World Cup of Hockey GMs: Dean Lombardi (USA), Doug Armstrong (Canada)

The return of the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto is more than a year away, but expect the slow trickle of news about the NHL revenue firehose/preseason tournament to begin this summer. 

For example: The executives behind the eight teams in the tournament, representing six nations, a bunch of rookies and Anze Kopitar.

John Shannon of Sportsnet reported last week that St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong will be announced this week as the man heading up Team Canada, a job as challenging as that of a chef determining which rare truffles to shave atop their kobe beef. 

It appears his Team USA counterpart will be Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi, according to a report by John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor on Sunday:

The Massachusetts native first took over in Los Angeles in 2006. Three years later, he was selected to join the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group. As part of the panel, Lombardi has been a key figure responsible for helping shape Team USA’s roster for the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, as well as multiple international tournaments. Other members of the group include Stan Bowman (Chicago Blackhawks GM), David Poile (Nashville Predators GM), and Ray Shero (New Jersey Devils GM).

Gee, wonder who might get the nod in goal for Team USA …

I’ve been told to expect some tangible roster, sweater and schedule information around September.

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY