Ralph Krueger

Ralph Krueger was born on August 31, 1959, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to German immigrant parents and grew up in Steinbach, Manitoba. He holds triple citizenship (Canadian, German, and Swiss). Krueger began his ice hockey playing career in the late 1970s, playing in the German Bundesliga. He accumulated 187 goals and 186 assists in 350 games. Notable playing stints include with Düsseldorfer EG, where in the 1980-81 season, he led the playoffs in scoring with 22 points. He also represented West Germany in 45 international games.

Krueger transitioned into coaching, starting as an assistant with EV Duisburg. From 1994 to 1998, he served as Head Coach for VEU Feldkirch, leading the team to five consecutive Austrian Championships and a European Hockey League Championship in 1998. This period solidified his reputation as a successful coach. He then took on the role of Head Coach for the Swiss men’s national ice hockey team from 1997 to 2010, guiding them through three Olympic Games (2002, 2006, 2010) and multiple World Championship appearances. In 2010, he joined the Edmonton Oilers as an Associate Coach and was later promoted to Head Coach for the 2012-13 NHL season. Following his time with the Oilers, he worked as a team consultant for Hockey Canada during the 2014 Winter Olympics, where Canada secured a gold medal.

In a significant career shift, Krueger moved into association football in 2014, becoming a director and then Chairman of Southampton Football Club in the English Premier League, a position he held until 2019. He coached Team Europe in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, leading them to a runner-up finish. In 2019, he returned to the NHL as Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres, a role he occupied until March 2021. Throughout his career, Krueger has also been involved with the World Economic Forum as a Member of the Global Agenda Council on New Models of Leadership since 2011. He is also the author of “Teamlife – Über Niederlagen zum Erfolg,” a motivational book that became a bestseller.