HELSINKI, Finland — After his 18-season N.H.L. coaching career ended tumultuously, Ron Wilson needed time to decompress and fall back in love with hockey before he would even consider coaching again. Now, almost four years after the Toronto Maple Leafs fired him, Wilson is back behind the bench, and this time he’s having fun.
Wilson, 60, is coaching Team USA at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s world junior championship, which concludes here Tuesday. He is the first former N.H.L. head coach to lead the Americans in this under-20 tournament. The team was 3-1 heading into Saturday’s quarterfinal against the Czech Republic.