Sportsnet can confirm. A press conference is scheduled for Thursday to make a formal announcement.

Familiarity goes a long way, so it seems. Babcock coached Team Canada to back-to-back gold medals at the Olympic Games in Vancouver and Sochi, which made him the favourite to lead the squad into action at next year’s tournament.

He’ll be accustomed to the stage, too, as the 17-day tournament will take place at the Air Canada Centre, the home of Babcock’s Toronto Maple Leafs.

The World Cup is set to begin on September 17 and will run through October 1. Eight teams will compete in the tournament, Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team Finland, Team Russia, Team Sweden, Team USA, Team Europe and an under-23 Team North America squad.

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