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While HC Bienne players enjoy their last days of vacation, their coach has never left the ice. Christian Dubé, who arrived on the Seeland bench last January, spent the summer walking the corridors of the Tissot Arena. "My summer? At the rink!" he told Planète Hockey in an interview published this weekend. A total immersion that contrasts with the habits of a profession where the off-season usually rhymes with disconnection.
Dive into the Bienne universe
The contract signed until 2027 gives him time to build, and the Quebec-born coach does not intend to waste a moment of it.
Since his appointment on January 21, replacing Swede Martin Filander who was dismissed after a disappointing first half of the season, Christian Dubé has established himself as the figurehead of Bienne's renewal. The contract signed until 2027 gives him time to build, and the Quebec-born coach does not intend to waste a moment of it.
Rather than returning to Canada or treating himself to a sunny getaway, Dubé chose to stay in Switzerland. He explored Bienne, its infrastructure, its youth clubs, its partners. "Almost all his colleagues were eager to cut ties with hockey," reports Planète Hockey. "Not him." The 48-year-old coach wants to understand the DNA of the club he leads, beyond Saturday night results.
Before Bienne, Dubé made his mark on Fribourg-Gottéron's history. Sports director from 2015, head coach from 2019, he held multiple roles for several seasons before handing over the reins to Gerd Zenhäusern. His arrival in the Seeland was seen as a strong signal from management eager to take a step forward, as RTS reported in January.
A bet already won
Dubé's first months at the helm of HCB exceeded expectations. Arriving at a team in crisis, he turned things around and brought the Seelanders back to the playoffs in spring 2026. The daily 24 Heures mentioned as early as January an "immense enthusiasm" around his appointment, praising "a touch of glamour in the working-class city."
Sports director Martin Steinegger does not hide his satisfaction: "Christian Dubé embodies active, intense, and structured hockey," he insisted to Blick. A philosophy that quickly won over a locker room lacking direction after Filander's departure. Captain Gaëtan Haas and his teammates rediscovered "the pleasure of going to the rink," noted Léman Bleu last March.
A season to confirm
HC Bienne's training camp opens in a few days. Dubé will have an almost unchanged roster, reinforced by a few targeted adjustments. The stated goal: secure a top-6 spot in the National League, synonymous with direct qualification for the quarterfinals.
Last season, Bienne had to battle until the final week to secure their ticket. With a coach who sacrificed his vacation to better prepare for what's next, the message is clear: ambition is not declared in September, it is built in August, in the silence of a summer rink. This early immersion contrasts with the standards of a league where coaches often decompress until mid-August. Dubé, for his part, preferred the ice to fine sand, convinced that the foundations of a successful season are laid in the shadow of summer, away from prying eyes and expectations. For a club aiming to establish itself sustainably at the top of the standings, this choice says a lot about the culture the Quebecer wants to instill.