International Ice is NHL.com’s weekly series, covering topics that go beyond what’s happening in the NHL with a focus on players, clubs and national teams in Europe.
In this issue: ZSC Lions hire Marc Crawford as coach for the second time
The ZSC Lions from the Swiss National League caused a bang just before the turn of the year. Although the team belonged to the top group of the league, coach Rikard Grönborg had to resign. Instead, those responsible now rely on Marc Crawford, a coach with a lot of NHL experience. The new man in the gang is anything but unknown in Zurich. Between 2012 and 2016 he already wielded the scepter at the Zurich club. In 2014 he won the championship with the team. This is exactly what Crawford should repeat if possible this season. His contract runs until the end of 2024/25.
Sport director Sven Leuenberger explained on the ZSC website why he believes the Canadian is the perfect choice to succeed Grönborg. “Marc brings a huge amount of experience that our team needs. He knows Switzerland and the ZSC Lions very well and is up to date thanks to his recent coaching activities. Marc’s successes speak for themselves. He is the best possible solution for us,” he admitted according to the personnel decision.
After his first spell in Zurich, Crawford was employed by the Ottawa Senators as an assistant coach in the NHL from 2016 to 2019. After the sacking of Guy Boucher, he took over as interim head coach from February 2019 until the end of the regular season. He then moved to the Chicago Blackhawks, where he again acted as an assistant coach until the end of 2021/22.
He celebrated the greatest successes in his NHL coaching career right at the beginning. In 1994-95, he led the Quebec Nordiques to first place in the Northeast Division and the Eastern Conference and second place overall. At the end of the season he received the Jack Adams Award for Best Coach. At the age of 34, he was the youngest coach to receive this award.
The most significant triumph came a year later. After the franchise moved to Denver, he won the Stanley Cup with the team, now known as the Colorado Avalanche. One of his protégés at the time was Uwe Krupp from Cologne, who made it perfect for winning the title in the final series against the Florida Panthers with his goal in extra time to make it 1-0 in Game 4.
After his time in Colorado, Crawford was in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks (1999-2006), the Los Angeles Kings (2006-2008) and the Dallas Stars (2009-2011) as a responsible man on the coaching bench. His match record as head coach in the NHL is 1,169 regular-season games, 556 wins, 431 losses, 103 ties, and 79 losses from ties or shootouts. At the 1998 Olympic Games in Japan, he was head coach for Canada. At the 1997 World Cup in Finland, he was an assistant to the coaching staff of the national team, which ended up taking the top spot on the podium.
Crawford is aware of the high expectations in Zurich. “The goals here haven’t changed much over the years. ZSC has always aspired to be among the top clubs. That’s why we want to do well this season and play successful playoffs,” said the 61- year-old in an interview published in the club’s own media. According to his own statement, the crowning achievement would be if he managed to win the Swiss title again with the ZSC Lions. “But of course a championship cannot be predicted. The decisive factor is the form of the team in the playoffs,” he emphasized and immediately sent a declaration of war on the competition afterwards: “We all want to do an optimal job and will definitely be a tough opponent being.”
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Above all, Crawford has to try to get a huge trauma out of his head at the ZSC Lions. In the 2022 playoff final, the team gave up the championship title despite a 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 series against EV Zug. This burden, a lack of playful brilliance in the current main round and the announcement that he would leave ZSC after the end of the 2022/23 season were decisive for the dismissal of his predecessor Grönborg.
The NHL coach rock is not afraid of the challenge. “ZSC has always been part of my heart. I’m happy with what I’ve achieved in my first time in Zurich and I’m even more excited for what lies ahead. It’s nice to be back here and with everyone from the organization to work together,” Crawford pointed out.