Former Edmonton Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger is expanding his horizons and is set to start a position on the board of English Premier League soccer team Southampton.
Krueger is expected to begin his role with Southampton once he finishes his time as a coaching consultant for Team Canada at the Sochi 2014 Winters Olympics.
The 54-year-old has played and coached in Europe before, including a stint as the Swiss national team coach, but this is his first foray into the soccer world.
“I don’t pretend to know a lot about [soccer]…I mean I’ve been in Europe a long time and certainly watched it but when I got contacted awhile back it seemed like an interesting offer,” Krueger told the Edmonton Journal. “I’ve accepted a position on the board at Southampton. I just got back from three days there. It just felt right to me. It doesn’t mean hockey’s dead for me, but the Southampton thing is a leadership opportunity for me.”
Krueger served as the head coach of the Oilers during the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign but was fired following the season after the team went 19-22-7.
