Coach Zach resigns from Team Germany
|  | |
 After taking Germany from 20 in the world to number 8, Hans Zach has decided to resign as head coach.  |
Hans Zach announced his resignation to the President of the German Ice Hockey Association (DEB), Mr. Hans-Ullrich Esken and to the DEB Sports Director Franz Reindl, early on Thursday morning. Zach's contract with the DEB expires on June 30, 2004.
"I have reached this decision after many deliberations", said Hans Zach in a written statement. "I would like to thank the players, my assistant coaches, the members of the media, the DEL-league and the fans for all the support I have received during the six years as head coach."
Franz Reindl made this statement:
"For all of us who work in German hockey, it is a sad moment, but I respect the decision of Hans Zach to one hundred procent. We are all very thankful for the job that Hans has done. He has led Germany from number 20 in the world to number 8 in the IIHF World Ranking. He led the German team to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and he also secured a spot in the 2006 Olympics in Turin. One can hardly be more successful as coach of a German national hockey team."
Not making the quarter-final in the 2004 IIHF World Championship was obviously a big disappointment for Hans Zach and German hockey. Germany, which lost to rival Switzerland 1-0 in the deciding game in the qualifying round, was placed ninth but managed to hang on to the eighth position in the IIHF World Ranking, thus securing automatic Olympic participation in Turin 2006.
The DEB must very soon announce who will be the head coach of the team which will represent Germany at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey in the autumn of 2004. Early rumours point at American Greg Poss, who is head coach of the Nürnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL-league. Poss was assistant coach on Team USA which suprisingly grabbed bronze medals in the 2004 IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic.
In an earlier coaching move upon the conclusion of the 2004 IIHF World Championship, the Czech Ice Hockey Association announced that Ivan Hlinka will replace Slavomir Lener as head coach of Team Czech.