Other Experience
Ralph Krueger never got close to the NHL as a player; instead, he went to Germany at the age of 20 and enjoyed a playing career that spanned a little over a decade before he got into coaching. He spent time as the head coach of VEU Feldkirch in Austria, leading the club to five consecutive championships. In 1998, VEU Feldkirch defeated Dynamo Moscow to win the European Hockey League – an event which saw the best teams in Europe compete against each other for the title of European champion. It’s the only time an Austrian team has won the event.
In 1998, Krueger left his position with VEU Feldkirch to become the head coach of the Swiss national team. That same year, he guided the team to its best World Championship showing since the 1950’s, finishing fourth after a surprising victory over Russia. It was the first time in six years that the Swiss finished higher than 10th; they would not fail to finish higher than 10th over the next dozen years, all overseen by Krueger.
As Krueger put it:As a national coach, I define success over longer periods. When my time is done, I want to know the programme has moved forward and developed. We were 18th in the world in 1997 and now we’re seventh in the world rankings.