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Two months ago, SC Bern announced that it would say goodbye to coach Toni Söderholm (45) after less than six months. The Finn turned out to be a mistake, especially since it was announced early on that he would leave Red Bull Munich at the first opportunity thanks to an opt-out clause in the summer.
Sports director Andrew Ebbett (40) had to look for a coach again. And this time, Raeto Raffainer (41) is no longer holding his hand. The Engadin was fired as CEO a month ago. Marc Lüthi (61) is now back in charge of operations.
Ebbett knows he can’t afford another mishap when choosing a coach. The Canadian will submit his preferred candidate to the Board of Directors and hopes that his election will be approved there.
“Really good conversations” with Tapola
During his search, Ebbett turns onto the home straight. The decision must be made within ten days. Only four candidates remain. These are three North Americans and the Fin Jussi Tapola.
The 48-year-old led Tappara Tampere to victory in the Champions Hockey League this season and won the championship for the fourth time with the Finnish top team, although his departure and his successor, ex-ZSC coach Rikard Grönborg, had long been certain.
In the “really good conversations,” as Ebbett says, Tapola dispelled preconceptions that his communication skills and his English were not up to the mark. He is open about the origin of the new coach, according to the sports director of SCB, who became champion in 2017 and 2019 under the Finn Kari Jalonen (63) in Bern.
Is Biel more attractive than SCB?
Since Jalonen’s dismissal at the end of January 2020, SCB is not happy with a coach. Hans Kossmann, Don Nachbaur, Mario Kogler, Johan Lundskog and Söderholm all left quickly.
The reputation of the SCB has suffered after four miserable seasons with qualifying standings 9, 9, 11 and 8 and ongoing turmoil. This raises the question of whether the job that is also still open in Biel, where peace reigns and people work more successfully, is not more attractive. “It’s a challenge. We haven’t been successful in recent years and we want to get back to the top and fight for the title,” said Ebbett.
Not only are they looking for a coach at SCB and Biel (and Ajoie), there are also vacancies in the NHL at Anaheim, Calgary, Columbus and the New York Ranges. So you can assume that one or the other of Ebbett’s North American candidates is still waiting to see if he gets a chance in the premier league.
Of the candidates who were a problem alongside Söderholm at SCB to the end in November, Travis Green (52, ex Vancouver) would see his future in the NHL. Dominique Ducharme (50), who led the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup final in 2021, would have been very popular in Bern at the time. But this time he’s not in the “Final Four” at SCB, as Ebbett says.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
