The Edmonton Oilers have announced the hiring of Ralph Krueger as their next head coach. General manager Steve Tambellini made the announcement on Wednesday morning.
The 52-year-old Krueger previously served as associate coach of the Oilers under Tom Renney, the man he replaces. He's never been a head coach in the NHL but he has a wealth of head coaching experience in Europe, where he's coached the Swiss national team, a position he held from 1997 to 2010. Krueger also coached club teams in Germany and Austria in the early 1990s.
"On hockey's world stage, coach Krueger exhibited his poise and experience behind the bench to help the [Swiss] Team overachieve in Torino," Tambellini said. "This is an example of the type of leadership Ralph will bring to Edmonton."
Krueger was mostly responsible for the Oilers' special teams during his two seasons under Renney. He worked for the Carolina Hurricanes as a consultant from 2005 to 2010.
