Former Union forward Doug Christiansen has replaced Tony Hand as the head coach of the Great Britain men's national ice hockey team.
It's a step up for Christiansen, who had been serving as the national team assistant coach since 2012.
"Being named Great Britain [head] coach is the biggest honor of my hockey career," he said in a release. "I am absolutely thrilled by the appointment."
Christiansen first arrived in Great Britain as a player-coach for the Elite League's Edinburgh Capitals prior to the 2007-2008 season. He spent the past three years as the head coach of the Belfast Giants.
The 35-year-old guided Belfast to an Elite League championship in 2011-2012 and a conference title this past season. One of his players last year was former Union defenseman Brock Matheson, who has since signed with Friesland in the Netherlands.
A two-time Elite League Coach of the Year, Christiansen left Belfast earlier this offseason when he signed a two-year contract to coach the Sheffield Steelers, also of the Elite League.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native played at Union from 1998-2002 and scored 28 points (16 goals) in 102 career games. His brother, Jeff, played at Union from 2006-2010.
Follow @unionhockeynews
No comments:
Post a Comment