Status: 01/30/2023 2:03 p.m
Harold Kreis becomes the new national ice hockey coach. At the second attempt, the German Ice Hockey Federation secured the services of the veteran, who is said to be on the boards at the World Cup in Finland and Latvia.
Whenever it comes to filling the post of national ice hockey coach, the name Harold Kreis comes up. That’s because the 64-year-old German-Canadian has a reputation for being an excellent coach.
Now it has worked out between the former professional and the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB). On Monday (January 30th, 2023) DEB Vice President Andreas Niederberger and DEB Sports Director Christian Künast presented Kreis as the new manager behind the gang. He succeeds Toni Söderholm. The Finn, who originally had a contract until 2026, surprisingly quit after four years in mid-November and switched to top Swiss club SC Bern. The assistant coach will be former national player Alexander Sulzer, who is also assistant coach at Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven and will have a dual role in the future.
“I’ve experienced a lot in my career, but now working as a national coach is something very special for me. It’s a huge pleasure and a huge honor that I will approach with respect, humility and team spirit,” said Kreis : “I am very happy and very grateful.” He has a contract until 2026.
Assistant at three world championships
Kreis is of course not new to the DEB. In 2010 he was assistant to the then national coach Uwe Krupp and thus played a key role in Germany’s semi-finals at the home World Cup. The long-time national defender was already considered a “secret national coach”. In the 2011 and 2012 tournaments, too, he was behind the boards as assistant coach for the DEB selection.
2018 did not get approval
In 2018 Kreis was to succeed Marco Sturm. He had just led the team to the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. The DEB President at the time, Franz Reindl, was keen to get his former national team colleague Kreis. At the time, however, he was the coach of the Düsseldorf EG and was not given clearance.
Kreis is currently the coach of the Schwenninger Wild Wings. His contract ends after this season. The main round of the German Ice Hockey League ends at the beginning of March. As currently ninth in the table, the Black Forest are still fighting for the playoff participation. At the start of the World Cup preparations in early April, Kreis could probably start as a national coach. It could be problematic if the Wild Wings manage a big surprise and the playoff participation overlaps with the start of the World Cup preparations on April 4th.
The safe option
He is to continue the successful work of his predecessors Sturm and Söderholm at the World Cup in Finland and Latvia from May 12th to 28th. After the DEB showed a lot of courage when signing them and was rewarded for it – Sturm was considered a talented coach, Söderholm was largely unknown in Germany – the current sports director Christian Künast is back to an apparently safe variant. The 180-time national player Kreis enjoys a good reputation in the league and among experts, was a respected coach in the DEL for years at his home club Adler Mannheim and Düsseldorfer EG and led Zurich and Lugano to championship titles in Switzerland. He also worked for EV Zug.
defensive style
It remains to be seen how Kreis’ signing will play out on the ice. The man from Winnipeg was considered a tough defender during his playing days – but also as an extremely fair sportsman and as a kind of gentleman on the ice. For Mannheim he made 888 games. Even as a coach, he prefers defensive ice hockey. Sturm and Söderholm played much more offensively and were successful.
Source: sportschau.de