Kings Associate Coach Mike Johnston Joins Canada’s Coaching Staff

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KINGS ASSOCIATE COACH

MIKE JOHNSTON JOINS CANADA’S COACHING STAFF FOR THE 2008 IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

KINGS DARREN GRANGER ALSO NAMED TO CANADA’S STAFF AS HEAD EQUIPMENT MANAGER



LOS ANGELES/CALGARY – Los Angeles Kings Associate Coach Mike Johnston will join Pat Burns and Craig MacTavish as assistant coaches on Canada’s coaching staff for the 2008 IIHF World Championship, Steve Yzerman – Canada’s General Manager – and the Kings announced today. In addition, the Kings’ Darren Granger has been named Canada’s Head Equipment Manager for the World Championship.

The three assistant coaches named today will join Yzerman, Head Coach Ken Hitchcock, Assistant General Managers Luc Robitaille and Doug Armstrong and Johnny Misley, Hockey Canada’s Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations, in assisting with Canada’s player evaluation and selection for the 2008 IIHF World Championship, which will be held in Canada for the first time. The World Championship is scheduled for May 2-18 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Quebec City, Quebec.

“The three coaches named today bring tremendous experience, at both the NHL and international levels,” Yzerman said. “I am confident that we have assembled an outstanding coaching staff that will ensure our players are prepared as we move forward, building a solid team.”

Johnston, a native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, will return to the IIHF World Championship for the second consecutive year after winning a gold medal as an Assistant Coach last year. Johnston led Canada to a fourth-place finish as Head Coach and General Manager at the 1999 IIHF World Championship, and was an Assistant Coach at the IIHF World Championship from 1994-98, winning a gold medal in 1997. Johnston is also a two-time gold medal winner with the National Junior Team, winning as an Assistant Coach in 1994 and 1995.

Kings Head Equipment Manager Darren Granger will join Johnston on Canada’s staff, marking the second time the native of Brandon, Manitoba, has worked with Canada as its Head Equipment Manager. Granger has also worked for Canada at the 2006 and 1999 World Championships (serving as Head Equipment Manager in 2006), the 1996 World Cup and the 1992 World Junior Championship.

Later today, fans can check out LAKings.com for coverage of the National Hockey League Draft Drawing, a weighted system to determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. The Draft Drawing will take place at 5 p.m. (PT) at the NHL’s New York City office, and will be televised live by VERSUS in the U.S.; TSN in Canada; and the NHL Network in the U.S. and Canada. The 30-minute, live program is titled “Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery.”