"There were several phases when I told Marco [Bayer] and Pesche [Müller] that maybe it would be a good time to change coaches now. It's been clear for two months that I'm going to terminate the contract," Ehlers states, adding that the management staff told him that they would like to close out the season with him.
He also reveals to the same source that he underestimated how much energy the double role (he is also the head coach of Denmark's national team) would cost him. He was mentally exhausted and even the ten-week break after the World Championship was not enough to fully recover: "When we went on the ice in Langnau, I wasn't one hundred percent ready."
As a consequence, he was less strict with his players, let them do things he normally would not allow: "It sounds bad when I say: I was too comfortable. But I was not ready to fight these fights." As for his future, he says he knew that it was time for a change: "The Danish Ice Hockey Federation plans to launch a new youth program. I'd like to be part of it."
