There were some big shakeups at Hockey Canada on Friday, as the organization announced it had parted ways with head scout Kevin Prendergast and goaltending coach Ron Tugnutt.
Prendergast, 62, was the assistant GM in Edmonton prior to taking the Hockey Canada gig. He was in charge of all player evaluation and recruitment at the U-17, U-18 and National Junior level -- and it’s widely presumed his lack of success at the latter was the reason for his dismissal.
Since Prendergast took the job, Canada has failed to win gold at the World Juniors, posting a pair of second-place finishes, along with a third and a fourth (in 2013). The most recent finish was Canada’s lowest at the tournament since 1998.
As for Tugnutt, he had been the full-time goalie coach for Canada’s national men’s teams since 2011.