Canucks Add Lidster To Coaching Staff

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning named Doug Lidster to the Vancouver Canucks coaching staff today.

Lidster (52) joins the Canucks from the Texas Stars where he, alongside Canucks Head Coach Willie Desjardins, helped lead the team to the 2014 Calder Cup Championship.

He served as an Assistant Coach with Texas since 2012.

Prior to joining the Stars, he served as the Assistant Coach for the Canadian Women’s National Hockey team from 2008 to 2010, where he helped guide Team Canada to the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal in Vancouver.

In addition he helped them to the 2009 4 Nations Cup Championship in Finland, the 2010 MLP Cup Championship in Germany and a silver medal at the 2009 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Finland.

Lidster was also an assistant coach for the Women’s Team in 2003-04, helping them win gold at the 2004 IIHF World Women’s Championship and silver at the 2003 4 Nations Cup.

Lidster was the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit during 2004-05 and was the coaching director for the Victory Honda AAA hockey program in Plymouth, Michigan from 2005 to 2009.

In 2002-03, Lidster was an Assistant Coach with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League.

Prior to his coaching career, the native of Kamloops, British Columbia, was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the seventh round (133rd overall) of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. Lidster made his National Hockey League debut with Vancouver during the 1983-84 season and went on to play sixteen seasons for the Canucks, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars.

In 897 career games, he recorded 343 points (75-268-343) and 679 penalty minutes.

He played in a total of 80 Stanley Cup playoff games and he won two Stanley Cups, with the Rangers in 1994 and the Stars in 1999.
He also played four years of college hockey for Colorado College of the WCHA.

The defenceman enjoyed a very distinguished collegiate career where he tallied 174 points (56 goals, 118 assists) in 145 career NCAA games for the Tigers.

He was recognized for his on-ice performance, by being named twice to the WCHA First All-Star Team, an All-American as a senior (1982-83) and is a member of the Colorado College Athletics Hall of Fame.

On the international stage, Lidster also represented the Canadian Men’s National Team as both a player and a coach.

He played for Team Canada in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and three IIHF World Championships, winning silver in 1985 and 1991 and placing fourth in 1990.

He was a player/assistant coach for Team Canada in 1998-99 and an assistant coach in 2003 helping coach the team to the 2003 Spengler Cup Championship in Switzerland.

Lidster and his wife Joanne have three children, Ryan, Brianna and Colin.

Thanks to the Canucks media department for the info.