Pete DeBoer, behind the bench in Dallas before the Stars fired him last summer. (Photo: LM Otero, The Associated Press)

Peter DeBoer is one of those hockey travelers with a fascinating profile page on the Internet Hockey Database. He played with the Windsor Spitfires for four seasons before moving to a professional league that no longer exists, and then he hop-scotched the continent for three decades as a coach.  

This week? He’s in Italy.  

The 57-year-old is an assistant with the Canadian men’s Olympic hockey team. He has not worked in the NHL since the Dallas Stars fired him in June, which has given him more time than most to focus on the Olympic tournament.  

He spoke with our Jim Parker, at The Windsor Star, about the trip.  

“This is absolute bucket list for me,” DeBoer told Parker. “I’ve coached in Memorial Cups and Stanley Cup finals, but the Olympics, for me, has always been a different level of a sporting event.”   

The Canadian men open their tournament today, against Czechia.  

“I feel fortunate and I feel the gravity of how important it is and, not just to me, but the whole country,” he told Parker, “especially with everything going on with the political situation and all the stuff around 4 Nations.” 

You can read the full story right here.

This is not a headline you expect to see when you wake up in the morning, courtesy of Barrie Today: “Battalion coach injured in moose-related snowmobile crash." 

Bill Houlder, assistant coach with the North Bay Battalion, was reportedly injured during a snowmobile trip last month in Sault Ste. Marie.  

From the story: “Adam Dennis, president and director of hockey operations, says Houlder will be away from the team for an undetermined amount of time after he collided with a moose while on his snowmobile.” 

According to the team, Houlder his helping to coach remotely while he recovers from his undisclosed injuries.  

You can read the whole thing right here.

Greyhounds star Brady Martin. (Photo: Janson Duench, The Sault Star)

From Janson Duench, in The Sault Star: “The Soo Greyhounds may periodically rest captain Brady Martin in the coming weeks as they work to protect his shoulder.” 

It has already been a busy year for Martin, who was taken fifth overall by Nashville in the NHL Entry draft last summer. He has appeared in three games with the Predators so far this season. 

“We have to be super careful with load management,” coach John Dean told Greyhounds team reporter Peter Ruicci. “Any kind of fatigue in the injured area would be cause for us to be overly cautious with whether he participates or not.” 

You can read that story right here. 

(Photo:  Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)

OHL alum Drew Doughty (Guelph Storm) with Canadian Olympic hero/Tim Hortons spokesperson Sidney Crosby during a break in the action at a Canadian practice before the opening game at the Milan-Cortina Games.