CALGARY – Mark Messier, Team Canada general manager for the 2010 IIHF World Championship, has named Craig MacTavish as Canada’s head coach for the tournament, which runs May 7-23 in Cologne, Mannheim and Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Messier also named a management staff comprised of Doug Risebrough, Michel Goulet and Doug Messier.

Craig MacTavish, 51, will be coaching Canada in international competition for a fifth time, and second time as a head coach. The native of London, Ontario, was Canada’s associate coach in the 2005 and 2008 IIHF World Championship, capturing silver medals both times. He was also head coach at the 2010 Spengler Cup and an assistant coach at the 2004 Loto Cup, where Canada finished third.

MacTavish coached the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers from 2000 to 2009, leading the team to 301 wins in that time, and an appearance in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. MacTavish also served as an assistant coach with both the Oilers and the New York Rangers. As a player, he appeared in 1,093 NHL games with Boston, Edmonton, the New York Rangers, Philadelphia and St Louis, winning Stanley Cups in 1987, 1988 and 1990 with Edmonton and 1994 with New York.

“Craig is a great addition to the staff, a coach who possesses a wealth of international and professional experience,” said Messier. “Having had the opportunity to win Stanley Cups with Craig as a teammate, I have a tremendous amount of respect and faith in his skills and ability to lead Canada as head coach at the world championship.”

Messier also named a management staff on Tuesday, comprised of former NHL executives Doug Risebrough, Michel Goulet and Doug Messier. The management staff, under Messier’s leadership, will work with MacTavish and the coaching staff in assembling a roster and a support staff over the coming weeks.

Doug Risebrough, 55, has spent parts of 14 seasons as an NHL general manager, first with the Calgary Flames (1991-95) and then with the Minnesota Wild (2000-09), where he was the team’s first GM. He also worked as the Edmonton Oilers’ vice-president of hockey operations from 1996-99, and has head coaching experience with the Flames from 1990-92. As a player, the Guelph native played 740 NHL games with Montreal and Calgary, recording 471 points in 740 games and winning four Stanley Cups with the Canadiens (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979). He added a fifth Stanley Cup title in 1989 as an assistant coach with the Flames.

Michel Goulet, 49, served in a management capacity with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche from 1994 through 2009, serving as director of player personnel from 1995-98, after which he was named vice-president. In his final season with the Avalanche organization, the native of Peribonka served as assistant to the executive vice president/general manager François Giguère. Goulet had a distinguished 15-year playing career which saw him record 548 goals and 601 assists in 1,089 NHL games. Goulet reached the Stanley Cup Final once, played in five NHL All-Star Games and was selected to three First and two Second NHL All-Star Teams. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998. On the international stage, Goulet represented Canada at the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cups, as well as at the 1983 IIHF World Championship.

“I am very pleased with the group that we have assembled so far for the 2010 IIHF World Championship,” said Messier. “With the success that Canada has achieved internationally at the Olympics, our group wants to build on this momentum, while starting the process of identifying players for upcoming international competitions such as the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.”

Messier is hoping to name the rest of the coaching staff and the support staff in the next two weeks.

Canada plays Switzerland, Latvia and Italy in Mannheim during the Preliminary Round. Possible opponents in the Qualification Round, also in Mannheim, would be Sweden, the Czech Republic, Norway and France.