Nashville Predators Hire Mitch Korn as Director of Goaltending

Nashville Predators General Manager Barry Trotz announced today that the team has hired Mitch Korn as Director of Goaltending.

Korn, worked for Trotz in Nashville for 16 seasons as the team’s first-ever goaltending coach starting in 1998 and ending in 2014. Korn has also worked with the Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders throughout his illustrious career.

A few of the goaltenders that Korn has worked with and helped develop include none other than Predators legend Pekka Rinne, Tomas Vokoun Dominik Hasek, Ilya Sorokin, Braden Holtby, Philipp Grubauer and Robin Lehner.

Those playing for Korn have won five Vezina Trophies, three William M. Jennings Trophies and two Hart Trophies. Under Korn, Rinne separated himself as one of the greatest goaltenders of his era, finishing as a Vezina Trophy Finalist in 2011 and 2012. Hasek enjoyed four of the best statistical seasons of his legendary career under the guidance and leadership of Korn. Hasek captured the Vezina Trophy four times (1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998) and the Hart Trophy twice (1997 and 1998). He is the only goaltender in NHL history to win the league’s MVP award multiple times.

“I’ve known and worked with Mitch for a long time, and we are happy to be welcoming back one of the great goaltending minds in the game of hockey,” Trotz said. “Mitch’s resume speaks for itself. He has an uncanny ability to communicate the language of goaltending to his players in a way that helps them easily understand how he is trying to make them better. With Mitch at the helm of an already impressive goaltending department that includes Ben, Jason and Pekka, I’m confident that our franchise’s longtime success at the position will continue to grow.”

“I am incredibly excited to return to Nashville and the Predators organization,” Korn said. “I last worked here 10 years ago, so I am looking forward to re-connecting with all the people who are still part of the Predators family, and to meeting and working with all those who have come on board since. I’m most excited to again be working with Ben Vanderklok, who I hired as my assistant in 2009. He has done an amazing job during his time with the Predators, and we’ve maintained a strong friendship and working relationship in this industry. Along with Barry, Ben was instrumental in having me return to the place where my family and I made so many memories.”