The Swede Hans Wallson was the most sought-after coach in Europe. He then moved to the ZSC Lions and was released. At his last job back home, he received death threats. Now he’s back in Switzerland for the Spengler Cup – as Sparta Prague’s assistant coach.
Unlucky in Zurich between the summer of 2016 and Christmas 2017: the trainer Hans Wallson.
When it all gets too much for him, Hans Wallson retreats to his home in the mountains of northern Sweden. He then spends hours hiking through the woods, cross-country trails, climbs – and sorts his thoughts in the sauna in the evening. “Nature,” says Wallson, “gives me strength.” Wallson, 56, has used the retreat a few times in recent years, coming through turbulent times.
Not so long ago, Wallson was Europe’s most sought-after hockey coach. He was voted Sweden’s coach of the year three times and became champion in 2014 with Skelleftea. That aroused covetousness, he could choose his employer anywhere and dictate the price. The prospectus said he was a clever, modest, successful coach who could take young players further.
In Sweden he worked with various players who later made it into the NHL. And he was considered a contemporary whose horizon did not end at Plexiglas. He cites Olof Palme, the Swedish prime minister who was murdered in Stockholm in 1986, as his greatest source of inspiration to this day.
In 2016, the ZSC Lions signed Wallson together with Skelleftea’s sporting director Lars Johansson, the club flexed their muscles; the fact that the two decided on Zurich was a strong signal to the national and European competition. “Lasse” and “Hasse”, those were their nicknames at home, should act as equal assistant coaches in Zurich, a novelty. After four years under Canadian Marc Crawford, the club management hoped for new impetus and that the duo would enrich ZSC with the holistic thinking with which they had created a dynasty in Skelleftea despite a small budget and almost fanatical focus on promoting young talent.
There, the two had left nothing to chance: strict units, cognitive training, strict nutrition plans. New players have undergone extensive character studies. A local journalist told the “NZZ am Sonntag” about Johansson at the time: “It wouldn’t surprise me if he knew which side his players fell asleep on every night.” Wallson still says today: “The dynamics in Skelleftea were unique. Everyone pulled together, everyone was an important part of the puzzle. From the players, to the ice cream man, to the hot dog vendor who made sure the food was the right temperature. That’s what made us strong.”
Wallson’s successor, Hans Kossmann, led ZSC to their ninth title in the club’s history
In Zurich, however, the Swedish era ended after a year and a half: the duo was released shortly after Christmas 2017, ZSC was in 7th place, and replaced by Hans Kossmann. A few months later, the ZSC celebrated its ninth championship title.
It seemed as if head coach Wallson had never really arrived in Switzerland, he didn’t seem to have found any connection to the team, ZSC often seemed passive, bordering on indifference. One who was there says it was Wallson’s first job outside of Sweden and that he struggled with communication. There is no question about his competence, but somehow he couldn’t convey his ideas properly in English.
It didn’t help that Wallson and Johansson, who were dismissed as assistant coaches at Rögle at the weekend, apparently became increasingly estranged in Zurich. It is said that the two had hardly spoken to each other in the weeks before the release.
Wallson became quiet after the release, he withdrew, cross-country skiing and the intact mountain world, for the first time. In 2020, he took over Björklöven, a second-division club that harbors an intimate enmity with Skelleftea, something of the Swedish version of the unforgiving Swiss ice hockey derby Ambri-Piotta vs. Lugano. With a glorious past with his rivals, Wallson was a red rag to some of the supporters. Getting into the play-off final in the first season didn’t calm things down either. Wallson was exposed to insults, hostilities, and at some point: quite specific death threats. Together with Daniel Rahimi, a defender who used to work at HC Davos, the coach informed the police.
His family no longer felt safe; on February 20, 2022 he resigned. He says, “When the people you care about are scared, it’s not funny anymore. And all because of hockey. . . It’s crazy what kind of world we live in.” The suspected perpetrators have been identified, and the case will appear in court in May. Wallson says he’s glad he doesn’t have to be there and can testify over the phone.
Again he went to his retreat to rest, this time for eight months. Then he received a call from the Czech Republic. And suddenly everything happened very quickly. So it is that Wallson is standing in the catacombs of the Davos ice stadium on this Monday evening and curiously peeks out from under his glasses. Wallson has been assistant coach at Sparta Prague for almost four weeks, and his team has just won the tournament favorite Team Canada defeated 3:2, it was the eleventh win in the last twelve games. Wallson smiles and says, “Yeah, it’s going pretty well.”
Wallson is the first Swedish coach in the history of the Czech Extraliga
It would be an understatement to describe the job choice for a coach with Wallson’s resume as unconventional. Because a Swede has never coached in the Czech Extraliga, neither as a head coach nor as an assistant – there is a lack of spotlight, prestige and money. In the Swiss National League, the salary of an assistant coach is between 70,000 and 120,000 francs. In the Czech Republic it should be less than half in most cases, even in the case of the sleeping giant Sparta Prague, one of the most traditional clubs in the country, which has now been waiting for a title for 15 years.
Wallson says it was a conscious decision, he wanted to leave Sweden. Away from the dark thoughts, the fear, the anger. Sparta, this is his attempt to find peace. In this sport that he loves so much, even after all these years. He says: «Hockey won’t let me go. I like to work. And you know, I don’t really care what role I play. I don’t have a big ego. I don’t have to be the center of attention and see my face in the newspaper. And I don’t need a lot of money. The work, the mountains, the forest, that’s my world. You should try that too.”
Temporarily back in Switzerland after five years: Hans Wallson (second from right).
It’s been almost exactly five years since I left Zurich. In retrospect, does he regret his commitment to the ZSC? “No,” says Wallson, “I’ve learned a lot about life. There are many languages in Switzerland, the mentality is different than in Sweden. You have to get used to that. I think I would be better prepared today.” And he adds: “It’s a pity it ended with the dismissal. But that’s the business, that’s part of it. At some point I saw the end coming, you develop a certain gut feeling. It doesn’t change my good memories. When ZSC recently played in Skelleftea in the Champions Hockey League, I went there and met the people. In May I will go on vacation with my family to Zurich.”
What does he still hope for from his coaching career after the wild roller coaster ride of the last few years? Wallson smiles and says: “I don’t make plans anymore, life has enough surprises in store. At the moment I’m with Sparta, training the strikers and supervising the power play. It’s good the way it is.”