DThe Adler Mannheim have drawn a line under a cooperation that started successfully, but in which there have recently been more and more disagreements: Pavel Gross was fired as head coach of the ice hockey club on Monday, and his assistant Mike Pellegrims was also released by the eight-time German champion. The reason for the separation was the disappointing results in the past games, which caused the team, which in turn was supposed to play for the title, to slip down to fifth place in the table.
“We’re at a point in the season where the playoffs are imminent and the team should be on track to play their best hockey. Unfortunately, the trend went in the wrong direction. That’s why we came to the conclusion that the team needed a new impetus, a breath of fresh air in the final spurt and in the final round,” said Managing Director Daniel Hopp, explaining the step. There have always been differences of opinion between Hopp and Gross in recent months, especially in connection with the Corona measures, which the coach criticized with questionable statements.
Gross, who was born in the Czech Republic, had won championship honors as a striker with the eagles and repeated the feat straight away after the Mannheimers had poached him in 2018 for the chief post behind the gang from the Grizzlys Wolfsburg. An old acquaintance, Bill Stewart, is said to be in charge until the end of the season.
For the Canadian it is his third engagement with the Mannheimers, with whom he was celebrated as DEL champions 21 years ago. Recently, his star had faded quite a bit and his reputation in the scene had suffered because professionals had repeatedly complained about the tone and outdated training methods of the 64-year-old today. In his part-time job with the Adler, Stewart receives support from former internationals Marcel Goc and Jochen Hecht.
