29.04.2018 - Tereza Velikovská

Uwe Krupp: It’s a tremendous honour for me to be part of Sparta

German legend UWE KRUPP is the new team’s Head Coach for the next two seasons! He played 810 games in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup with Colorado. After his amazing playing career, he went on to become the national team coach of Germany and coach at club level in Cologne Haie and Eisbären Berlin. Now the next big challenge is on the line. „It is very clear to me that being entrusted to guide and coach Sparta Prague is a true privilege,“ says Krupp.

Just few days ago you were competing for the DEL gold with Eisbären Berlin and a new coaching challenge is already on the line. What are your feelings right now?
I am looking back at almost four full seasons in Berlin and I am happy with the way the team has improved and developed during that time. I am also a little disappointed that we did not win the championship this year. We put up a hard fight and were close, but it wasn’t quite enough in order to win. Now I am excited about taking on the new challenge to work with Sparta Prague in the Tipsport Extraliga.

What was the main reason for you to join Sparta Prague?
First of all, it is a tremendous honour. I am aware of the long tradition of hockey in the Czech Republic and former Czechoslovakia, but the more I read about it the more impressed I am becoming about hockey’s cultural meaning in this country. It is very clear to me that being entrusted to guide and coach Sparta is a true privilege.

You played with Petr Bříza in Landshut during the NHL lockout in 1994. Was this also part of your decision?
I have met Petr in Landshut as a player and then years later again during World Championships as he is now working for the Czech ice hockey federation. Sometimes you have a connection when you meet somebody and sometimes you don’t. We always found a couple of minutes to catch up even though at the World’s everybody is pretty busy and coaches and officials are usually stressed. Knowing him, was an important factor in my decision to take the job.

What comes first on your mind with the word Sparta?
Honestly, and this makes me sound very shallow – I think of the movie “300”... (laugh) Obviously it is about an ancient warrior culture, but I love that movie and couldn’t think of a better name for a sports team. Sparta says it all!

Jozef Golonka gave me a chance in Cologne

And how about the whole Czech ice hockey? What is your experience with it?
Growing up in Germany in the 1970’s, there was a lot of Czech / Slovak influence in German ice hockey. Names like Dr. Wohl, Dr. Jano Starsi, Karel Gut and a little later Ludek Bukac, had a huge influence on hockey in Germany. The first coach that gave me a chance to break into the men’s team in Cologne was Jozef Golonka, who is somewhat of a cult figure in Bratislava. He was a tough coach and didn’t take it easy on the lanky, too tall German kid. Of course, the other experience was playing with and against very talented Czech born players in North America. There have been many guys I crossed paths with, and watching them make it in the NHL, or giving it their best shot, has always earned my outmost respect. It has never been easy for Europeans to make it in North America.

What do you expect from your new team?
I really want to first meet all the players and start working together before I start talking about my expectations. I played an exhibition game against Sparta last season and I liked what I saw, but that is all. We will know more once training camp starts.

What will be your first moves in Sparta?
The first thing will be for all the people in the hockey department to sit down and work through the way business is done at Sparta. Everybody that works close to the players, plays an important role and for the whole thing to work well, we all must understand what it is that needs to be done and then work together until we get where we want to go.

Not many coaches have such an amazing player’s career like you. What are the advantages of that?
I think you get to see the business from both sides. Having been a player allows you as a coach to put yourself into the players shoes and it probably helps to understand how a player feels and thinks.

Do you think that you understand the players better because of your player’s experience from the NHL?
I’m not sure if the NHL experience is necessary to being able to relate to the players. To me, you just need to know what it means to be a professional hockey player or athlete and the pressures and expectations the individual has to deal with.

I have already started to learn Czech language

You were the second German-born player to play in NHL. How was it for you back in 1986 when you started to play overseas?
I was greener than green when I went to Buffalo. I definitely needed some time to learn how to play in North America. But, I knew what I wanted and I knew how to work and that combination ended up working for me.

Did you already know the language before coming there?
I had basic school English. Actually my English and French skills were about equal. I just downloaded a Czech language learning program today and wow, I got my work cut out... (smile)

Which Czech players did you meet during your NHL mission?
Like I said before, there are a lot of guys. To name a few, Dom (Hasek) was probably the biggest name I played with, even though my career was basically over by then. David Volek stays forever in my hockey memories because of the OT winner against Pittsburgh with the NY Islanders in the early 1990’s. Sorry Jags...! (laugh) I also spent a little time with Frantisek Kaberle and Milan Hnilicka in Atlanta during my last season.

You won the Stanley Cup with Colorado Avalanche in 1996. I assume this was the highlight of your career, am I right?
Clearly, that is the highlight that everybody associates with my career. Personally there are other moments and seasons that I look back to and remember well, but that Cup is the popular choice.

What was the reaction back home in Germany after your success?
Despite the lower publicity status of ice hockey in Germany, it was certainly acknowledged, but only to hockey insiders was it really interesting. The internet information superhighway was still in its early stages and what nowadays makes it around the world in nanoseconds, took a lot longer to break through. Nonetheless, it was a great time and I am proud of it.

The next big thing was your participation at the 1998’s Olympic Games in the qualification group. Do you know what Nagano still means to the Czech people?
Well, I guess it is hard to forget for anybody that follows hockey around the world. The first “dream team” winter Olympics and who could forget Wayne Gretzky shaking his head for not getting picked in the shootout and the Czech player’s celebrating the gold medal. A classic moment of hockey history!

Last years of your career were influenced by injuries. When and why you finally decided to end your player’s career?
Yes, the last years were miserable. It’s hard to explain to someone how wins the fitness award as a 36 year old in an NHL training camp, why he needs another back surgery after he wakes up and cannot raise his foot. It just kept adding up and even the most stubborn man on earth (me!) would eventually understand the message your body is trying to tell you.

Training children rekindled my love for hockey

Did you immediately know that your next step would be the transition to coaching?
No. I was actually pretty burnt out on hockey when I retired. The reoccurring injuries left me feeling frustrated and helpless. I was busy trying to find closure to my career and at that time coaching was not high on my list at all. That changed when I started helping out with the youth hockey program in Atlanta. Working with 11 year old boys and girls was such an amazing experience for me that it rekindled my love for hockey. I truly enjoyed watching the kids hockey development and at the same time how they were turning into young adults.

You started straight away with coaching the German national team and stayed here for six years. What are the specifics of coaching a team of players from different clubs in your opinion?
I think you still need to form a team. It is not just about the statistically best players, but the best players for the different roles that a team needs to be successful. Another part is that the players need to identify a common goal. The goal cannot come from the management or coaches’. It has to come from the players. Only after that can coaching start.

The first club you coach was your youth team in your hometown Cologne. Was it special to you?
Yes, very much so. There are still people around the arena that worked there when I was a kid. They remember me scavenging for broken sticks after the big team practices and watched me grow up. It was a great time to come back and lead the team for a few years.

Then you moved to Eisbären Berlin, another big club. Do you think that working in Berlin could be similar to Prague?
I think Cologne, Berlin and Prague have quite a few things in common. All of them are big names, big market teams that enter each season with high expectations. All of them need to play good ice hockey to fill large arenas and all of them will bring out the best in every opposition team. And last, but not least, all of them get lots of attention from the media and otherwise.

You have a lot of experience with large organizations such as the national team and exposed clubs. Are you looking forward to the next famous club?
I really do! It will be a great challenge for everyone – the players, the coaching staff, the management, even the fans – to work together and pursue our common goals.

Foto: berliner-kurier.de, eisbaeren.de, tagesspiegel.de, Håkan Dahlström

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