From the closed next coach thread:
Tremendous find by @RangerBoy, did you listen to the whole thing? I often turn off a few minutes before a podcast ends, real nugget there at the end!!
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Rumor: Custance: Rangers interested in Rikard Grönborg?
- Thread starter Ola
- Start date
From the closed next coach thread:
Tremendous find by @RangerBoy, did you listen to the whole thing? I often turn off a few minutes before a podcast ends, real nugget there at the end!!
JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK
Twenty f*ckin years
- Oct 8, 2010
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My take, it could be that we just had feelers out if Gronborg wanted to interview with us, like Gorton and crew more than anything else just encouraging someone with a little diversity to provide some fresh air in the interviews. You can also pick up a thing or two in interviews.
But it could also be that we are still interested in him as an assistent. I think that would be great, he is a very good coach, devoted. Sweden used to get 15 no's and 5 yes's for the WCH, the players love Grönborg and everyone accepts him. Gronborg has actually coached both in US college and for the Spokane in the WHL as assistent coach. Played college hockey in the US. I think he lives in the US, or at least used to do it.
He is a company man for the Swedish hockey federation, he has worked so long for them.
Elite Prospects - Rikard Grönborg Team Staff Profile
I can't imagine that he would get a HC job for a club team before working as an assistent first. But he may want to wait some.
But it could also be that we are still interested in him as an assistent. I think that would be great, he is a very good coach, devoted. Sweden used to get 15 no's and 5 yes's for the WCH, the players love Grönborg and everyone accepts him. Gronborg has actually coached both in US college and for the Spokane in the WHL as assistent coach. Played college hockey in the US. I think he lives in the US, or at least used to do it.
He is a company man for the Swedish hockey federation, he has worked so long for them.
Elite Prospects - Rikard Grönborg Team Staff Profile
I can't imagine that he would get a HC job for a club team before working as an assistent first. But he may want to wait some.
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There are rumors in Sweden too about interest from the NHL, two good articles to google translate:
And then he wants to fulfill his biggest dream: to become the first Swedish head coach in NHL.
"I think he would do well in NHL," says Nicklas Lidström, "He has been there for many years and has coached over there, and understands the thought of North American hockey. I have also read that he wants over eventually, and it is a clear advantage for a Swedish coach to know how it works over there."
With two straight World Cup gold, how attractive is he for NHL team?
"It certainly strengthens his shares, I clearly think so. The team he has coached has also included many NHL players. He understands how they think, and it's an advantage if you want to coach over there."
Därför kan Grönborg nobba förlängt kontrakt med Tre Kronor
"And the Swedish players believe in him as a future NHL coach.
"Compared to those in North America, he is much more positive. You can let go and play more. He really trusts that you can handle it. It is very fun to play for him, "says Hampus Lindholm, "It would have been fun if he came over. I think that's the new way to coach."
He has promised his wife to return to the United States and if he is given the chance to join a coaching staff for an NHL team, even if it's an assistant coach to start with - yes, Gronborg may be lost for Swedish hockey."
”Jag tror han skulle klara sig bra i NHL”
And then he wants to fulfill his biggest dream: to become the first Swedish head coach in NHL.
"I think he would do well in NHL," says Nicklas Lidström, "He has been there for many years and has coached over there, and understands the thought of North American hockey. I have also read that he wants over eventually, and it is a clear advantage for a Swedish coach to know how it works over there."
With two straight World Cup gold, how attractive is he for NHL team?
"It certainly strengthens his shares, I clearly think so. The team he has coached has also included many NHL players. He understands how they think, and it's an advantage if you want to coach over there."
Därför kan Grönborg nobba förlängt kontrakt med Tre Kronor
"And the Swedish players believe in him as a future NHL coach.
"Compared to those in North America, he is much more positive. You can let go and play more. He really trusts that you can handle it. It is very fun to play for him, "says Hampus Lindholm, "It would have been fun if he came over. I think that's the new way to coach."
He has promised his wife to return to the United States and if he is given the chance to join a coaching staff for an NHL team, even if it's an assistant coach to start with - yes, Gronborg may be lost for Swedish hockey."
”Jag tror han skulle klara sig bra i NHL”
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I was going to say "would be really be interested in an assistant position behind a guy who just signed a 5 year contract" but then again if he's interested in trying to make a career as a NHL head coach, paying your dues as an assistant for a couple of years is a good way to do it.
Yeah, and he knows Lundqvist and Ziba very well. I think those two surely would sing his praises if asked about him. Besides the WCH, Grönborg coached when Ziba scored the Gold clincher in the WJCs. He coached Hank to gold last season in the WCH, showed a lot of faith in Ziba this tournament. Quinn and Grönborg's styles are also very compatible.
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Sincere question: do you think that could result in favoritism?
Edit: I know Z and Hank are extremely talented and merit their chances. Still, I wonder whether teammates would roll their eyes at this choice, should Z -- all else equal -- suddenly get more ice time or attention during practice (for example). I could be talking out of my bum -- and I might well be -- but it's just something that crossed my mind.
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Cool, bring him in. Bring in all the Swedes. Coaches, players, scouts, whoever. The Swedes have a great program--national team, SHL, J20 and J18, all of it. I welcome their presence in our organization in any capacity.
Why Rikard Grönborg could be NHL's first European head coach since 2001 - Sportsnet.ca
"
But the Swedish men’s national team coach has also observed a copy-cat tendency permeating from the world’s top hockey league.
“Everyone’s playing the same system,” Grönborg said this week. “It seems like they have one team that’s been successful for a year or two and suddenly everyone is emulating everything that they do. Everything from recruiting the same type of players to the same systems. I think the challenge for management is to look what kind of team you have and [say] ‘OK, who is going to fit our team—the team we have right now—and develop us into a contender in the National Hockey League?”
It’s a cycle he intends to break. There are some in NHL circles who believe the 49-year-old is likely to attract interest once the coaching carousel kicks into high gear next week, and it’s safe to say the interest is mutual.
By his own admission, Grönborg needs to find a general manager willing to “stick his neck out a little bit.” There hasn’t been a coach of his kind since Finn Alpo Suhonen (
were hired before the 2000-01 season.
However, the timing might be right for a man who has spent more than a decade inside the Swedish federation—coming into contact with virtually every active player of consequence from that country while coaching at the under-18 worlds, world junior championship, IIHF World Hockey Championship and, most recently, the Pyeongchang Olympics.
“To me, the only challenge that would be left is the National Hockey League, to be perfectly honest,” said Grönborg. “I’ve kind of done all that stuff and coached some of the best players in the world. Now I’m interested to have my ideas, to [implement] them over a period of time and do them overseas, and kind of challenging the coaching community over in the NHL. “I bring a different perspective on things.”
....
“When it comes to North American coaching, generally speaking, a coach comes to coach vs. just being a trainer, as we call it in Sweden [coach is translated as tränare in Swedish]. Go out and train the team,” said Grönborg. “Here it’s actually a coach and kind of plan how we utilize the players and give them job descriptions and whatnot. There’s different tweaks in the game situations instead of just kind of rotating four lines, which was very common back in Sweden. “You’d rotate four lines until there was 10 minutes left and then go down to three lines and then you go down to two lines the last two minutes. …In Sweden, it was very common to have four very even lines.”
Grönborg instead prefers to carve out specific roles and assign tasks. He is keen on communication so that expectations are clear and believes that the next generation of players will require more feedback than ever before because of the world in which they were raised.
“There’s so many X’s and O’s out there—I think most coaches coaching at that level, they know their X’s and O’s—but how do you get the players to grow in your environment?” he said. “Because that’s the biggest key for me. How do you communicate with those players? How did you get them to excel and become better and buy into the system? That’s what I’m intrigued about, is how you develop the players.”
"
"
But the Swedish men’s national team coach has also observed a copy-cat tendency permeating from the world’s top hockey league.
“Everyone’s playing the same system,” Grönborg said this week. “It seems like they have one team that’s been successful for a year or two and suddenly everyone is emulating everything that they do. Everything from recruiting the same type of players to the same systems. I think the challenge for management is to look what kind of team you have and [say] ‘OK, who is going to fit our team—the team we have right now—and develop us into a contender in the National Hockey League?”
It’s a cycle he intends to break. There are some in NHL circles who believe the 49-year-old is likely to attract interest once the coaching carousel kicks into high gear next week, and it’s safe to say the interest is mutual.
By his own admission, Grönborg needs to find a general manager willing to “stick his neck out a little bit.” There hasn’t been a coach of his kind since Finn Alpo Suhonen (
were hired before the 2000-01 season.
However, the timing might be right for a man who has spent more than a decade inside the Swedish federation—coming into contact with virtually every active player of consequence from that country while coaching at the under-18 worlds, world junior championship, IIHF World Hockey Championship and, most recently, the Pyeongchang Olympics.
“To me, the only challenge that would be left is the National Hockey League, to be perfectly honest,” said Grönborg. “I’ve kind of done all that stuff and coached some of the best players in the world. Now I’m interested to have my ideas, to [implement] them over a period of time and do them overseas, and kind of challenging the coaching community over in the NHL. “I bring a different perspective on things.”
....
“When it comes to North American coaching, generally speaking, a coach comes to coach vs. just being a trainer, as we call it in Sweden [coach is translated as tränare in Swedish]. Go out and train the team,” said Grönborg. “Here it’s actually a coach and kind of plan how we utilize the players and give them job descriptions and whatnot. There’s different tweaks in the game situations instead of just kind of rotating four lines, which was very common back in Sweden. “You’d rotate four lines until there was 10 minutes left and then go down to three lines and then you go down to two lines the last two minutes. …In Sweden, it was very common to have four very even lines.”
Grönborg instead prefers to carve out specific roles and assign tasks. He is keen on communication so that expectations are clear and believes that the next generation of players will require more feedback than ever before because of the world in which they were raised.
“There’s so many X’s and O’s out there—I think most coaches coaching at that level, they know their X’s and O’s—but how do you get the players to grow in your environment?” he said. “Because that’s the biggest key for me. How do you communicate with those players? How did you get them to excel and become better and buy into the system? That’s what I’m intrigued about, is how you develop the players.”
"
NYR Viper
Registered User
Based on what that article reads as, he seems to be a better fit as an assistant who can work more with an individual group of players
SnowFort
Registered User
- Mar 5, 2017
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I would totally explore this if I was the Rangers. Seems like a guy that has some interesting thoughts on coaching.
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Why do you think there aren't more Swedish coaches in the league? Do you think, in general, the organizations or the prospective coaches are the limiting step?
Yeah, I also think that he is knowledgeable of the Xs and Os. Swedish hockey has been very ambitious the last years. I know that there have been a very ambitious group of people trying to build up the know-how and take things further on the ice. From interviewing players to get influences what they are doing with their club teams, do individual researches and on different things (like someone working 3 months to find out everything about dumpins, did you know that about 66% of all dumpins are made on the right side (or something like that) very useful
). Grönberg has been around that environment forever.I also think he is very good at creating practicing sessions and drills to develop a team.
However — definitely think assistant in the NHL is the first step for him.
LaffyTaffy
Brooklyn-Belarussian
I would be more interested in Pesan than Gronborg, I don't know much about him other than the fact that he misused Lias for the entire tournament but that's probably because he's a kid and its a mens tourney. I'm biased, but I'm sure our Swedish guys have more insight.
NYR Viper
Registered User
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
Swedes are notoriously bad in the Eastern Conference Finals. We might have to start pairing this down.
If Gronberg comes in, one of them has to go out.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
I think the NHL is a Good Old Boys club, like most of North American professional sports. I think you break into the coaching and front office ranks through your relationships, and given that there are exponentially more relationships involving North American players (since they make up the bulk of the players in the NHL), most of those spots go to Canadian and American guys. And there's also probably an inherent bias towards Canadian and America candidates as well.
emodwarf
Registered User
Yeah, but will this guy work for free? I hear we should only pay coaches via direct deposit of PASSION FOR THE GAME.
haveandare
Registered User
He was named to the "Advisory Group" with Shero and Bowman and whoever else, assisting the GM of Team USA, Zito. I assume he was just over there in his capacity with USA Hockey, and since he helped pick the roster for the tournament. However, he definitely could have had conversations with Gronborg while there.
