John Harrington was part of the Miracle-on-Ice team when the U.S. beat the mighty Soviet Union to win the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid. Now he would like to accomplish his next Olympic miracle: bringing Slovenia to Vancouver 2010.

The Slovenian association was looking for a new national team coach after getting relegated from the top division last year in Canada. They thought they had their man with Canadian Kevin Gaudet but no agreement was found as Gaudet didn't want leave his club team before the playoffs in Austria.

Now, John Harrington will coach the team at the Final Olympic Qualification, February 5-8. Slovenia will play in Hanover against host Germany, Austria and Japan. A difficult task where Slovenia could also need a miracle to secure the ticket to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Harrington's future behind the Slovenian bench beyond the Qualification will be decided after the tournament.

Harrington has been a successful college coach since 1984, winning the NCAA Coach of the Year Award four times. He managed the team at the Saint John’s University in Minnesota from 1993 to 2008 before moving to professional hockey in Europe.