André Tourigny Named Head Coach of Team QMJHL for SUBWAY® Super Series

Press Release

The Canadian Hockey League in association with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League today announced the coaching staff for Team QMJHL that will compete in the first two games of the 2012 SUBWAY® Super Series.

André Tourigny, Head Coach and General Manager of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, will work behind the bench for both Team QMJHL games that include contests on Monday November 5 in Blainville-Boisbriand and Wednesday November 7 in Val-d’Or.  Joining Tourigny behind the bench in Games 1 and 2 as Assistant Coach will be Drummondville Voltigeurs Head Coach Mario Duhamel. Jean-Francois Houle of the host Armada will also be serving as an Assistant Coach in Blainville-Boisbriand for Game 1, while Mario Durocher of the host Foreurs will serve as Assistant Coach in Game 2 in Val-d’Or.

The SUBWAY® Super Series features regional teams of CHL All-Stars competing against the Russian National Junior Team in a six-game event serving as an integral part of the identification process for Team Canada prior to the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.  Last season the CHL prevailed with their eighth series win in nine years of this event with a 3-2-0-1 record and later captured bronze at the 2012 World Junior Championship in Calgary and Edmonton, AB.

Tourigny, who is now in his tenth season with the Huskies, is also a member of the coaching staff for Canada’s National Junior Team where he will be an Assistant Coach at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship to be played this season in Russia.  This marks his third time serving as Team QMJHL Head Coach and Team Canada Assistant following back-to-back events in 2009-10 and 2010-11.  Tourigny was named QMJHL Coach of the Year in 2005-06.

Duhamel, now in his fourth season with the Voltigeurs, is also an Assistant Coach with Canada’s National Junior Team this season.  He participated in the 2010 SUBWAY® Super Series alongside Tourigny when the event was hosted in Drummondville.  Duhamel also won gold as an Assistant Coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2011 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka.

Houle is in the midst of his second season behind the bench for the Armada after serving the previous two years as Head Coach of the Lewiston MAINEiacs.  Durocher is currently in his eleventh QMJHL season but working his first with the Foreurs as an Assistant Coach.  He also served as an Assistant Coach for this event in 2008 during his tenure with the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

The 2012 SUBWAY® Super Series is supported by CHL associate sponsors, Bank of Montreal, Old Dutch, and Post.

All games will be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet with the two QMJHL games shown on TVA Sports.

(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)