Swiss national hockey team fires head coach after fake COVID-19 vaccine card admission

AtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksPlayoff projectionsNHL Draft rankingRed Light NewsletterSwiss national hockey team fires head coach after fake COVID-19 vaccine card admissionPatrick Fischer was fired Wednesday and replaced by former assistant coach Jan Cadieux. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Share full articleThe most successful hockey coach in Swiss history has been fired a month before the country is scheduled to host the IIHF World Hockey Championship after Patrick Fischer admitted to falsifying a COVID-19 vaccination document to get around China’s travel restrictions for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Fischer was fired Wednesday and replaced by former assistant coach Jan Cadieux. The Swiss hockey federation initially backed the 50-year-old Fisher, saying Monday it considered the matter closed after Fischer admitted to making a “serious mistake” and apologized publicly for buying a vaccination certificate ahead of the Beijing Olympics. That apology was made after a report from Swiss public broadcaster SRF revealed he’d been fined nearly 39,000 Swiss francs (approx. $50,000 USD) by local authorities in 2023 for document forgery. However, Swiss hockey federation president Urs Kessler said Wednesday that the public outcry over the revelation about Fischer’s conduct forced his association to reconsider its position and instead fire him. “Trust and integrity are central to our sport and to our federation,” said Kessler. “In hindsight, our initial assessment that the matter was closed was too simplistic. It’s about values ​​and respect that are central to Swiss Ice Hockey and which Patrick Fischer failed to uphold in 2022. The federation regrets that it gave this aspect too little consideration in its initial assessment.” The move comes exactly one month before the world championship is set to get underway in Zurich and Fribourg. That tournament was due to be Fischer’s swan song following a 10-year run where he took Switzerland from eighth to second in the world rankings, with Cadieux previously tabbed as his successor following the worlds on home soil. Switzerland reached the quarter-finals at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, where COVID-19 testing was a requirement and the NHL chose not to send its players because of concerns about the pandemic. Fischer bought a forged vaccination certificate off a social media platform to gain entry to China for the tournament. “I’m very sorry if I’ve disappointed people with this situation,” he said Monday in a statement. “I was in an extraordinary personal crisis because I didn’t want to be vaccinated. At the same time, I certainly didn’t want to let my team down at the Olympic Games.” During Fischer’s tenure with the national team, Switzerland reached three Olympics and claimed a world championship silver on three occasions — including at last year’s tournament, where it lost 1-0 in overtime to Team USA in the gold medal game. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Chris Johnston is a senior writer covering the NHL for The Athletic. He has two decades of experience as an NHL Insider, having appeared on Hockey Night in Canada and the NHL Network before joining TSN in 2021. He currently hosts the "Chris Johnston Show" on the Steve Dangle Podcast Network. He's written previously for the Toronto Star, Sportsnet and The Canadian Press. Follow Chris on Twitter @reporterchris