Cult coach Hans Zach turns 75
Concern for the offspring causes the “Alpine volcano” to bubble
March 30, 2024, 9:54 a.m
Hans Zach has long since calmed down, but one topic still causes the ice hockey icon nicknamed “Alpine Volcano” to grumble. This Saturday he celebrates his 75th birthday, in excellent health. He has recovered well from heart surgery.
The “Alpine volcano” is still rumbling, sometimes a little louder. Fishing on the Isar, riding up the mountains on an e-bike, and enjoying his ice hockey pension to the fullest. The once explosive coaching icon has actually come to rest in his Bavarian home of Bad Tölz. But one topic keeps Zach simmering.
On Saturday Zach celebrates his 75th birthday, far away from the picturesque Alpine region on the volcanic island of Gran Canaria. His health is good, despite a few problems, as Zach reports to the trade magazine “Ice Hockey News”. Last year he had heart surgery and had five stents inserted. Since then, “everything has been fine again,” says Zach.
“It’s getting harder to outwit this fish”
Zach recharges his batteries in the mountains while cycling with his wife Slada or on the banks of the Isar. The passionate angler is still after the huchen, a magnificent salmon fish. But the population is declining, which is not least due to the many otters in the region. “It’s getting harder to outwit this fish – but that’s the appeal,” says Zach.
Of course, ice hockey still plays a big role in his life. It’s been ten years since Zach stood on the boards for the last time as interim coach of Adler Mannheim. “Of course I follow ice hockey intensively, especially on television, because I don’t like the long distances anymore,” he says.
Zach had had enough of that. He traveled from one ice rink to the next for over 40 years and was with the national team at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Zach won a few titles, two German championships as a player, four more as a coach for Düsseldorfer EG and the Hannover Scorpions. To date, Zach is the only German coach to win the DEL.
The youngsters keep him very busy
There was usually an explosive Zach on the board. Eyes wide open, gesticulating wildly, Zach always gave his all. The nickname “Alpine volcano” fit like a glove. His autobiography “I, the Alpine Volcano” was published in 2003; an erupting volcano with flowing lava adorns the cover photo. The former national coach, who led the DEB team to the World Cup quarter-finals three times around the turn of the millennium, was known for his tough decisions. But there is one thing that is still important to Zach long after his career has ended: young talent.
“You have to increase the importance of working with young talent,” Zach has been demanding for a long time. He himself was considered a promoter of talent, without taking into account the big names of foreign professionals. “Young players give you power, they are ambitious and willing to learn – and that’s why they’re an asset to every team,” says Zach. Zach sees a problem these days in the training times, especially in the lunchtime training that was adopted from North America. “It may be that this is pleasant for many players if they can then spend the evening with their families,” says Zach: “But it prevents the meaningful integration of the best young players from the clubs.”
Back then, Zach himself called his players onto the ice twice a day. “I know it’s old school and it’s frowned upon these days,” he explains: “But from the club’s perspective, it’s the only way to do more for your own youngsters.”