The coaches for the 2018 NHL All-Star game were announced on Sunday, with Jon Cooper, Gerard Gallant, Peter Laviolette and Barry Trotz to lead their respective divisions.
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Cooper, Vegas Golden Knights boss Gallant, the Nashville Predators' Laviolette and Trotz of the Washington Capitals earned selection for the All-Star game at Amalie Arena in Tampa on January 28.
Cooper, 50, will coach the Atlanta Division in his first All-Star game with the Lightning occupying first place in the NHL standings.
The Pacific will be led by Gallant, 54, in his second appearance thanks to his record with expansion franchise the Golden Knights, who top the Western Conference in their debut season.
Laviolette, 53, is back for his second All-Star game in 16 NHL seasons. The Predators are one point adrift of the Winnipeg Jets in the race for first place in the Central Division.
Trotz, 55, takes charge of the Metropolitan Division with the Capitals leading the way in the league.
Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals (Metropolitan Division), Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (Pacific Division), P.K. Subban of the Predators (Central Division), and the Lightning's Steven Stamkos are the captains during the All-Star game weekend.
Ovechkin, an All-Star for the sixth time, leads the NHL with 26 goals to go with 17 assists, while McDavid has 14 goals and 31 assists to rank ninth with 45 points to make his first All-Star game.
Stamkos was selected to the All-Star game for the fifth time after scoring 17 goals with 32 assists to rank third in the league with 49 points. Subban, the only defenseman to be named captain, is an All-Star for the third time. He has nine goals and 20 assists with a plus/minus of eight.
The All-Star game will again feature a three-on-three All-Star tournament for the third straight year with the top players from each division.
The tournament will have three 20-minute games and each team will be made up of 11 players from each Division: six forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders. The remaining players on the All-Star rosters will be revealed on Wednesday.
