Zug finally find their man

Zug ice hockey club have named the 46-year-old Canadian Doug Mason as their new coach.

Mason, who has held two previous coaching jobs in Switzerland, has signed a one-year contract.

Nine years ago, Mason was given his first Swiss coaching assignment in the B league with Lyss, but was released from his contract after just a few months. After working in the Italian league, Mason returned to Swiss hockey as coach of Lucerne, helping the team to avoid relegation from the B league.

Further highlights in Mason’s career include a spell coaching the Dutch national team and a championship winning season with Dutch club side, Tilburg.

Zug have made little secret of the fact that Mason was not their first choice to replace sacked former coach André Peloffy.

The central Swiss club first held talks with Sean Simpson, who steered Zug to the national league title in 1998. Then, after Simpson decided to stay with the Munich Barons, Zug approached former Zurich Lions coach Kent Ruhnke, but were unable to reach an agreement.

swissinfo with agencies