Greg Wood exits as head coach at Sheffield Steeldogs after club decide to go 'in different direction'

Wood announced on his Twitter account on that the club had decided to ‘go in a different direction’ after a four-year stint at the helm that had helped bring the club unparalleled success on the ice.

The 2021-22 season double-winning campaign will go down as the most memorable for the club and its fans after Wood led them to NIHL National Cup and play-off success. He also helped guide the club through the Covid era, overseeing triumph in the behind-closed-doors Spring Cup.

News of Wood’s exit – just 12 months on from celebrating that double triumph in Coventry – will come as a surprise to many followers of the English game’s second-tier and it remains to be seen which ‘direction’ both club and coach will now go in.

"I’d like to thank Steeldogs fans for their commitment over the past few years,” said Wood on Twitter. “The club have decided to go in a different direction next season. So, I will be supporting the club like the rest of you. It’s been a wild couple of years, with some great success along the way!

"A string series WIN, a Spring cup WIN, a National cup WIN, a Playoff final WIN… backed up by two top-four finishes and two Final Four Weekends. I’m not sure I could have done anymore. The club has some great players, so will continue to do well. I wish them all the best!”

Wood has long been associated with second-tier hockey in his hometown, coming through the junior system at Ice Shefield before going on to play for Sheffield Scimitars. He then spent three seasons in the Elite League at, first, Basingstoke Bison and then Coventry Blaze, before returning to the EPL with Manchester Phoenix.

Two seasons there preceded a return home to play for the Steeldogs in 2011 before he succeeded the late Andrew Payette as player-coach in 2015. Wood then spent a couple of years away from the game before returning to the club as assistant coach to player-coach Ben Morgan in 2019, assuming the head coach role the following year.

For their part, the club – co-owned by Ali Cree and Roger Williams – put out a statement on their own social media channels, thanking Wood for his efforts.

"Woody has brought much to the team during his second spell as coach and leaves a legacy to match that as a player for the Steeldogs,” it read. “When he took on the role, he led the club to Spring Cup success during the Covid season, before the National Cup and Playoff double in the 2021/22 campaign. Woody has helped moved the club forward, supporting development opportunities for many young players.

"The directors would like to put on record their thanks for his time and commitment and wish him all the best for the future.”