Ralph Krueger

Ralph Krueger
Coach Ralph Krueger at the 2013 Edmonton Oilers training camp
Born	(1959-08-31) August 31, 1959 Winnipeg, MB, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Düsseldorfer EG Schwenninger ERC SC Riessersee ECD Sauerland Starbulls Rosenheim
National team	West Germany
Playing career	1979–1991

Ralph Krueger (born August 31, 1959) is a German-Canadian former professional ice hockey coach and player. He was the coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 2012/2013 season, and the Swiss men's national ice hockey team from the 1997/1998 season until the end of the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010.

Personal life

Born in Winnipeg, Krueger was raised in Steinbach, Manitoba. His son Justin is currently a member of the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League. Justin played for Germany men's national ice hockey team at the 2010 IIHF World Championship.

Playing career

Ralph Krueger played 350 matches in the German Bundesliga, accumulating 187 goals and 186 assists. In the 1980/81 season, as a member of Düsseldorfer EG, he led the league in scoring with 103 points. He also played 45 matches for the West German national ice hockey team.

Coaching career

Krueger began his coaching career as an assistant with EV Duisburg of the German second league. Between 1994 and 1998 he led VEU Feldkirch to five straight Austrian championships, culminating in Feldkirch becoming champions in 1998 of the European Ice Hockey League, made up of the champions of various European leagues. This experience later encouraged him to author a motivational book. After the successes with the Austrian team, he took over as full-time head coach of the Swiss national ice hockey team, having split his time between Feldkirch and Switzerland in 1998. His tenure with the Swiss national team has also seen some notable successes. Krueger was also a scouting consultant for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Krueger joined the Oilers as associate coach in 2010. He was named the team's head coach on June 27, 2012 following the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. On June 8, 2013, the Oilers announced that they had relieved Krueger of his coaching duties.

Statistics

Playing statistics

Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pt	Pen
1978/1979	New Westminster Bruins	WHL	3	2	0	2	10
1978/1979	Calgary Wranglers	WHL	76	35	60	95	83
1979/1980	Düsseldorfer EG	1. Bundesliga	42	17	16	33	34
1980/1981	Düsseldorfer EG	1. Bundesliga	46	52	51	103	41
1982/1983	Schwenninger ERC	1. Bundesliga	36	20	20	40	50
1983/1984	Schwenninger ERC	1. Bundesliga	46	21	20	41	24
1984/1985	ECD Sauerland	1. Bundesliga	45	36	29	65	44
1986/1987	Düsseldorfer EG	1. Bundesliga	44	26	24	50	40
1987/1988	Düsseldorfer EG	1. Bundesliga	43	14	22	36	32

Coaching statistics

Ralph Krueger's Swiss national teams have achieved the following places in the respective tournaments:

Year	Tournament	Site	Place
1998	IHWC	Basel / Zurich, Switzerland	4.
1999	IHWC	Lillehammer / Oslo, Norway	8.
2000	IHWC	Saint Petersburg / Moscow, Russia	5.
2001	IHWC	Nuremberg / Cologne / Hannover, Germany	9.
2002	Olympics	Salt Lake City, U.S.	11.
2002	IHWC	Gothenburg / Karlsberg / Jonköping, Sweden	11.
2003	IHWC	Helsinki / Tampere / Turku, Finland	8.
2004	IHWC	Prague, Czech Republic	8.
2005	IHWC	Vienna / Innsbruck, Austria	8.
2006	Olympics	Turin, Italy	6.
2006	IHWC	Riga, Latvia	9.
2007	IHWC	Moscow / Mytishchi, Russia	8.
2008	IHWC	Halifax / Quebec City, Canada	7.
2009	IHWC	Bern / Kloten, Switzerland	9.
2010	Olympics	Vancouver, Canada	8.

External links

• Ralph Krueger's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Ralph Krueger – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net

Preceded by Tom Renney

Head coach of the Edmonton Oilers 2012–13

Succeeded by Dallas Eakins