| Ralph Krueger | |
|---|---|
| Born | 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 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a German-Canadian ice hockey coach from Steinbach, Manitoba, currently serving as the Associate Coach for the Edmonton Oilers, of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the coach of the Swiss men's national ice hockey team from the 1997/1998 season until the end of the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010.[1] Prior to being hired by the Oilers, Krueger had been a scouting consultant for the Carolina Hurricanes.[2]
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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.
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pt | Pen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978/79 | New Westminster Bruins | WHL | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 1978/79 | Calgary Wranglers | WHL | 76 | 35 | 60 | 95 | 83 |
| 1979/80 | Düsseldorfer EG | 1. Bundesliga | 42 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 34 |
| 1980/81 | Düsseldorfer EG | 1. Bundesliga | 46 | 52 | 51 | 103 | 41 |
| 1982/83 | Schwenninger ERC | 1. Bundesliga | 36 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 50 |
| 1983/84 | Schwenninger ERC | 1. Bundesliga | 46 | 21 | 20 | 41 | 24 |
| 1984/85 | ECD Sauerland | 1. Bundesliga | 45 | 36 | 29 | 65 | 44 |
| 1986/87 | Düsseldorfer EG | 1. Bundesliga | 44 | 26 | 24 | 50 | 40 |
| 1987/88 | Düsseldorfer EG | 1. Bundesliga | 43 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 32 |
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.[3] 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.
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 & Moskow, Russia | 5. |
| 2001 | IHWC | Nürnberg & Köln & Hannover, Germany | 9. |
| 2002 | Olympics | Salt Lake City, U.S. | 11. |
| 2002 | IHWC | Göteborg & 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. |
On July 30, 2010, Krueger was named as the new Associate Coach of the Edmonton Oilers.[4]
His son Justin is currently a member of the German men's national ice hockey team, playing in his first international tournament at that level in the 2010 IIHF World Championship.[5][6]