Canada women’s hockey team head coach Troy Ryan will be able to work as he pleases over the next four years, which equals a full Olympic cycle.

Hockey Canada confirmed the signing of the Nova Scotian on Thursday, just before the national team’s first game of the World Cup. The latter will sit behind the bench at major international events, including the Rivalry Series, until the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo games.

“It is a great honor for me to have the opportunity to work with this wonderful group of high-performance athletes and staff to build on our winning streak over the past year,” Ryan said in a statement. It’s an exciting time for our program and we have a special opportunity to get even better on and off the ice.”

The head coach led the team to gold at the 2021 Women’s World Cup and the Beijing Games this year. He also won silver as an assistant at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

“We’ve been fortunate to have Troy in the women’s program since 2017 and as our head coach for the past two years,” said Gina Kingsbury, director of hockey operations. Today is another step in the right direction knowing he will be with us for the next four seasons. Our team has reached the greatest heights under Troy’s leadership which is a testament to the leadership he brings to the group.

“Troy is not only an excellent coach technically and tactically, he is also characterized by his great emotional intelligence. He brings consistency to the entire program and is instrumental in the culture we create.”

Canada were due to begin their World Cup title defense against Finland later in the day in Herning, Denmark.