Louis Joseph Vairo (born February 25, 1945) is an American retired

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

coach and administrator. He served as

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of the United States men's junior team at five

IIHF World U20 Championship The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, 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 t ...

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, it is the sport's highest profile annua ...

and the

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...

. 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 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...

. 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 (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

championship with HC Milano Saima, and served as an assistant coach for the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, 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 ...

. In

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

, he won five

Metropolitan Junior Hockey League The Metropolitan Junior Hockey League was an American Tier III Junior ice hockey league with teams throughout the eastern United States. The MJHL was part of the Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League organization. Founded in 1966 by New York Rang ...

championships and the New York State junior championship, and coached the

Austin Mavericks The Austin Mavericks are a defunct ice hockey team from Austin, Minnesota. Founded in 1974, they played in the Midwest Junior Hockey League from 1974 to 1977. Lou Vairo coached the Mavericks to two league championships and one national championship ...

to two

Midwest Junior Hockey League The Midwest Junior Hockey League (MWJHL) was an American junior ice hockey league. The MWJHL were members of the United Hockey Union and sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). On March 10, 2015, the league announced it would be joining ...

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 Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov (russian: Анато́лий Влади́мирович Тара́сов; 10 December 1918 – 23 June 1995) was a Russian ice hockey player and coach. Tarasov is considered "the father of Russian ice hockey" and es ...

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 USA Hockey is the 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 ...

, and later as the director of special projects for

USA Hockey USA Hockey is the 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 Sport governing body, governing body for organized ice ...

. 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; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...

coaching committee, and served as the technical coordinator of ice hockey for the

Italian Ice Sports Federation The Italian Ice Sports Federation ( it, Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio; FISG), is the governing body for ice sports in Italy. It was founded in September 1926 to promote the practice of winter sports on ice and to coordinate events. The F ...

. 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, c ...

for service to American hockey, the

Paul Loicq Award The Paul Loicq Award is presented annually by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to honour a person who has made "outstanding contributions to the IIHF and international ice hockey". Named after Paul Loicq, who was president of the I ...

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 and ...

Early life

Argentin player during 2007 rink hockey world championship

Vairo was born on February 25, 1945, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, 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, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

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 and East 108th Street; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on the west by Ralph Aven ...

. He and his friends played

street hockey Street hockey (also known as shinny, dek hockey, ball hockey, road hockey) is a collection of team sport variants played outdoors either on foot or with wheeled skates, using a either a ball or puck designed for play on flat, dry surfaces. The o ...

and roller hockey 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 ...

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 is a net used for fishing. Nets are devices made from fibers woven in a grid-like structure. Some fishing nets are also called fish traps, for example fyke nets. Fishing nets are usually meshes formed by knotting a relatively thin ...

, and

goalie pads In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

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 the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

, 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 between 49th and 50th streets in Manhattan, on the site of ...

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 on ...

, 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. In twenty-one seasons he averaged almost a point a game and won the Lady Byng Trophy twice in re ...

and

Gump Worsley Lorne John "Gump" Worsley (May 14, 1929 – January 26, 2007) was a professional ice hockey goaltender. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, 'Gump' was given his nickname because friends thought he looked like comic-strip character Andy Gump. ...

. Vairo served two years in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and was discharged in 1966. He later worked as an air conditioner repairman and short-order cook.

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 term like "dwarfism", a medical condition with a number of ca ...

referred to dwarves instead of the

minor ice hockey 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 contact, vary from cla ...

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. Anatoly Tarasov Mil

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

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 (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

3,500 bank loan to travel to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, and stayed with Tarasov's family in the summer prior to the 1972

Summit Series The Summit Series, Super Series 72, Canada–USSR Series (russian: Суперсерия СССР — Канада, Superseriya SSSR — Kanada), or Series of the Century (french: Série du siècle, Séries of the Century), was an eight-game ic ...

. 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

. 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 a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, 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 census. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River and has two artificial lakes, East Side Lake and Mill Po ...

in 1975 and coached the

in the

to two league championships and one national championship in 1976.

Early U.S. national coaching duties

Ice arena 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid

Vairo joined the

(AHAUS) in 1978 as its coaching director. He lobbied AHAUS executive director

Hal Trumble Harold L. Trumble Jr. (August 28, 1926 – March 5, 2010) was an American ice hockey administrator and referee. He served as the executive director of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States from 1972 to 1987, and managed the United ...

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, western United States, located at Palisades Tahoe, Squaw Valley, California. It was built in 1959 as venue for Ice hockey at the 1960 Winter Olympics, ice hockey, Figure skating at ...

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 to stretch across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the 36th parallel. Several climates can be found in the region — des ...

, 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; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(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 U20 Championship. The team has won 5 world junior championships (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021). Many talented NHL prospects, such as John Car ...

in the A-pool at the

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 grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

, 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 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

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 bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

. He also served as an advance scout for

Herb Brooks Herbert Paul Brooks Jr. (August 5, 1937 – August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey player and coach. His most notable achievement came in 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team at Lake Placid. At the Games, Brooks' ...

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 secon ...

Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,303. The village of Lake Placid is near the center of the town of North Elba, southwest of Plattsburgh. ...

. Vairo became head coach of the

United States men's national ice hockey team The United States men's national ice hockey team is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with its U18 and U17 development program in Plymouth, Michigan. The team is controlled by USA Hockey, the governing body for organized ice hockey in the ...

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 ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

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 Kostas Chelios (born January 25, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He was one of the longest tenured players in the National Hockey League, and is a three-time Stanley Cup champion—one with the Montreal Can ...

on defense, along with a

forward line In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team is assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. These positions describe both the player's main role and by implication their location on the gro ...

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. LaFontaine played for th ...

David Jensen David Allan "Kid" 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 ...

and

Eddie Olczyk Edward Walter Olczyk Jr. (; born August 16, 1966) is a former center in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He ...

. 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 Doug Carpenter (born July 1, 1942, in Cornwall, Ontario) is a former head coach in the National Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the International Hockey League and the American Hockey League, and is a former hockey player i ...

for two seasons on the

. 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 This was the first ...

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 E ...

Coaching in European leagues

Vairo began coaching in Europe in 1986, when he moved to the

Tilburg Trappers The Tilburg Trappers are a professional ice hockey club based in Tilburg, The Netherlands. They previously played in the highest level ice hockey league in the country, but have been playing in the German Oberliga Nord since the 2015-16 season. ...

who played in the

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. 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 The Netherlands men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey of the Netherlands. The Netherlands are currently ranked 24th in the IIHF World Ranking and currently compete in IIHF World Championship Division II. History The Net ...

at the

1987 Ice Hockey World Championships The 1987 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 52nd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was also the 63rd European Championships. Teams representing 28 countries participated in four levels of competition. In the ...

, 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, nicknamed The Fog (October 23, 1925November 24, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. He played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). However, he spen ...

to takeover coaching duties in Tilburg. Canazei

Vairo coached five seasons in Italy's

, with the first three seasons in charge of

HC Fassa HC Fassa Falcons, previously known as HC Fassa, are an ice hockey team from Canazei, Italy. They play in the Alps Hockey League, having formerly played in the top division of Italian ice hockey, the Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A ...

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 deter ...

. 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. 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 The Italian men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Italy, and is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio (FISG), a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Tournament record Olympic Gam ...

in Group B at the

1991 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships The 1991 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 55th such event sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), and at the same time served as the 66th and last Ice Hockey European Championships. Teams representing 25 countrie ...

. Italy won all seven games played, and earned promotion to Group A at the

1992 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships The 1992 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 56th such event sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Teams representing a record 32 countries participated in several levels of competition. The competition also serve ...

, 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. The games were played at the Méribel Ice Palace in Méribel, about 45 km from host city Albertville. The competition, h ...

USA Hockey and IIHF director

Vairo returned to the United States in 1992 to work for

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'' 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. Sociologists some ...

and

minority group The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

s. He also published several manuals and articles about coaching hockey. Vairo sat on the

(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

from 2000 to 2003. His best result was fourth place in the

2001 IIHF World Championship The 2001 IIHF World Championship was held between 28 April and 13 May 2001 in Nuremberg, Cologne and Hanover, Germany. It was the 65th annual event, and was run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Venues Qualification Tourname ...

, which was the closest the team came to a medal since the bronze at the

1996 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships The 1996 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 60th such event sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Teams representing 36 countries participated in several levels of competition, with Slovakia making their first ap ...

. 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. The men's and women's tournaments were won by Canada, who defeated the host United States in both finals. Medal summary Med ...

, held in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. 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 The 2003 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred as the 2003 World Junior Hockey Championships (''2003 WJHC''), was the 27th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. The tournament was held in Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, ...

Italian ice sports and national team

Vairo was named technical coordinator of ice hockey by the

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 The 2015 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 79th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams participated at several levels of competition, which also served as qualification for division placements in the 2016 M ...

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 suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, on the north bank of the Minnesota River, above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 89,987, ma ...

and

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. 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.

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 P. Lamoriello (born October 21, 1942) is an American professional ice hockey executive who is the president of hockey operations and general manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is also the former gene ...

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 Founders Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association, and the Walter Yaciuk Award from the USA Hockey Coaching Education Program. He was awarded the

in 2000, for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. The IIHF named him the

recipient in 2010, for contributions to international hockey. In 2014, Vairo was inducted into the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame, and the

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) 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 Sportspeople from Brooklyn United States Army soldiers United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees United States men's national ice hockey team coaches USA Hockey