The ZSC Lions, one of the most popular teams in Europe, has made a big change behind the bench. They have parted ways with Rikard Gronborg and hired Marc Crawford as head coach, signing the former NHL bench boss to a deal through the 2024-25 season. Crawford will be joined by Rob Cookson.
This is actually a return to Zurich for Crawford, who coached the team for four years starting in 2012-13. The Lions won the league championship in 2014 and put up a 125-47-28 record overall with Crawford in charge. His time there also included a 2015-16 season with teenage phenom Auston Matthews, who scored 24 goals and 46 points as an 18-year-old in just 36 games.
Gronborg was already going to leave ZSC at the end of the season and rumors had emerged about his connection to teams in Finland. He is a free agent now, however, and has drawn plenty of NHL interest in the past. The 54-year-old coach was with Zurich since 2019, and had previously served with the Swedish national team for many years.
Crawford, meanwhile was most recently with the Chicago Blackhawks and has served with the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques. It was Crawford who took the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 1996 after the move from Quebec, though the rest of his NHL postseason resume isn’t quite as successful. Cookson worked with Crawford in Ottawa and served as an assistant with the Calgary Flames for many years previously.
Gronborg “has drawn plenty of NHL interest in the past”. It’s true, and I wonder why an NHL team hasn’t brought him onboard by now.