Despite leading his team to a championship last season, Marc Crawford has quit his job as head coach of the ZSC Lions in Switzerland. In a statement, the former Vancouver Canucks coach explained why he’s leaving the league-leading club.
The 63-year-old opened up about his mental health challenges.
“For the last several months, I have been investing in intensive therapy with the hope of understanding the depths of my own mental health. This process has proven to be both challenging and revealing to me as a coach, a husband, a father, and an expecting grandfather, and, finally, as a person,” said Crawford, who thanked the organization for its “humanity and understanding.”
This is not the first time that Crawford has taken time for self-reflection. Crawford came under scrutiny in 2019 after four former players, including two players he coached in Vancouver, detailed allegations of physical and verbal abuse. A review into Crawford revealed that the longtime bench boss had proactively sought professional counselling in 2010.
Crawford coached the Zurich-based club for four seasons, winning a championship in 2014, before returning to the NHL in 2016. He returned to Switzerland midway through the 2022-23 season.
“I have always expected that the players of ZSC give 100% effort to the team, and I now realize that because I am not able to give the same commitment, effort, and focus, I must step away and allow this talented group to move forward with someone who can give the effort this team deserves.”
Crawford added that he’s looking forward to spending more time with his family and “continuing to grow as a mentally healthy human being.”
A Stanley Cup winner as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, Crawford coached the Canucks for seven seasons from 1998-99 to 2005-06. He ranks second all-time in Canucks coaching wins (246), second only to Alain Vigneault (313).
With 556 all-time wins, Crawford ranks 25th all-time in NHL head-coaching wins.
Given his age, this could very well be the end of Crawford’s coaching career, which also included stints as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, the Dallas Stars, and the Quebec Nordiques before they relocated to Colorado. In recent years, Crawford spent three seasons behind the bench of the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks as an associate/assistant coach and as an interim head coach of the Sens for 18 games in 2018-19.
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