Edmonton Oilers hire former Swiss national coach Krueger as associate coach

EDMONTON - Longtime Swiss national men's team coach Ralph Krueger will serve as an associate coach with the Edmonton Oilers next season.

Krueger recently guided the Swiss team to a fifth-place finish at the 2010 world hockey championship. The Winnipeg native has participated in 12 world championships and three Olympic Games.

"Ralph possesses a vast array of hockey knowledge and certainly will be invaluable to our team," Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini said in a release Friday. "We know that his motivational skills and positive outlook will be instrumental in the future success of our hockey club."

Krueger will work with head coach Tom Renney and assistants Kelly Buchberger and Steve Smith in Edmonton.

Krueger, who has also coached in Austria, played in the German first division from 1979-1989.