Mike Pelino facts for kids

Michael Pelino (born November 13, 1959) is a famous Canadian ice hockey coach. He has coached many teams, including Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) since 2019.

Mike Pelino's Hockey Journey

Mike Pelino was born in Welland, Ontario, Canada. He loved hockey from a young age. He played college hockey at the University of Toronto from 1979 to 1984.

While playing there, his team, the Blues, won big championships in 1984. These were the OUAA and CIAU championships. He was also chosen for the Canadian All-Star team, showing he was a top player.

Coaching at Brock University

After playing, Pelino became a coach. He spent ten years as the head coach for Brock University from 1987 to 1997. During this time, he was named the OUA West Division Coach of the Year three times. This award recognized him as one of the best coaches in his division.

Coaching for Team Canada

Pelino also helped coach Team Canada. In 1991, he was part of the coaching staff when Canada won the Canada Cup.

Later, he led Canada's under-18 national team to victory at the 1996 Pacific Cup. He was also an assistant coach for Canada's gold-winning team at the 1997 World Junior Championship.

In 1999, Pelino joined Hockey Canada again. He worked as an associate coach and assistant general manager for the men's national team. He helped Canada win gold at the 2000 Nagano Cup and the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. He also helped win the 2003 and 2004 World Championships.

As a head coach for Canada, he led the team to win the 2000 Father Bauer Cup and the 2002 Spengler Cup.

Coaching in Professional Leagues

Pelino then moved to the National Hockey League (NHL), which is a top professional league. He was the head coach for the Florida Panthers in 2003-04. After that, he joined the New York Rangers as an assistant coach in 2004. He worked with the Rangers for five years.

In 2009-10, he was an assistant coach for the San Antonio Rampage in the American Hockey League (AHL). Then, he became the head coach for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes in 2010.

Coaching in the KHL

In 2013, Pelino signed a contract to be an assistant coach for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He worked under coach Mike Keenan.

In his first year, he helped Metallurg win the Gagarin Cup, which is the KHL championship. He stayed with the team and won the Gagarin Cup again in the 2015-16 season. He signed a new contract to stay with the club until 2018.

In 2016, he was also named to Canada's coaching staff for the Deutschland Cup. He served as an assistant to head coach Dave King.

Awards and Achievements

Mike Pelino has received many honors for his work in hockey:

• Ontario University Athletics (West Division) Coach of the Year in 1988, 1989, and 1995.
• He is a member of the Welland Sports Wall of Fame, inducted in 2013. This means his achievements are recognized in his hometown.
• The 1983-84 Varsity Blues’ Men’s Hockey Team, which he was part of, was inducted into the University of Toronto Hall of Fame in 2014.
• He won the Gagarin Cup in 2014 and 2016.