ZURICH – Sean Simpson won everything he could with a Swiss club. He led EV Zug to its first championship in 1998 before he took over the ZSC Lions Zurich last year to win the Champions Hockey League. Most recently he claimed the Victoria Cup against the Chicago Blackhawks. His reward: Ralph Krueger’s job as the Swiss national team coach.

The Swiss Ice Hockey Association was looking for a replacement after announcing that Krueger’s contract will end after the 2010 IIHF World Championship.

Krueger will continue to coach the Swiss national team this year. He will have his first test of the season in three weeks at the Deutschland Cup and will lead Switzerland at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. If he reaches the quarterfinals in Vancouver, he will also be behind Switzerland’s bench at the 2010 World Championship in Germany. But after Germany, one of the longest careers as a national team coach will end. Should Krueger coach the upcoming Worlds it will be a record 13th consecutive appearance, one more than legendary Viktor Tikhonov.

Simpson will continue to coach the ZSC Lions through the end of this season. His four-year contract begins on June 1, 2010, and includes four World Championships and the 2014 Olympics.

Simpson will have a full-time job with the Swiss association and he will be involved in youth work. “I’ll be the director of player personnel for the U20 national team,” Simpson said.

Simpson will also have a place on the sport, development and officiating committees of the Swiss association.

Simpson has international experience as a coach for Hockey Canada in various unofficial events. He was also Glen Hanlon’s assistant coach with the Belarus national team at the 2006 and 2007 World Championships.

“I’m very happy about Sean Simpson’s commitment for Swiss ice hockey and I’m sure we have found the perfect head coach for the national team,” Swiss Association President Philippe Gaydoul said.

“It’s a huge honour to be the head coach of the Swiss national team. It’s one of the best jobs in the world of hockey. It’s probably the best time in my career to get this chance. I’m also looking forward to working with the juniors and all the clubs,” Simpson said. “But I also know about the big responsibility. I have to back up the great work Ralph Krueger has done in the last years. It won’t be easy to top the performance.”

Switzerland is currently in seventh place in the IIHF World Ranking. Not since the 1950s has Switzerland been a consistent Top-Eight hockey nation.

“We have big goals for the national team at the 2010 World Championship and the 2010 Olympic Games and with the U20 and U18 national team in the top division,” said Peter Lüthi, the Swiss association’s General Manager. “We need our full focus for this and Ralph Krueger deserves the calm needed for this same as Sean Simpson and the ZSC Lions deserve the possibility to work on their goals this season.”

MARTIN MERK