Pacha lifts the lid on decision to leave Stars

OMAR Pacha has spoken about the circumstances of his departure from Dundee Stars after his move to Nottingham Panthers was confirmed.

Pacha has now officially left the Tayside ice hockey club after five years – three of which were served as both head coach and general manager.

He has joined the Panthers in a newly created role of chief executive officer, in which he will oversee both the off-ice and on-ice activities.

One of his first key tasks will be the appointment of a new Panthers head coach for 2022-23.

“I loved my time in Dundee,” Pacha said. “I met my family there, I met so many people, I was treated so well.

“The fans were great and we grew year on year on year, and I was able to coach this team for five years.

“I was ready for, not necessarily a different challenge but to step away from the coaching side, and I don’t know if Dundee was ready for that, per se, but I was ready for that.”

On being unveiled on the Panthers’ official website Pacha, 35, revealed he had been approached by his new employer months ago.

“When this came about, when they approached me months ago, it took a lot of reflection, a lot of time.

“But knowing how big this club can be and knowing the things I would like to bring and knowing they can work here, it was something I couldn’t pass up.

“I have had many offers before around the league but this is the one that grabbed my attention.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the people in Dundee but it was the right time and the right decision for myself.

“This is really raw. Even though the decision was made a few weeks ago, luckily from both sides – the Stars and Nottingham – we really wanted to focus on Dundee itself, so I need to make sure I have those conversations with players here and know what to do with the future players.”

Pacha’s final games in charge of the Stars were for last weekend’s Elite League play-offs at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena, where Dundee went down 6-0 to Belfast Giants in the semi-finals and 7-5 to Guildford Flames in the bronzemedal match.

His new job will focus on “club stuff, business stuff, identity stuff.”

He added: “In my time at Dundee I was always interested in the business side and throughout the pandemic, every time we had some time, you would look at different sports and see how they generate more bums on seats.”

Panthers chairman Neil Black said: “We are thrilled to have Omar on board. He did a terrific job with Dundee. His drive, passion and enthusiasm will really kickstart our desire to climb back to the top of the Elite League summit after a number of years in the wilderness.”

Omar Pacha