Ice Hockey: Tony Hand delighted to be named new GB coach

SCOTS-born Tony Hand was yesterday confirmed as the new head coach of the Great Britain senior ice hockey team.

The Edinburgh-based playmaker will guide the national squad at the 2012 World Championship (Division 1A) in Slovenia and also the tournaments in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Hand, the first British player ever to be drafted by a National Hockey League (NHL) club when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986, will mix his international commitments with his coaching duties with English Premier League side Manchester Phoenix.

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Hand, 44, takes over from Paul Thompson who stood down recently to concentrate on his duties with Elite League side Coventry Blaze.

Hand said: “I’m looking forward to working with some fantastic players and it will be a great honour and privilege to coach the national team. I would like to thank the Ice Hockey UK board for appointing me, and also Manchester Phoenix’s managing director Neil Morris for allowing me to take up this job. I am following in some great footsteps in Paul Thompson, who did a fantastic job in his time as GB coach.”

The Scot has scored over 4,000 points in his career which started as a 13-year-old with his home-town club Murrayfield Racers before moving to Sheffield Steelers and Ayr-based Scottish Eagles.

His first coaching role was in the British National League with Dundee Stars and he also had spells with Edinburgh Capitals and Belfast Giants in the Elite League before joining Manchester in 2007. He is now in his fifth season in charge of Manchester and was named as English Premier League Coach of the Year last season as he led the Phoenix to their first league title.

He was also an assistant coach to the national side at the 2008 World Championship.

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