Today the Buffalo Sabres relieved Ralph Krueger of his head coaching position. Interim head coach Dan Granato will be the seventh head coach since the Pegulas bought the team in 2011.
When the Pegulas bought the Sabres they promised a winning organization with the primary goal of winning the Stanley Cup. That promise was made 10 years ago and the Sabres are currently the worst team in the NHL.
If they want to win a Stanley Cup they need to emulate a Stanley Cup-winning team. This next hire should be the final one for years. No successful organization is changing head coaches this quickly.
The Resume Needs to be Comparable
The Sabres must hire a coach with a proven track record. They need to stop hiring coaches with “a different outlook” or a “unique approach” to the game. Find a coach that will implement good systems and has experience throughout every level of hockey.
It’s astonishing how different Ralph Kruegers’ resume is compared to the former Stanley Cup-winning coaches.
Here are the resumes of the previous five Stanley Cup winning coaches
2020 Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning
1999-00 Lansing Catholic Central USHS-MI Head Coach
2000-01 Capital Centre Pride NAHL Asst. Coach
2001-02 Metro Jets CSHL Head Coach
2002-03 HoneyBaked 18u AAA Head Coach
2003-06 Texarkana Bandits NAHL GM/ Head Coach
2006-07 St. Louis Bandits NAHL GM/ Head Coach
2008-09 Green Bay Gamblers USHL GM/ Head Coach
2010-12 Norfolk Admirals AHL Head Coach
2012-13 Syracuse Crunch AHL Head Coach
2013-present Tampa Bay Lightning NHL Head Coach
*Career Highlights
04-05 NAHL Coach of the Year
05-06 NAHL Coach of the Year
06-07 NAHL Robertson Cup Champion
07-08 NAHL Coach of the Year
NAHL Robertson Cup Champion
08-09 USHL General Manager of the year
09-10 USHL Clark Cup Champion
USHL Coach of the Year
USHL General Manager of the Year
11-12 AHL Calder Cup Champion
AHL Coach of the Year
12-13 AHL All-Star Game
16-17 World Championship Silver Medal
17-18 NHL All-Star Game (Head Coach)
18-19 NHL All-Star Game (Head Coach)
19-20 NHL Stanley Cup Champion
2019 Craig Berube of the St. Louis Blues
Former NHL player, played over 1,000 games spanning over 17 years
2004-06 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL Asst. Coach
2006-07 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL Head Coach
2006-07 Philadelphia Flyers NHL Asst. Coach
2007-08 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL Head Coach
2008-14 Philadelphia Flyers NHL Asst. Coach
2014-15 Philadelphia Flyers NHL Head Coach
2015-16 Not active
2016-17 Chicago Wolves AHL Head Coach
2017-18 St. Louis Blues NHL Assoc. Coach
2018-present St. Louis Blues NHL Assoc. & Head Coach
*Career Highlights
04-05 AHL Calder Cup Champion
18-19 NHL Stanley Cup Champion
2018 Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals
1984-85 University of Manitoba CIAU Asst. Coach
1985-87 Dauphin Kings MJHL GM/ Head Coach
1987-88 Univ. Manitoba CIAU Head Scout
Spokane Chiefs WHL Scout
1988-91 Washington Capitals NHL Scout
1991-92 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL Asst. Coach
1992-93 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL Head Coach
1993-97 Portland Pirates AHL Head Coach
1997-98 Nashville Predators NHL Scout
1998-14 Nashville Predators NHL Head Coach
2014-18 Washington Capitals NHL Head Coach
2018- present New York Islanders NHL Head Coach
*Career Highlights
93-94 AHL Calder Cup CHampion
AHL Coach of the Year
94-95 AHL All-Star Game
02-03 World Championship Gold Medal
08-09 World Championship Silver Medal
15-16 NHL All-Star Game (Head Coach)
NHL Coach of the Year (Jack Adams Award)
16-17 World Cup Gold Medal
17-18 NHL All-Star Game (Head Coach)
NHL Stanley Cup Champions
18-19 NHL Coach of the Year (Jack Adams Award)
2016 & 2017 Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins
Played 11 years in the NHL
2002-03 Providence Bruins AHL Head Coach
Boston Bruins NHL Asst. Coach
2003-06 Boston Bruins NHL Head Coach
2006-09 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL Asst. Coach
2009-13 New York Rangers NHL Asst. Coach
2013-14 Vancouver Canucks NHL Asst. Coach
2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks NHL Dev. Coach
2015-16 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL Head Coach
Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Head Coach
2016-present Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Head Coach
*Career Highlights
15-16 NHL STanley Cup Champion
16-17 Stanley Cup Champion
Ralph Krueger
1989-90 Duisburger SV Germany2 Player-Coach
1991-98 VEU Feldkirch Austria Head Coach
1998-99 Switzerland WC Head Coach
International Head Coach
1999-00 Switzerland WC Head Coach
International Head Coach
2000-01 Switzerland WC Head Coach
2001-02 Switzerland OG Head Coach
WC Head Coach
2002-04 Switzerland WC Head Coach
2004-05 Switzerland OGQ Head Coach
WC Head Coach
2005-06 Switzerland OG Head Coach
WC Head Coach
2006-07 Switzerland WC Head Coach
International Head Coach
2007-09 Switzerland WC Head Coach
2009-10 Switzerland OG Head Coach
2010-12 Edmonton Oilers NHL Asst. Coach
2012-13 Edmonton Oilers NHL Head Coach
2013-14 Canada OG Team Consultant
2014-16 Not Active
2016-17 Team Europe WCup Head Coach
2017-19 Not active
2019-21 Buffalo Sabres NHL Head Coach
*Career Highlights
93-94 Austria Champions
94-95 Austria Champions
95-96 Austria Champions
96-97 Austria Champions
97-98 Austria Champions
European Hockey League (EHL) Champions
99-00 Swiss Hockey Special Award
05-06 NL Coach of the YEar
09-10 Swiss Hockey Special Award
13-14 Olympic Gold Medal
16-17 World Cup runner up
*Information gathered from Elite Prospects
I am not a proponent of head coaches needing to be a former NHL player but they do need experience throughout different leagues. Players and coaches need to have commonality. The next Sabres head coach needs to have been around the game for at least a decade and know the in’s and out’s. They must come with a prepared system that will work with the team’s skillset. After this next hire, the organization shouldn’t think about a new head coach until they have made the playoffs a few times.