Ralph Krueger
CanadaBiography of Ralph Krueger
Ralph Krueger is a German ice hockey player, coach, and sports executive. He was born on August 31, 1959, in Winnipeg, Canada.
Early Life and Hockey Career
Krueger began playing hockey in Canada and started his professional career in the 1977/78 season with the Duisburg club in the second division of the German Ice Hockey League. After one season in North America, he permanently moved to Germany. Krueger played over 350 games in the German Ice Hockey League, scoring 187 goals and providing 186 assists. In the 1980/81 season, he became the league's top scorer with 22 goals while playing for Dusseldorf.
He represented the German national team at the 1981 and 1986 World Championships.
Coaching Career
In 1989, Krueger became the player-coach for Duisburg, but due to not having a coaching license, he officially shared the leadership with Jiri Hanzl. He left the club in the following year due to disagreements with the management. From 1991 to 1998, he served as the head coach of the Austrian club Feldkirch. Under his guidance, the team won five championships and three Alpenliga trophies.
In 1998, Krueger won the European Hockey League, defeating Moscow Dynamo 5-3 in the final. He then took over as the head coach of the newly promoted Swiss national team and led them for 12 years. In October 2009, it was announced that Sean Simpson would replace Krueger as the coach of the Swiss team after the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Krueger joined the Edmonton Oilers as an assistant coach in July 2010 and was promoted to head coach in June 2012. However, he was relieved of his duties in June 2013. He also served as a consultant for the Canadian national team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Sports Executive
In January 2014, Krueger joined the executive board of the English football club Southampton. He was appointed as the club's director on March 12, 2014. In 2016, Krueger led the European national team to victory at the World Cup of Hockey.
Krueger's son, Justin Krueger, is also a professional ice hockey player.
