Update: The PZHL has confirmed that Ted Nolan and Tom Coolen have left team Poland. pzhl.org.pl/konkurs-na-stanowisko-selekcjonera-kadry-seniorow/

The In Ted Nolan We Trust era is over in Poland it seems. Hokej.net reporters, Radosław Kozłowski and Sebastian Królicki, report that there will be a meeting on Tuesday next week. At that meeting, they are expected to terminate the contracts of Ted Nolan and Tom Coolen. Krzysztof Majkowski and Marek Rączka could also be gone. At the meeting, they could announce the search for a new head coach.

Ted Nolan came to Poland with a successful background, but couldn’t find that success with the national team. At the Euro Ice Hockey Challenge, Poland went 0-3 and looked bad. At the World Championships, Poland went 1-4 and was demoted to Division 1B. You could put the blame on injuries, poor roster choices, the talent just not being there, or his style being too much of a challenge. The results were not there and after the tournament, Nolan angered many in the Polish hockey community with comments saying Polish training methods are similar to ones used in the 60s. There were other controversies that surrounded Nolan in his short time and despite only being year one, you could see the writing on the wall if you looked hard enough.

Coolen was Ted Nolan’s right-hand man in Poland. It is easy to see that if Nolan went then Coolen would. Coolen spent the year coaching GKS Katowice. It is not known if he is returning to that role now, but I would guess that is unlikely. In his lone season as head coach, Coolen lead Katowice to the finals where they lose to GKS Tychy.