HIGH ACHIEVERS: Meet the Ottawa team standing behind Team Canada in Milano Cortina

By Martin Cleary

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games are all about the athletes, their highs and lows, compelling stories and medal performances as well as moments of disappointment.

But if you look behind each country’s team of superb athletes, you’ll find an impressive support team that plays varying roles to bring them to the five-ringed forefront.

Canada is no different and the Ottawa contribution to the Canadian Olympic Committee’s support team is rich with coaches, technical officials and administrative leaders.

And there’s also a small, talented group of coaches with Ottawa connections who have prominent roles in Czechia and the United States.

Here are some of the behind-the-scenes supporters from Ottawa who are assisting the athletes hit their best performances at the right moment.

CRAIG SAVILL, head coach, Czechia men’s curling team

A combined four-time world men’s and junior curling champion, Craig Savill is scheduled to make his Winter Olympic debut Wednesday as a coach and his Czechia men’s curling team will be doing the same as players.

For the past seven seasons, the two-time Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer survivor and former Kanata/Manotick resident has coached Team Klima, which is skipped by Lukas Klima. A seventh-place result at the 2025 world curling championship in Moose Jaw played a big role in Czechia securing one of the 10 men’s Olympic berths.

Savill, who lives in Kensington, P.E.I., coaches the Klima team remotely, provides training plans and video analysis.

Klima tried to represent his country for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, but didn’t meet the qualifying standards.

On Wednesday, Klima, third Marek Cernovsky, second Martin Jurik, lead Lukas Klipa, alternate Radek Bohac and coach Saville are slated to play their first match in the Olympic men’s draw against Daniel Casper of the United States.

CARLA MacLEOD, head coach, Czechia women’s hockey team

A two-time Olympic women’s hockey gold medallist (2010, 2006) for Canada, Carla MacLeod has been the head coach of the Czechia women’s hockey team for almost four years. She has carried the same title with the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge since September, 2023.

At the 2022 world championships, MacLeod guided Czechia to its first bronze medal behind the one-two finish of Canada and the United States respectively. MacLeod coached Czechia to a fourth-place result at the 2025 worlds, losing 4-3 to Finland in overtime.

Previously, she was hired in 2012 by the Japanese national team as an assistant coach and helped the team qualify for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Japan, which earned a berth in its first Winter Olympics in 2013, lost its three round-robin games to Russia, Sweden and Germany, but MacLeod was praised for her coaching skills, personality and understanding of the game.

JEFF BEAN, head coach, Canadian freestyle team, aerials

A three-time Olympian as an athlete, Ottawa’s Jeff Bean is in his eighth year doing what he knows best – coaching the Canadian men’s and women’s aerials freestyle teams.

Bean, who previously coached the Australian freestyle aerials teams for four seasons, was a member of the Canadian men’s aerials team for 17 years from 1990-2007 and ranked as one of the best in the world.

At the Winter Olympics, he posted a best-ever finish of fourth in 2002, missing the bronze medal by two-tenths of a point. He also was 11th in 1998 and 19th in 2006.

Inducted into the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame in 2016, Bean was the men’s aerials silver medallist to countryman Steve Omischl at the 2005 world freestyle skiing championships. He won 17 medals on the World Cup circuit, including four gold-medal results, in his 10-year international career. In 2003, he placed third overall in the World Cup point standing, which was a personal-best showing.

PAUL KRISTOFIC, head coach, women’s alpine program, United States Ski and Snowboard Association

While working his way towards his bachelor degree in physical education, kinesiology and sport science at the University of Ottawa, Paul Kristofic took an internship with Alpine Canada. The National Capital Division alpine coach discovered his future.

Kristofic was the head coach of the national men’s program from 2006 to 2012 and served as Alpine Canada’s vice president of sport for all alpine disciplines from 2012 to 2015.

In June, 2015, he headed south to become the head coach of the American women’s alpine program and is in his 11th year guiding a team which has produced skiers like Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin.

JEAN (ROCKY) LAMONTAGNE, chief men’s starter, short-track speed skating

When the gun sounds to start a men’s short-track speed skating race at the Milano MSK competition rink, the athletes can thank Jean (Rocky) Lamontagne for sending them around the oval.

The dedicated official from the Ottawa Pacers Speed Skating Club is the chief starter for the various men’s sprint, distance and relay races.

Lamontagne, a level 5 official starter with the International Skating Union and Speed Skating Canada, told the CBC that being an official at the Olympics is the pinnacle of his career.

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He has trained more than 35 years for this opportunity. His first assignment as a starter came at a competition in 1990, when he volunteered to come out of the stands to fill in for the scheduled starter who never appeared.

At the 2023 Ottawa Sports Awards, Lamontagne was presented the Lifetime Award for Technical Official. He also is a past winner of Speed Skating Canada’s Official’s Award of Excellence for his ability to develop officials at all levels.

BRUCE CASSIDY, assistant coach, Canadian men’s hockey team

A former Ottawa 67’s forward for three OHL seasons, Bruce Cassidy had a short-lived NHL career of 36 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, but he more than made up for it with a 29-year coaching career, which has spanned all levels.

He has spent almost half of his coaching days in the NHL with the Washington Capitals (2002-06), the Boston Bruins (2016-22) and now with the Vegas Golden Knights (2022-present). As head coach, he led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup in 2023.

Cassidy, who has only one losing record on his NHL coaching sheet, won the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year for the 2019-20 season.

Serving under Olympic Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Cassidy will have team support from a pair of Ottawa Senators staff members.

John Forget, who has attended seven international competitions for Canada, will be the team’s head equipment manager. Domenic Nicoletta, who has been to three world championships as part of his four international assignments, is the head athletic therapist.

GREG KOLZ, photographer, multi sports

University of Ottawa Gee-Gees photographer and alumnus Greg Kolz will attend his fourth Winter Olympics to capture the treasured moments of the Games in a variety of sports.

His main responsibility will be looking through his lenses at the short-track and long-track speed skating competitions. He also hopes to be at ice level for men’s and women’s hockey games and figure skating.

“No two Olympics are the same,” said Kolz in a Gee-Gees news release. “Beijing 2022 was especially unique, given that the Games took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no spectators in the stands, so the atmosphere was quite muted.

“That said, I’m really looking forward to the energy that the fans, including athletes’ family and friends, will bring back to the competition this time around.”

The Team Ottawa coaching and support staff also includes:

· Chris Powers, Ottawa, assistant coach, speed, alpine ski team

· Gabrielle Ostiguy, Gatineau, short-track speed skating, physician

· Marc Schryburt, Ottawa, short-track speed skating, team leader

· Tyler Mulcock, Ottawa, long-track speed skating, team leader

· Caroline Sharp (snowboard), Julia Michalopulos (figure skating), Kristen Lacelle (freestyle skiing), Alain Brouillette (long-track speed skating), Kyle Jahns (curling) and Annie Gagnon (at-home), all media attaches; and Sylvie Bigras (press officer).

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