EHC Red Bull Munich has parted ways with coach Toni Söderholm with immediate effect, the DEL club announced on Saturday. The previous assistant coach Max Kaltenhauser will initially act as interim coach.
Out in Munich: Toni Söderholm is no longer coach of EHC Red Bull Munich. IMAGO/Eibner
Toni Söderholm had a difficult legacy in Munich, after all, at the beginning of last season he inherited Don Jackson in the Bavarian capital, the most successful coach in DEL history. And the shoes were too big. The EHC released the 46-year-old Finn, who won the 2015/16 championship with Munich as a player and coached the German national team from 2019 to 2022, on Saturday.
The 1:2 after extra time on their own ice against bottom team Düsseldorf on Friday evening was probably the last straw, and the ambitious Munich team slipped to 6th place in the table.
“For us as an organization, this was undoubtedly one of the hardest decisions ever,” explained Christian Winkler, Managing Director Sports Red Bull Ice Hockey. “After the performances shown by what we believe to be the top team in preparation and in the course of the season so far, we have not noticed the changes that, in our opinion, were necessary after last season.”
The EHC had finished the main round in 5th place and then clearly failed 1:4 in the play-off semi-final series against eventual runners-up Bremerhaven.
Kaltenhauser moves up first
With Söderholm’s leave of absence, the previous assistant coach Max Kaltenhauser is moving up; he will initially hold the position of interim coach. He was assisted by those responsible at the EHC, Pierre Allard and Patrick Dallaire. Kaltenhauser came to Munich before the season and last season he led the Eisbären Regensburg to the DEL2 championship.
The 43-year-old’s first game with Munich takes him to the Fischtown Pinguins in Bremerhaven on Sunday. The club that had really upset Söderholm’s chair with the semi-final victory.
