Former NHL All-Star named Capitals’ boss

Edinburgh Capitals have announced former NHL All-Star forward Dmitri Khristich as their new head coach.

The Ukrainian takes over from Michal Dobron, who left the Murrayfield side at the end of last season to take up an assistant coaching role with French side Brest.

And the appointment of the 47-year-old, who played for top NHL sides Boston, Washington, Los Angeles and Toronto is one that should excite fans across the Elite League.

Caps’ co-owner Scott Neil said: “Dmitri brings a wealth of experience playing at the top level of the game in the NHL and coaching at international level and the KHL in Russia.

“When the opportunity arose to sign someone with Khristich’s pedigree, it was an easy decision to make.

“He was one of the best players in the world during his era and we’ve spoken at length about our views on how to drive the club forward.

“I’m looking forward to working with him over the coming months and it’s an exciting time for the Capitals.”

Khristich made nearly 900 appearances in the NHL between 1990 and 2002, including two All-Star games and winning the World Championships with the Soviet Union.

He also played in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City with the Ukrainian team and served as their assistant coach between 2010 and 2013.

More recently, he was video coach in the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk and Amur Khabarovsk before becoming Edinburgh’s first bench coach since Brad Grattan in 2010.