Hand steps down as Great Britain coach

The Board of Ice Hockey UK were informed by Tony Hand that he has decided to step down as Head Coach of the GB Senior Men’s National Team.

Hand was named as Head Coach of the Senior Men’s National Programme in 2011 and led Team GB at the World Championships in Slovenia in April 2012.

Under Tony Hand, the Senior National Team travelled to Japan in November 2012 and won their Olympic Qualifying Tournament with a win over Romania and an historic victory over the host country Japan to advance to the final Olympic qualifying tournament in Riga, Latvia in February 2013.

They eventually fell short of qualifying for the Sochi Olympics, despite coming closer than any other GB team in recent history.

After their busiest season of competition, Team GB struggled at the Division I Pool A World Championships in Budapest in April 2013. They finished in fifth spot and were relegated for the coming season.

Team GB will compete in Division I Group B in Lithuania in April 2014, but this time under a new Head Coach.

Tony Hand is Britain’s greatest player in the history of the sport. In 2005, he was awarded an MBE from the Queen for service to the sport in the UK. He has played and coached at the highest level in the land over a 31-year career in ice hockey. He is currently planning for his 8th year in charge of the Manchester Phoenix as player/coach, a team he most recently led to the EPL Playoff Title in 2013.

At this time, Ice Hockey UK do not have a new Coach in mind, but over the coming weeks they will start the search for the next Head Coach of the Senior Men’s National Team.

The Board of Ice Hockey UK would like to thank Tony Hand for his service to the National Programme and for leading Team GB through one of its most exciting periods in their history.

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