ZSC coach Rikard Grönborg is moving to Finnish record champions Tappara Tampere for the new season. The way and timing of the change is surprising. But they fit the hitherto unfinished ZSC era of the two-time world champion coach.
Soon no longer on the gang in Zurich: Rikard Grönborg.
It seemed as if the ZSC Lions were just coming to rest: The move into the new arena went according to plan, and the club is experiencing a largely carefree autumn in sporting terms. But on Wednesday, a message from Finland disturbed the return: Coach Rikard Grönborg will be coach of Tappara Tampere from 2023/24. Grönborg and ZSC were silent on Wednesday evening, but it can be heard from the club environment that the information is correct: the Grönborg era will come to an end after four years.
It’s unusual for a coach to leave so early. Especially since the Finnish record champion Tappara does not represent the big career leap with all due respect. But the unconventional farewell fits the Grönborg era at ZSC, which was also characterized by the Swede repeatedly flirting quite openly with NHL teams. Grönborg left his release clause for the NHL unused in the absence of concrete offers. But it was surprising how difficult it was for him to make a commitment to ZSC. A fiery love relationship between the coach and the club, including the appendix and environment, could never develop. His departure is likely to be greeted with a certain indifference. Grönborg always fought for his players, he protected them wherever he could. But he sometimes seemed tense – and it happened that what was shown on the ice was that too.
Gentle dissonance between the coach and management
The management of the ZSC has treated the coach in the last few weeks with a similar distance, as Grönborg had done in reverse in the years with the club. The coach already signaled in the summer that he would like to extend the contract that expires in the summer. The head of sport Sven Leuenberger replied that there was no rush, one wanted to wait and see how the season developed. That was the right thing to do. After all, Grönborg is the most expensive coach in the National League. And still hasn’t won a title in three years. In the spring he was the first coach to lose a 3-0 lead in the play-off final.
There had been certain dissonances in the analysis of historical disgrace. Leuenberger was annoyed that Dario Trutmann, number 7 in the defense hierarchy, was used for a total of 104 seconds in seven games. And Grönborg had – not for the first time – insisted on reinforcements. A mobile, creative Swiss defender with strengths in triggering attacks is missing. Shortly thereafter, ZSC committed exactly this type of player: NHL returnee Dean Kukan received a five-year contract. Grönborg had previously requested the engagement of a foreign goalkeeper several times.
It’s in the nature of things for a trainer to call for reinforcements. But it’s worth remembering that ZSC 2021/22 had probably the most expensive team in the league. For those who afford the most expensive coach and the noblest team, anything but the championship title is a disappointment.
They were always there, these little atmospheric disturbances and philosophical dissonances. There were people at the club who resented Grönborg’s infrequent attendance at farm team GCK Lions games. And that he hardly installed any young players in the first three years. The Swede countered that the talents in the organization are not yet ready for the National League. In December 2021, he almost got fired after a string of disillusioning performances. He saved himself – and stormed into the final. If ZSC had gotten a fourth win against Zug, it is conceivable that the contract would have been extended long ago and there would never have been talks with Tappara. It is a well-known fact that success cements and outshines everything in sport.
Between Tampere and the NHL there are 6615 kilometers – and a whole ice hockey world
It turned out differently, even if it is surprising that Grönborg decided so early on for the Liiga, which is less prestigious and less financially strong than Switzerland. The change documents that the career plan of the two-time Swedish world champion coach in Zurich has come to a standstill. Tampere is 6,615 kilometers from Philadelphia, where Grönborg was traded as a candidate in the summer. And also a whole ice hockey world.
The question is what Grönborg’s upcoming departure means for this season and whether he will end the season in Zurich. He is now what is known in North American parlance as “Lame Duck”. A decision-maker whose authority suffers from the fact that he still embodies the present but no longer the future. The start of the ZSC season was appealing with a few exceptions, such as the recent derby defeat against a badly decimated Kloten.
Zurich have the most stable defense in the league, the Czech Simon Hrubec has the best statistics of all goalkeepers. That is also the merit of the coach. It cannot be ruled out that the approaching farewell has something liberating and unleashes a dynamic that will enable Grönborg to ride into the sunset with a title in spring. But his leash got a little shorter on Wednesday, it can tear quickly if the ZSC rattles into a crisis again; out of misguided loyalty, the club will no longer support this coach. An interesting interim solution would be available with Michael Liniger from the GCK Lions.