NHL 2014 News: Vancouver Canucks New Coach is Willie Dejardins - Who is He?

The Vancouver Canucks have hired Willie Desjardins as their new coach on June 23. Desjardins has established a reputation for winning champions in the American Hockey League and major junior hockey. His new role as head coach will be his first in the National Hockey League.

According to AP Sports, the Canucks are undergoing a major rebuilding effort, so Jim Benning, general manager, and Trevor Linden, president of hockey operations, will be working with Desjardins to improve the team's performance in the following season.

NHL.com writes that Desjardins replaced John Tortorella, who was fired on May 1. In an interview, also with NHL.com, Desjardins recalled telling his wife, Rhonda, when they were still dating: "I was trying to talk her into marrying me and I said, 'Rhonda, I am going to be an NHL coach.' I just didn't tell her it was going to take 25 years, so I fooled her a little bit." He added, "For sure there had to be doubts. Once you pass 40, you probably wonder if your chance is going to come. I have been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

According to the new coach, the Canucks have a good chance to join the playoffs again. He said, "We have so many great leaders on this team, and to get to be part of that group, I'm looking forward to it. They've won in the past, they'll win again." He finished by saying, "To be part of such a great organization and NHL city is just a real honor."

Through the years, Desjardins has shown that he is up for the job. He won a Calder Cup while coaching the Texas Stars. He coached the Medicine Hat Tigers, a junior hockey team, from 2002 to 2010 and functioned as general manager from 2005 to 2010. The Tigers won two Memorial Cup tournaments under his supervision. He worked as an associate coach with Dallas for two years from 2010 to 2012. He moved on to coach the farm team in the last two seasons with a record of 91-40-21, and won Coach of the Year in 2013. In 2014, he led the team to a championship. He shared that he only wanted to become a head coach.

In an article by USA Today, Willie Desjardins, 57 years old from Saskatchewan, will be introduced at a news conference on June 24, 2014. He signed a contract for four years with the Canucks. Prior to this, he was also offered a coaching job by the Pittsburgh Penguins. One of the main reasons he went with the Canucks was because he was given the privilege to choose his assistants.