Lou Vairo
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Louis Joseph Vairo (born February 25, 1945) is an American former
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
coach and administrator. He served as
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
of the United States men's junior team at five
IIHF World U20 Championship The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), sometimes referred to as World Juniors, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is traditionally ...
s, and the United States men's team at four
Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), first officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the I ...
and the
1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian language, Serbo-Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) and commonly known as Sarajevo '84 (Serbian Cy ...
. He was an advance scout for the United States gold medal team at the
1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...
, and was an assistant coach on the United States silver medal team at the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...
. He has also served as head coach of the Netherlands men's team and the Italy men's team at the Ice Hockey World Championships. Vairo has coached in professional hockey leagues in Europe, won a
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
championship with
HC Milano Saima Hockey Club Milano (better known as Hockey Club Milano Saima after its sponsor) was an ice hockey team in Milan, Italy. History The club was founded in 1985 and initially played in the Serie B. They made their debut in the Serie A during the 198 ...
, and served as an assistant coach for the
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
. In
junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...
, he won five Metropolitan Junior Hockey League championships and the New York State junior championship, and coached the Austin Mavericks to two Midwest Junior Hockey League championships and one national championship. Vairo showed an early interest in the European style of hockey and attended a coaching clinic taught by Anatoly Tarasov of the Soviet Union national team. Vairo introduced European coaching concepts to the United States, and based his coaching style on a blend of Soviet and Canadian coaching methods to fit the culture in America and taught teams to play with speed and not rely on fighting. He served as coaching director of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States, and later as the director of special projects for
USA Hockey USA Hockey is a national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United S ...
. He invited players from non-traditional hockey areas to national development camps to give an opportunity to those would not usually get a chance. He implemented coaching education programs and published manuals and articles about coaching hockey. He sat on the
International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; ; ) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 84 member countries. The IIHF maintains the IIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockey to ...
coaching committee, and served as the technical coordinator of ice hockey for the Italian Ice Sports Federation. Vairo was awarded the
Lester Patrick Trophy The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, ...
for service to American hockey, the Paul Loicq Award for contributions to international hockey, and was inducted into the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials an ...
.


Early life

Vairo was born on February 25, 1945, in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York. His family is of
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
descent, and he grew up in the neighborhood of
Canarsie Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin, East 108th Street, and Louisiana Avenue; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on th ...
. He and his friends played
street hockey Street hockey (also known as shinny, dek hockey, ball hockey, road hockey or street roller hockey) is a collection of team sport variants played outdoors either on foot or with wheeled skates (either quad or in-line), using either a ball or puck ...
and
roller hockey Roller hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using wheeled skates. It can be played with traditional roller skates (quad skates) or with inline skates and use either a ball or puck. Combined, roller hockey is played in nearly 60 cou ...
as a boy since there were no
ice hockey rink An ice hockey rink is an ice rink that is specifically designed for ice hockey, a competitive team sport. Alternatively it is used for other sports such as broomball, ringette, rinkball, and rink bandy. It is a rectangle with rounded corners and ...
s in Brooklyn. They used improvised equipment for games, including a roll of tape for a puck,
goal posts In sport, a goal may refer to either an instance of scoring, or to the physical structure or area where an attacking team must send the ball or puck in order to score points. The structure of a goal varies from sport to sport, and one is plac ...
constructed from wood and
fishing net A fishing net or fish net is a net (device), net used for fishing. Fishing nets work by serving as an improvised fish trap, and some are indeed rigged as traps (e.g. #Fyke nets, fyke nets). They are usually wide open when deployed (e.g. by cast ...
, and goalie pads made from couch cushions and inner tubes. Vairo recalled that they played daily, and sometimes on a frozen a swamp during winter using second-hand
ice skate Ice skates are metal blades attached underfoot and used to propel the bearer across a sheet of ice while ice skating. The first ice skates were made from leg bones of horse, ox or deer, and were attached to feet with leather straps. These skates ...
s. Vairo began playing organized sports in a roller hockey league for children ages 10 to 12. He played on a team called the Canarsie Rangers. They were inspired to join a league after a chance encounter with a man who taught them how to play, when "a beat-up old car drove up with "A-1 Pest Control" painted on the side". Vairo dreamed of playing for the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
, and as a boy he attended games at
Madison Square Garden III Madison Square Garden (MSG III) was an indoor arena in New York City, the third bearing that name. Built in 1925 and closed in 1968, it was located on the west side of Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eighth Avenue between 49th Street (Manhattan), 4 ...
in the cheap seats. His favorite players included
Andy Bathgate Andrew James Bathgate (August 28, 1932 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsbu ...
,
Rod Gilbert Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert (July 1, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played his entire career for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as "Mr. Ranger", he played right wing o ...
, Harry Howell,
Jean Ratelle Joseph Gilbert Yvon Jean Ratelle (born October 3, 1940) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. He featured in three Stanley Cup Finals (1972, 1977, 1978). In twenty-one seasons he averaged alm ...
and
Gump Worsley Lorne John "Gump" Worsley (May 14, 1929 – January 26, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, 'Gump' was given his nickname because friends thought he looked like a comic-strip character An ...
. Vairo served two years in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
and was discharged in 1966. He later worked as an air conditioner repairman and short-order cook.


Career


Early coaching career

Vairo began his coaching career when a friend who organized the league he played in asked him to coach a midget-age team. Vairo later stated that he thought the term
midget Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a Medical terminology, medical term like ''dwarf'' (for a person with d ...
referred to dwarves instead of the
minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...
age group for 15-year-olds. He knew nothing of coaching at the time, and was simply instructed, "you go on the bench and organize them". Vairo went to the library the following day to get a copy of ''The Hockey Handbook'' to find out as much as he could. He later talked his way into attending a New York Rangers practice to learn more. Vairo watched a match televised on '' Wide World of Sports'' between the Soviet Union national team and the Sweden national team in 1970, and was fascinated by the European style of hockey. He wrote a letter to Anatoly Tarasov who coached the Soviets, wanting to learn more about the style of play. Tarasov wrote back and invited Vairo to attend coaching clinic. Vairo obtained a
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
3,500 bank loan to travel to
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, and stayed with Tarasov's family in the summer prior to the 1972
Summit Series The Summit Series, Super Series 72, Canada–USSR Series (), or Series of the Century (), was an eight-game ice hockey series between the Soviet Union and Canada, held in September 1972. It was the first competition between the Soviet nation ...
. He learned new methods of workouts and training on dry land which were not practiced in North America at the time, and Tarasov's methods of motivating players. Vairo stated, "He told me you don't coach with your feet, you coach with your heart and your brain, and you have to have leadership qualities, drive the boys, work them hard, but do everything you can to support them". Vairo introduced European coaching concepts to the United States, and based his style on a blend of Soviet and Canadian coaching methods, and said that he "tried to mend them together to fit the culture of our people" in the United States. Vairo returned to New York, then coached in several different age groups within the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League. He introduced European coaching concepts for training, and put emphasis on puck control, passing and speed. His teams had a reputation for being the fittest in the league and did not rely on fighting. His teams won five Junior B-level league championships in Brooklyn and
The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, and the New York State junior championship in 1975. He moved to
Austin, Minnesota Austin is a city in and the county seat of Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,174 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River and has ...
in 1975 and coached the Austin Mavericks in the Midwest Junior Hockey League to two league championships and one national championship in 1976.


Early U.S. national coaching duties

Vairo joined the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) in 1978 as its coaching director. He lobbied AHAUS executive director Hal Trumble for permission and funding, to invite players from all over the country to the national development camp at
Blyth Arena Blyth Arena was an ice skating arena in the western United States, located at Squaw Valley, California. It was built in 1959 as venue for ice hockey, figure skating competitions, and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1960 Winter Olympics ...
in Squaw Valley, California. Vairo insisted on inviting players from non-traditional hockey areas including the
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
, since he felt that experience could change the lives of potential national players who otherwise wouldn't be given an opportunity. He related the choice to his own life, that if he had been born in Minnesota instead of Brooklyn, he might have played in the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL). Vairo's work at the development camp transitioned into him coaching the
United States men's national junior ice hockey team The United States men's national junior ice hockey team represents the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championship. The team has won seven times World Junior Championships (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2024, 2025). Many NHL prospects, ...
in the A-pool at the
IIHF World U20 Championship The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), sometimes referred to as World Juniors, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is traditionally ...
s from 1979 to 1982. He led the team to sixth place in
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, seventh place in
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
, and sixth place in both
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
and
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
. He also served as an advance scout for
Herb Brooks Herbert Paul Brooks (August 5, 1937 – August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey player and coach (ice hockey), coach. His most notable achievement came in Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics, 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winning Un ...
who coached the United States team which won the gold medal in
ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States, was the 14th Olympic Championship. Twelve teams competed in the tournament, which was held from February 12 to 24, 1980. The United States won its second ...
at
Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States. In 2020, its population was 2,205. The village of Lake Placid ...
. Vairo became head coach of the
United States men's national ice hockey team The United States men's national ice hockey team represents the United States in men's international ice hockey. The team is controlled by USA Hockey, the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United States. The U.S. team is currently ...
in 1983, and led them to a first-place finish in Group B at the 1983 Ice Hockey World Championships, and earned a berth in
ice hockey at the 1984 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, was the 15th Olympic Championship. The Soviet Union won its sixth gold medal. Games were held mostly in the arena portion of the Olympic Hall Zetra, with some ...
. The team he took to the Olympics in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
had an average age of 20.7 years old, which was the youngest composition of the national team at the time. The team featured future NHL star
Chris Chelios Christos Konstantinos Chelios (born January 25, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He was a three-time Stanley Cup champion: one with the Montreal Canadiens and two with the Detroit Red Wings. Chelios played for th ...
on defense, along with a forward line nicknamed the "diaper line" due to the young ages of
Pat LaFontaine Patrick Michael LaFontaine (born February 22, 1965) is an American former ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and spent his entire playing career with the league's New York State-based teams. He was inducted into the ...
,
David Jensen David Allan Jensen (born 4 July 1950) is a Canadian-born British radio DJ and television presenter. Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Jensen began as a radio DJ on Radio Luxembourg. Jensen was later a broadcaster for the BBC from 1976 to 19 ...
and
Eddie Olczyk Edward Walter Olczyk Jr. (; born August 16, 1966) is an American sportscaster and former professional ice hockey player. He spent 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing as a center for the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Le ...
. Vairo led the team to two wins, two losses and two draw, and a seventh-place finish. He felt that team did not play to its potential, and believed that he had "acted too soft" in coaching them. It was the worst Olympic result for the United States hockey team at the time. Vairo stated that, "I took the Olympic coaching position in 1984 because no one else wanted it" due to the daunting task of defending the gold medal from 1980.


New Jersey Devils assistant coach

Vairo served as an assistant coach to Doug Carpenter for two seasons on the
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs in either the
1984–85 NHL season The 1984–85 NHL season was the 68th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers won their second straight Stanley Cup by beating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to one in the final series. League business Entry draft The 19 ...
or the
1985–86 NHL season The 1985–86 NHL season was the 69th season of the National Hockey League. This season saw the league's Board of Governors introduce the Presidents' Trophy, which would go to the team with the best overall record in the NHL regular season. The ...
.


Coaching in European leagues

Vairo began coaching in Europe in 1986, when he moved to the Tilburg Trappers who played in the
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. He led the team to a sixth-place finish during the 1986–87 season. He was also head coach of the Netherlands men's national ice hockey team at the 1987 Ice Hockey World Championships, with Ron Berteling as his team captain. The national team placed seventh in Group B, and were relegated to Group C for the next World Championships. Vairo departed for Italy in 1987, and recommended former New Jersey Devils colleague
Fred Shero Frederick Alexander Shero (October 23, 1925November 24, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. Nicknamed The Fog, he played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), but spent most ...
to takeover coaching duties in Tilburg. Vairo coached five seasons in Italy's
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
, with the first three seasons in charge of HC Fassa from 1987 to 1990. The team was based in the mountain village of
Canazei Canazei ( Ladin: ''Cianacéi'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located in the upper part of the Val di Fassa, about northeast of Trento. Its name derives from the Latin wo ...
, and was sponsored by a local
winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to de ...
. His team placed fifth during the 1987–88 season, and lost in the first round of the playoffs. He led HC Fassa to an improved fourth-place finish in the 1988–89 season, and were finalists in the Serie A playoffs. In the 1989–90 season, his team placed seventh and did not qualify for the playoffs. From 1990 to 1992, Vairo served as head coach of
HC Milano Saima Hockey Club Milano (better known as Hockey Club Milano Saima after its sponsor) was an ice hockey team in Milan, Italy. History The club was founded in 1985 and initially played in the Serie B. They made their debut in the Serie A during the 198 ...
. He led the team to a first-place finish during the 1990–91 season, and were the Serie A playoffs champions. He returned for the 1991–92 season, and coached the team to third-place finish, and reached the Serie A playoffs finals. He was also an assistant coach of the Italy men's national ice hockey team in Group B at the 1991 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships. Italy won all seven games played, and earned promotion to Group A at the 1992 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, and a berth in
ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, was the 17th Olympic Championship. All the games were played at the Méribel Ice Palace in Méribel, about 45 km from host city Albertville. The competiti ...
.


USA Hockey and IIHF director

Vairo returned to the United States in 1992 to work for
USA Hockey USA Hockey is a national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United S ...
as the director of special projects. He implemented standards for a coaching education program and for player development camps which lead into the national team programs. He also oversaw a task force on diversity which aimed to introduced hockey skills to children in the
inner city The term inner city (also called the hood) has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Soc ...
and
minority group The term "minority group" has different meanings, depending on the context. According to common usage, it can be defined simply as a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half of a population. Usually a minority g ...
s. He also published several manuals and articles about coaching hockey. Vairo sat on the
International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; ; ) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 84 member countries. The IIHF maintains the IIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockey to ...
(IIHF) coaching committee while working at USA Hockey. He established a development camp program at the IIHF, and sought for coaching concepts to be shared internationally. The program aimed to grow the hockey in hockey in Europe and Asia through events in the summer attended by players, coaches and IIHF event staff.


Return to U.S. national coaching duties

Vairo returned to the United States men's national ice hockey team as its head coach at the
Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), first officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the I ...
from 2000 to 2003. His best result was fourth place in the 2001 IIHF World Championship, which was the closest the team came to a medal since the bronze at the 1996 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships. He was an assistant coach on the national team in
ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics Hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics was held at the E Center in West Valley City and Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, Utah, United States. The men's and women's tournaments were won by Canada, defeating the hosts United States in both finals. Me ...
, held in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
. The team won a silver medal, its first medal in Olympic ice hockey since the 1980 Winter Olympics. He also coached the United States men's national junior ice hockey team in 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.


Italian ice sports and national team

Vairo was named technical coordinator of ice hockey by the Italian Ice Sports Federation in 2014, and became head coach of the Italy men's national ice hockey team. He wanted to develop Italian-born players and compose a national team that was "made in Italy". He led the team into the 2015 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships looking to be promoted to the top division of the IIHF. The team placed fifth, and remained in Division I A.


Personal life

Vairo remained friends with Anatoly Tarasov and said, "I'd later invite Tarasov to Brooklyn and he danced and ate spaghetti and meatballs at my grandmother's house, so it became a great friendship and I learned so much from him". Vairo married his secretary Joni Brown in April 1983. They have since resided in
Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis and just south of the Interstate 494/Inter ...
and
Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...
. He enjoys the
culinary arts Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...
, is a gourmet chef, and has raised his own chickens.


Legacy and awards

Vairo is referred to as the "Godfather of American Hockey" due to his strong Brooklyn Italian accent.
Pat LaFontaine Patrick Michael LaFontaine (born February 22, 1965) is an American former ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and spent his entire playing career with the league's New York State-based teams. He was inducted into the ...
who played for the United States national team described Vairo by saying, "his passion for New York, for his roots in Brooklyn, for the game — he wears it on his sleeve". New Jersey Devils general manager
Lou Lamoriello Louis A. Lamoriello (; born October 21, 1942) is an Americans, American professional ice hockey executive who most recently served as the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League ...
said, "I think it's evident in where the game has come today that you might say Lou was ahead of his time". In 1994, Vairo received both the
John "Snooks" Kelley John Andrew "Snooks" Kelley (July 11, 1907 – April 10, 1986) was an American ice hockey coach. Kelley was coach of the Boston College Eagles ice hockey team for 36 years. Kelley won the 1949 NCAA ice hockey title and was the first coach t ...
Founders Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association, and the Walter Yaciuk Award from the USA Hockey Coaching Education Program. He was awarded the
Lester Patrick Trophy The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, ...
in 2000, for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. The IIHF named him the Paul Loicq Award recipient in 2010, for contributions to international hockey.; In 2014, Vairo was inducted into the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame, and the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials an ...
.


Coaching record


League play

Career record as a head coach in league play:


International events

Career record as a head coach at international competitions: Note One of the two wins by Italy was in overtime. The IIHF calculated standings in 2015 differently than other events in this chart. The overtime win statistic is included in the win column for brevity.


References


External links


Lou Vairo's coaching publications
(WorldCat.org) {{DEFAULTSORT:Vairo, Lou 1945 births Living people American ice hockey administrators American people of Italian descent Eredivisie (ice hockey) coaches Ice hockey coaches from New York (state) Ice hockey people from New York City International Ice Hockey Federation executives Italy men's national ice hockey team coaches Lester Patrick Trophy recipients Military personnel from New York City National Hockey League assistant coaches Netherlands men's national ice hockey team coaches New Jersey Devils coaches Paul Loicq Award recipients Serie A (ice hockey) coaches United States Army soldiers United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees United States men's national ice hockey team coaches USA Hockey personnel