Tony Hand named new Great Britain headcoach

Tony Hand has been appointed as the new head coach of the Great Britain senior team to replace Paul Thompson. Hand will lead Great Britain at the 2012 World Championship (Division 1A) in Slovenia and also the tournaments in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

The 44 year old Hand is now in his fifth season in charge of Manchester and was named as EPL Coach of the Year last season when Phoenix won the title. He will work in a dual role for both the club and the national team.

He said: 'It is an honour and a privilege to coach the National side and I am really looking forward to coaching the best players in Britain. I would like to thank Ice Hockey UK for giving me this great opportunity and also thank Neil Morris and the Phoenix organisation for their assistance in working with Ice Hockey UK during the process. This will be a dual role as I am, as always, fully committed to Manchester Phoenix.'

Andy French, Ice Hockey UK’s general secretary, said about the new head coach: “We had a long list of high-calibre applicants and it was a very strong field of candidates. Tony stood out from all the rest. He is a legend in British ice hockey and is well-known throughout the ice hockey world. I am sure Tony will be able to build on the fantastic work done by Paul Thompson and keep GB challenging for promotion to the top flight.”

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