The coaching staff for the United States at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing features a couple of familiar faces that will be recognizable to longtime Omaha hockey fans.

U.S. head coach David Quinn and assistant Mike Hastings each spent time on the Maverick bench before moving on professionally. Quinn was the first assistant in the history of the Omaha program, working under inaugural head coach Mike Kemp from 1996-2002. Hastings, the longtime coach and general manager of the USHL's Omaha Lancers, was the associate head coach for the Mavericks under Dean Blais from 2009-2012.

"It is a great point of pride for our program to have Omaha Hockey represented on the world stage at the Olympics," said Kemp, currently Omaha's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Events/Facilities. "I certainly wish both of them incredible success in Bejing and hope that they can bring back the Gold!"   

Quinn recently spent nearly three seasons as the head coach of the NHL's New York Rangers after five years as the head coach at Boston University. His Terriers were in the 2015 Frozen Four with Omaha.

He spent six years at Kemp's side, quickly building a fledgling program into a conference contender.

"David Quinn was the first person I hired to join my staff in 1996," Kemp said. "He was instrumental in the formation and the early success of our hockey program. There is no doubt that without his efforts, the start of our program would not have been so successful."

Hastings was a household name to hockey fans in Omaha when he joined the Maverick staff. He led the Lancers to three USHL Clark Cup titles and a pair of national junior hockey championships prior to his return to college hockey.

From 1994-2012, Hastings spent only one season coaching outside of Omaha.

"Mike Hastings has been a significant figure in Omaha hockey, coaching the Lancers and as a member of our Dean Blais' staff here at UNO," Kemp said. "Mike helped the program reach the 2011 NCAA Tournament, and his recruiting helped set the stage for future success."

Hastings has enjoyed a successful run, most recently, as the head coach at Minnesota State. He's taken those Mavericks to the NCAA Tournament on six occasions and advanced to the Frozen Four last season.

Quinn and Hastings will now lead the U.S. team into Olympic competition next month in China. The Americans are scheduled to take the ice for the first time on Feb. 10 against the host nation in Group A.