{{short description|Canadian ice hockey coach (born 1964)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox person |image=Pat Cortina.jpg |birth_date={{birth date and age|1964|9|4}} }} '''Pasqualino "Pat" Cortina''' (born 4 September 1964) is a Canadian ice hockey coach who has coached several club and national teams in Europe since the 1990s. He is serving as head coach of the SC Riessersee in Germany.
==Career== Cortina was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He has coached the Italian national team as well as Serie A teams HC Varese and HC Asiago. Cortina coached Hungarian ice hockey club Alba Volán Székesfehérvár from 2003 to 2006 (winning the Hungarian Nationwide Championship three times), German team EHC München in 2006–07 and HC Innsbruck of the Austrian Hockey League in 2007–08. From 2003 to 2009, he also coached the Hungarian national team, which they reached the top division of the IIHF World Championships in 2008, under Cortina's tenure, for the first time in seventy years.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Hungary return to top division after 70 years | language = German | url = http://www.eishockey.info/eishockey/WebApp?cmd=displayArtikelSeite&artikel=16992 | publisher = eishockey.info | accessdate = 8 May 2013 }}</ref>
In 2008, Cortina returned to EHC München, leading the team to a second-place finish in the 2008-09 2nd Bundesliga season. In 2010, he and his team won the German Cup and the 2nd Bundesliga championship, earning them promotion to the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
Following these successes, Cortina's contract with EHC München was extended to 2012<ref>{{Cite web | title = Pat Cortina extends contract with München until 2012 | url = http://www.eishockey.net/201001312336/ehc-munchen/pat-cortina-verlangert-in-munchen-bis-2012.html | language = German | publisher = eishockey.net | accessdate = 8 May 2013 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140203022526/http://www.eishockey.net/201001312336/ehc-munchen/pat-cortina-verlangert-in-munchen-bis-2012.html | archivedate = 3 February 2014 }}</ref> and, after a successful 2010–11 DEL season, by two additional years until 2014.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Cortina to stay through 2014! | url = http://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/inhalt.planungen-des-ehc-muenchen-ehc:-cortina-bleibt-bis-2014.511bf3e7-0ee7-4181-a420-a641abed39ee.html | language = German | publisher = abendzeitung-muenchen.de | accessdate = 8 May 2013 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110613095853/http://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/inhalt.planungen-des-ehc-muenchen-ehc:-cortina-bleibt-bis-2014.511bf3e7-0ee7-4181-a420-a641abed39ee.html | archivedate = 13 June 2011 }}</ref> In 2012, Cortina took over as coach for the German national team, signing a three-year contract. At the same time, he continued to coach EHC München for the 2012–13 season.<ref name="SZ 2012-09-17">{{cite web | url= http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/neuer-eishockey-nationaltrainer-pat-cortina-soll-neuer-deb-coach-werden-1.1470140 |title=The national team's new coach: Dual role for Pat Cortina |publisher=Süddeutsche.de |date=17 September 2012 |access-date=8 May 2013 | format= |quote=Jetzt ist es offiziell: Pat Cortina ist neuer Eishockey-Bundestrainer. Der 48-jährige Italo-Kanadier übernimmt neben dem Chefposten an der Bande auch die Aufgaben des DEB-Sportdirektors. Gleichzeitig trainiert er zumindest für diese Saison auch weiter den DEL-Klub EHC München.}}</ref>
Following the 2015 World Championships he did not have his contract with the German ice hockey federation renewed.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Germany Cortina part ways - 2015 WM - International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF|url = http://www.iihfworlds2015.com/en/news/germany-cortina-part-ways/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150522175630/http://www.iihfworlds2015.com/en/news/germany-cortina-part-ways/|url-status = usurped|archive-date = May 22, 2015|website = www.iihfworlds2015.com|access-date = 2016-02-11}}</ref>
In April 2016, the Schwenninger Wild Wings of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) appointed Cortina as their new head coach.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wildwings.de/web/saison/news-detailseite/?tx_news_pi1%255Bnews%255D=2627&tx_news_pi1%255Bcontroller%255D=News&tx_news_pi1%255Baction%255D=detail|title=Schwenninger Wild Wings: News-Detailseite|website=www.wildwings.de|access-date=2016-04-14}}</ref> He was sacked in late October 2018, after collecting only seven points in the first 15 games of the 2018-19 season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eishockeynews.de/aktuell/artikel/2018/10/30/pat-cortina-head-coach-der-schwenninger-wild-wings-wird-von-seinen-aufgaben-entbunden.html|title=Schwenninger Wild Wings trennen sich von Head Coach Pat Cortina – Jürgen Rumrich übernimmt bis zur Länderspielpause|website=www.eishockeynews.de|language=de|access-date=2018-10-31}}</ref> Cortina signed with the Grizzlys Wolfsburg in March 2019, taking over the head coaching job at the DEL team at the beginning of the 2019-20 season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eishockeynews.de/aktuell/artikel/2019/03/14/grizzlys-wolfsburg-praesentieren-pat-cortina-als-neuen-head-coach.html|title=Pat Cortina wird Head Coach der Grizzlys Wolfsburg – Ex-Nationaltrainer erhält Zweijahresvertrag|website=www.eishockeynews.de|language=de|access-date=2019-03-15}}</ref>
Cortina received the Paul Loicq Award in 2026, for contributions to the International Ice Hockey Federation and international ice hockey.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iihf.com/en/news/71038/iihf_announces_2026_contributors_awards|title=IIHF announces 2026 Contributors’ Awards|last=Podnieks|first=Andrew|author-link=Andrew Podnieks|date=4 December 2025|website=International Ice Hockey Federation|access-date=21 January 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.eliteprospects.com/staff.php?staff=1548 Pat Cortina at eliteprospects.com]
{{Paul Loicq Award}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cortina, Pat}} Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey people Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Austria Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches Category:Canadian sportspeople of Italian descent Category:Germany men's national ice hockey team coaches Category:Ice hockey people from Montreal Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary Category:Paul Loicq Award recipients