Hartley signs on to coach Latvia

Latvia has landed another high-profile coach.

Former Stanley Cup champion and Jack Adams Award winner Bob Hartley has been hired to lead the Latvian national team.

"I'm excited for the newest challenge in my career as a coach. It will be my first experience working with a national team and I'm grateful to the Latvian Hockey Federation for giving me the opportunity and confidence," Hartley told IIHF.com's Martin Merk.

Latvia's former coach resigned this summer just before the program failed to qualify for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.

The country's best finish at an Olympic competition came three years prior in Sochi under the direction of longtime NHL coach Ted Nolan. That team played Canada to a 2-1 final, and eventually finished eighth.

Hartley was fired by the Calgary Flames at the end of last year after failing to return to the playoffs in his fourth season.