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The Buffalo Sabers hired Ralph Krueger as their next head coach in hopes of ending an eight-year drought in the playoffs, the team said on Wednesday.
Krueger, 59, coached the Edmonton Oilers during the short NHL lockout season in 2012-13. He was fired by the team via Skype after the Young Oilers finished 19-22-7.
Krueger has extensive experience as a coach, including overseeing the matches of the Swiss National Team at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.
"Throughout his career, Ralph has demonstrated his ability to adapt to a variety of high-pressure environments while leading some of the world's elite players," said the Executive Director. Sabers, Jason Botterill, in a statement. "His strong communication skills, leadership and diverse backgrounds make him a particularly qualified candidate to lead our team in the future."
Krueger returns to the NHL after spending the last five years as president of Southampton FC's English Premier League. Krueger was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and played hockey professionally in Germany from 1979 to 1991.
He replaces Phil Housley, who was sacked after two seasons. Last season, Buffalo won only 16 of his last 57 games after a run of 10 consecutive wins in November.
By finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference, the Sabers joined the Philadelphia Flyers 2016-17 as the only NHL history teams to miss out on playoffs during a season. during which they won at least 10 consecutive games.
The drought in the Sabers playoffs is the longest active NHL playoff.
Krueger said that he "will strive to maximize the potential" of the Sabers and is "eager to get behind the bench and represent this passionate hockey town".
The hiring took place when Botterill returned to Buffalo for a number of screening meetings this week. He was in Slovakia as a member of the leadership of Canada's national team competing at the world championships.
The Krueger experience includes training the European team in second place at the 2016 World Hockey Cup. He was also special advisor to the national team from Canada, who won gold at the 2014 Sochi Games.
He is known for being an innovator in hockey strategies, developing young talent and being a motivator. In 2014, he wrote a book in German entitled "Teamlife: Über Niederlagen zum Erfolg", which translates roughly to "Through Defeats to Success".
The hiring of Krueger allows Botterill to focus on the next pressing need of the Sabers during the off season: trying to sign a new signature. Jeff Skinner before entering the free agent market on July 1st.
Skinner was acquired in an exchange with the Carolina Hurricanes in August and scored the best goal of his career by leading 40 goals in 82 games last season.
Although Skinner and the Sabers have engaged in contract talks since January, the team has decided to postpone discussions until later. In clearing his locker in April, Skinner did not rule out a new signing with the Sabers but added that he did not want to rush to make his decision.
Krueger becomes the team's fifth coach since Lindy Ruff's dismissal in February 2013. None of Ruff's replacements lasted more than two seasons.
The Sabers are at the heart of the worst period in franchise history. They finished last in the standings of three of the last six seasons and have not won playoffs since 2007, when they lost to the Ottawa Senators in the final phase of the World Cup Conference. l & # 39; Is.
Krueger inherits from a chemistry-free team and has struggled to rely on several young talents, including captain Jack Eichel and defender Rasmus Dahlin, the first player selected in the repechage last year. .
The latest reshuffle came two years after the start of his term as chief executive and after his decision to hire Housley, he turned out to be bankrupt.
Although Botterill said the responsibility for the Buffalo collapse deserved to be shared between the players and himself, he added that it became clear that the team was not reacting to Housley.
"Unfortunately, the message was not transmitted," said Botterill after sacking his coach one day after the end of the Sabers season.
Secondary notation is a problem, with Skinner, Eichel and Sam Reinhart scored 90 of Buffalo's 226 goals last season. The Sabers also committed far too many defensive fouls for a team led by a Hall of Fame defender.
Housley's biggest failure was his inability to get the Sabers to adapt to the creative and rhythmic style that forced defensemen to jump into the race.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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