Rikard Grönborg is the head coach of Team Sweden. Grönborg has led Tre Kronor to two consecutive gold medals at the IIHF World Champions.
I love Grönborg's passion! This dude loves his players and he hates losing.
Last weekend, Sweden defeated Switzerland in the gold medal game. The United States earned the bronze medal while Canada finished fourth in the World Championships.
Elliotte Friedman is my friend in hockey, red wine and Howard Stern. Elliotte wrote in his most recent "31 Thoughts" that Grönborg is in fact on Buffalo's radar. Why shouldn't he be? The Sabres finished 31st overall in 2017-18. They went from being the #1 power play in the Hl in 2016-16 to being the 31st place PP in 2017-18. Phil Houlsey's assistant coaches David Payne and Chris Hajt struggled mightily at times last season. On locker clean out day, Housley said he is in the process of evaluating his assistant coaches.
Rikard Gronborg, who led Sweden to gold at the World Championships, will have interest. He’s expressed a desire to move back to North America, where he played at NCAA St. Cloud State. Buffalo, Dallas and the Rangers all make sense as a possibility for him.
According to Aftonbladet , Grönborg is being courted heavily by a few NHL clubs. The Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes are said to be all-in on interviewing Grönborg for an assistant coaching position.
Fans of international hcokey will know Grönborg, who has coached the best of the best players for Team Sweden the past decade. Grönborg has coached the U-18's, World Juniors, the IIHF World Hockey Championship and, most recently, the Pyeongchang Olympics.
“To me, the only challenge that would be left is the National Hockey League, to be perfectly honest,” Grönborg told Sportsnet. “I’ve kind of done all that stuff and coached some of the best players in the world. Now I’m interested to have my ideas, to [implement] them over a period of time and do them overseas, and kind of challenging the coaching community over in the NHL.
Grönborg carries a dual portfolio. He is equal parts Swedish and American after playing NCAA hockey at St. Cloud State in Minnesota. Grönborg was looking for a place to happen, making stops along the way. The soon to be 50 year old head coach invested the first 10,000 hours of his hockey coaching career in locales like Wisconsin, Montana and Texas. Grönborg's wife is a Salt Lake City native. Grönborg earned his Master’s Degree in management and leadership in the USA.
After winning back-to-back World Hockey Championships, the world is Grönborg's oyster.
He has one year remaining on his contract with the Swedish Hockey Federation. He hasn't ruled out a return to the United States either. Grönborg is open-minded and is hoping that an NHL GM is willing to stick his neck out and take a chance on hiring him.
Grönborg brings a fresh, different perspective. He's a coach who understands the fundamentals and can teach his players concepts at the grease board. However, the added value he provides is he is an expert level developer of players. He's a consumate communicator and he has mastered the art of the most out of each and every one of his forwards, defensemen and goalies.
"There’s so many X’s and O’s out there—I think most coaches coaching at that level, they know their X’s and O’s—but how do you get the players to grow in your environment?” Grönborg said. “Because that’s the biggest key for me. How do you communicate with those players? How did you get them to excel and become better and buy into the system? That’s what I’m intrigued about, is how you develop the players.”
The NHL is calling. He will have to have success as an assistant coach before he becomes an NHL bench boss. Have job, will travel.
"We have not decided the future and we will see what happens," Grönborg said.
Regarding the Buffalo Sabres, Grönborg is definitely interested in meeting with GM Jason Botterill and head coach Phil Housley. Grönborg would be a perfect fit in Buffalo. Housley has reviewed his 2017-18 coaching staff with Botterill. When your NHl team finished dead last in the NHL standings, all coaches and players are under close sctrutiny. Grönborg is very familiar with Swedish Sabres prospects goalie Linus Ullmark, forwards Alex Nylander, Rasmus Asplund, and Victor Olofsson. Oh, by the way. Buffalo won theNHL Draft Lotterilly on April 28 in Toronto and will be selecting Grönborg protege defenseman Rasmus Dahlin first overall at the NHL Draft in Dallas in late June. Botterill signed Swedish Defenseman of The Year Lawrence Pilut (HV-71, Swedish Elite League) as a free agent two weeks ago.
The Sabres wear Blue & Gold. Ditto Team Sweden.
"But they (Buffalo) have good coaches? That's just what's interesting to me. I have not talked to them. But at the same time I have turned off during the World Cup. We have not decided the future and we'll see what's happening. I hope and want to coach Three Kronor next season, that's my goal, " Grönborg said.
Naturally, if he were hired by the Sabres, Grönborg would relinquish his head coaching role with Team Sweden.
Grönborg's contract with Team Sweden expires in a year.
Hockey Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidström believes that Grönborg would thrive as a coach in NHL.
"He has been there for many years and has coached over there, and understands the thought of North America. I have also read that he wants to overcome eventually, and it is a clear advantage for a Swedish coach to know how it works over there, he says.
With two straight World Cup gold, how attractive is he you think of the NHL team?
"It certainly strengthens his chances, I think so clearly. The team he has coached has also included many NHL players. He understands how they think, and it's an advantage to coach over there".
Sabres fans would love it if Houlsey could hire the coaching tandem of Grönborg and Lidstrom. Imagine a universe where Nik Lidstrom coaches Rasmus Dahlin in Buffalo.
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