Pete DeBoer not ruling out NHL coaching job if made available before Olympics
Once an NHL coach is fired this year, Peter DeBoer will likely be one of the first people called. But whether or not that happens before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Peter DeBoer isn’t too worried about it right now.
The Dallas Stars fired the long-time NHL coach after falling in the Western Conference finals for the third straight year last spring. A month later, DeBoer was named to Canada’s Olympic coaching staff, serving bench boss Jon Cooper alongside Bruce Cassidy, Rick Tocchet and Misha Donskov.
Right now, DeBoer is focused on Canada’s Olympic team. But as he told Morning Cuppa Hockey hosts Jonny Lazarus and Colby Cohen, he’d consider an NHL coaching job beforehand if the opportunity was right:
Jonny Lazarus: “I just have to ask you whether it is fair to say, because of what you’ve just talked about with the Olympics, and how you want to be so present for the Olympics. Are you not necessarily itching for an NHL job right now if it came available to you before the Olympics? Do you want to be, you know fully immersed in that experience or, if the right situation came up, you’d have to consider it?”
Pete DeBoer: “Yeah, I think for sure if the right situation came up, you’d have to consider it. It’s the best league in the world. I do want to coach again, and I think I’m ready to coach again and make a difference if I go in somewhere. If it doesn’t happen, I’m at peace with it too. I’ve got a lot of things going on, including some great family time. And the Olympics are in the near future. My hockey journey has been exceptional. And I think every path I’ve gone down, every crossroads I’ve been at, I’ve always trusted the process that everything happens for a reason. And it has always worked out. So whatever the future holds, I’m at peace and comfortable with it.”
Colby Cohen: “Are you paying closer attention to certain teams, keeping an eye on the whole league in general, and just making sure your fingers on the pulse, which you’re doing for Team Canada anyway?”
Pete DeBoer: “I’ve got too much respect for how hard that job is coaching in the NHL to be sitting here watching, hoping guys fail. I’m not built that way. At the same time, 17 years in the league, I think I’ve got pretty good knowledge of every team in the league and what they’re going through. And I am watching a ton of games from an Olympic evaluation point of view. I’m also watching from a system style of play point of view, looking at the latest trends in the league, and what’s working. Every year, there are subtle changes to that. I’m not the guy that’s going, ‘Oh, this team’s lost three in a row, I’m gonna dial in on them and hope this guy gets fired,’ because I’ve been that guy, and it’s a tough spot to be in, and it’s too tough a job, and I’ve got too much respect for it.”
You can listen to the full episode below: