Don Jackson once again refused to be the leading man of the evening. He just sipped from the oversized beer glass that was handed to him, and he couldn’t prevent two of his players holding him and the trophy for the championship in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) from lifting him up and towards the crowd of fans. But then the coach of EHC Munich disappeared right back into the crowd that had gathered on the confetti-strewn playing surface at the championship celebrations in the local Olympic ice rink.
Yes, it was his ninth title, but according to the 66-year-old, it’s not about him: “The first group are the players,” he said. And then he called all his assistants by name and praised sports director Christian Winkler, who “put the team together”.
EHC Munich, which is owned by the Red Bull group, became German champions for the fourth time on Sunday. Not surprising after the dominance shown in the main round. And yet doubts had arisen in the meantime. The 2-0 deficit against Bremerhaven in the quarter-finals was “the moment when we were under the most pressure,” said captain Patrick Hager.
Don Jackson seemed to have lost his title magic
The resilience of the Wolfsburg Grizzlys in the semi-finals (4:3) also took the Munich team “to the limit”, as sporting director Winkler explained. He himself had a sleepless night when the score was 3: 3 because his wife casually remarked: “Maybe the fortune teller is right.” Ingolstadt as master.
The EHC Munich let the forecast burst. “It’s nice, but it was a huge mental stress,” said Winkler. And philosophized about the toughness of the business: “We’ve waited five years for this moment, but we’ve always been successful during this time.”
Don Jackson already seemed to have lost his title magic. Five championships in six years in Berlin, three in the first four in Munich (2014 to 18), but this was followed by two final defeats (2019 Mannheim, 2022 Berlin) and a quarter-final defeat (Ingolstadt 2021). When the main round was won in 2020, Corona killed the play-offs.
This season, the American seemed more relaxed than in previous years, with the 1000th DEL game in autumn 2022 he set a historic mark. He became the senior president of the German professional league, who warmly welcomed new colleagues at other clubs. Jackson was in an unprecedented chatty mood. A sign that he will end his coaching career if he confirms himself with a championship again?
Toni Söderholm would be the logical successor to Jackson
In his usual discretion, he has not yet made a final statement after the fifth final against Ingolstadt, which brought the series to a successful conclusion with a 3-1 win. We will speak in the coming days. Winkler is a bit clearer when he describes the initial situation: “It’s up to Don alone. He has to make a decision.”
It’s up to Don alone. He has to make a decision.
sports director Christian Winkler about the future of the coach
He still recognizes “the young deer” in the 66-year-old, he praises the speeches in crucial phases (“What kind of words does he find there – wow”) and the team has immense appreciation for the coach. “He has an incredible amount of experience on the ice hockey side,” says goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger, “and on a personal level – and that’s even more important to me – he’s an impeccable person, for whom I have the greatest respect.”
The fact that the trainer’s personal details are still open is due to the alternative that has opened up: Toni Söderholm would be available. He was a player in Munich (2015/16), then assistant and development coach, in 2019 he became national coach, in November 2022 he left the association because SC Bern, the ice hockey club with the most spectators in Europe, appealed to him. But the Swiss and the Finn – it didn’t work out, the contract was terminated.
In the Jackson succession, Matt McIlvane, who Munich had parked in Salzburg, was ahead for a long time. The American, who had also worked as an assistant for the German national team (Olympic silver 2018), would have been the solution favored by the Munich players, but he will switch to the San Diego Gulls in the American Hockey League. Don Jackson’s current assistant, ex-polar bear Steve Walker, will fulfill his managerial ambitions at the Schwenninger Wild Wings. The fact that he is leaving is also an indication that Söderholm could come.
Söderholm would also be the big name that EHC Munich needs for its publicity. He wants to move into the new SAP Garden building for the season after next. With a team that should have a strong German core. The newcomers are Dominik Bittner (Wolfsburg), Nico Krämmer and Markus Eisenschmid (both Mannheim) – all of Söderholm’s players at their peak, fourth place at the 2021 World Cup.
