MILAN — It’s fair to say Winnipeggers Chris Walby and Harold Kreis took drastically different athletic paths after spending two seasons playing junior hockey together with the Kildonan North Stars.
Walby ended up trading his skates for cleats, becoming one of the greatest Winnipeg Blue Bombers of all time during a decorated CFL career that included three Grey Cups, countless individual awards and a spot in the Hall of Fame.
And Kreis? Well, you’ll find him Wednesday patrolling the bench for Germany’s men’s hockey team here at the Winter Olympics, drawing up plays for the likes of Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle and JJ Peterka. A win over Slovakia would guarantee they’re playing for a medal this weekend.
Gladys Chai von der Laage Photo
Winnipeg’s Harold Kreis (centre) has been the bench boss for Team Germany for the past three years.
“Say ‘hi’ to him from his old teammates,” Walby told the Free Press on Tuesday. “And tell Harold he owes me a Germany hockey jersey.”
Kreis, 67, had a chuckle recalling how much fun he had with Walby and company during the 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. A quick look at the statistics suggests there were plenty of shenanigans on the ice, with Kreis (139 penalty minutes) and Walby (119) spending a lot of time in the sin bin during that final year.
Kreis also had a sizeable edge in the scoring department, finishing with 34 points to Walby’s 10.
“Harold was a hell of a good player,” said Walby. “Tough as nails and a great guy and teammate.”
Walby recalled a team party during their first year together when Kreis announced he had to head home because his dad needed the car for work. Rookies were expected to stay late and help clean up, so a standoff ensued.
Eventually, Kreis negotiated his way out — perhaps an early sign that coaching would become his calling card. Walby admitted he helped smooth the process, describing himself as a “cub” among the “lions” on the team who initially refused to budge.
Walby, at six-foot-seven and strong as a bull, certainly had the ability to be persuasive.
“Chris wasn’t making any money when he was playing for the North Stars, but he sure was once he went to the Blue Bombers,” said Kreis. “He was a big, tough man. That was a fun team.”
So how did Kreis end up coaching Germany — something he’s now been doing for nearly three decades? Like many Canadian hockey players, he looked overseas once opportunities started drying up.
Kreis was a member of the Winnipeg Junior Jets team that relocated to Calgary and became the Calgary Wranglers in 1977-78. One year later, he was recruited to join Adler Mannheim in the Ice Hockey Bundesliga, which eventually evolved into Germany’s top professional circuit, the DEL.
The club’s general manager wanted to bring in several Canadians, believing it would instantly raise the team’s level. And so Kreis left Winnipeg behind — along with his parents and much of his extended family.
He never came home professionally. Kreis joined Mannheim in the fall of 1979 and stayed until retiring in the spring of 1997, serving as captain for several seasons and helping lead the club to championships in 1980 and again in 1997.
Kreis also represented Germany internationally, competing at the Olympics in 1984 and 1998 and appearing in eight world championships.
That success carried over behind the bench. Kreis joined Mannheim’s coaching staff immediately upon retirement, landed his first head-coaching job two years later, and hasn’t looked back — now leading teams for roughly a quarter-century.
Three years ago, the German Ice Hockey Association named Kreis men’s national coach, citing a resumé that included just about everything the sport had to offer. The move paid off quickly as Kreis guided Germany to silver at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
Now comes his third Olympic appearance — and his first as a coach — overseeing the deepest roster in German history, one that features six NHL players.
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Hall of Famer Winnipeg Blue Bomber Chris Walby — who played hockey with Team Germany head coach Harold Kreis when they were younger — said the Winnipegger owes him a German jersey the next time he sees him.
“It’s great. You never would have imagined being a part of it,” said Kreis. “And the guys on this team are so fun. They’re great people first, and great athletes second.”
Star forward Draisaitl even has a personal connection to Kreis.
“I played with his dad. I played against his dad. I coached against his dad. It’s a long hockey tradition out there,” said Kreis.
There’s also another Winnipeg tie behind the German bench. Kreis’s assistant coach is Jamie Kompon, who spent six seasons with the Winnipeg Jets as part of Paul Maurice’s staff. Kompon, a Thunder Bay, Ont., native, is now an associate coach with the Florida Panthers with back-to-back Stanley Cup titles on his resumé.
“We met years ago at a hockey school in Okanagan,” Kreis said.
“Heading into the Olympics, I thought, OK, this is going to be a tournament with NHL players. He’s got phenomenal NHL experience and success. I wanted somebody on my side who has worked with this level of player, so I asked Jamie. He was excited to come.”
For those wondering, there are no birthplace restrictions for coaches in international hockey.
Germany faces a stiff test Wednesday against Slovakia, which boasts a more star-studded lineup. But consider this potential storyline: if Germany wins, along with Canada (the No. 1 seed facing Czechia) and the United States (No. 2 vs. Sweden), Canada and Germany would meet in one of Friday’s semifinals.
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“We’ll be ready to perform at our best,” Kreis said.
Kreis’s brother and several cousins still live in Winnipeg, and his last trip home came for his father’s celebration of life. His two children live in Germany but also hold Canadian citizenship.
“We’ll head back at some point for summer holidays. Certainly not in the winter,” Kreis said with a smirk.
Memo from Walby: Don’t forget that jersey when you do.
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Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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