Luxembourg American enjoyed coaching, living in Luxembourg

This article is twelfth in our series on Luxembourg Americans who have gone through the process of reclamation of Luxembourg nationality to become Luxembourg citizens. These dual citizens, who were assisted in their citizenship journey by Luxembourg Legacy, reflect the passion that new Luxembourgers in America have for all things Luxembourg. This month, we’re featuring John Bierchen, who coached the Beaufort Knights hockey team for two years—and loved every second of it.

By Mary Bolich

But how did a guy from Florida end up playing and coaching hockey, and then becoming a hockey coach in Luxembourg? 

Like many kids, Bierchen was exposed to a variety of sports, but when he was seven years old, he attended a hockey game and was immediately enamored.

“I just really liked it for whatever reason and asked if I could try it. My dad said, ‘Well, we’ll get you skating lessons for six weeks and if you still like it at the end, then we’ll sign you up for hockey.’ Thirty years later, whether it’s Luxembourg, my wife, my daughter—pretty much everything in my life is connected back to hockey.” 

Bierchen played hockey in Florida and moved to Boston when he was 18 to compete in U20 hockey (for players ages 16-20). He loved the game but had already started considering coaching rather than playing.

“I was 17 or 18 when I really started thinking about coaching. I was a goalie and I’m only 5 feet 8 inches tall and goalies are usually bigger guys. Realistically, I knew I wasn’t going to make the NHL or even AAA hockey,” Bierchen said. 

He had opportunities to play Division 3 hockey at a few liberal arts colleges, but his dad encouraged him to pursue coaching, so he began working as a volunteer coach and coaching for very little pay to break into the field. He attended the University of Alabama online to get a business degree, then attended in person his senior year. He played on the university hockey team that year, his final year of playing hockey before returning to coaching. 

Embarking on a coaching career
Bierchen worked his way up through coaching positions at various levels in hockey and then was named assistant coach of the Indy Fuel, a AA affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately, he got sick, hospitalized and fired. He returned to Florida and had just started working at Epcot when he got a call to be head coach in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It had been a tough year for him personally and professionally, including moving around to different jobs five times within 12 months. 

“I was at the point where I was looking for something different. At that time, my dad and I had started the dual citizenship process with Kevin (Wester, of Luxembourg Legacy) when I saw online that Luxembourg was looking for a coach. I sent an email and they got back to me immediately,” Bierchen said, convinced the quick response was because of his Luxembourgish name. 

Bierchen’s last name may have helped, but it’s more likely his coaching experience landed him the head coaching position with the Beaufort Knights. His Luxembourg passport also gave him an advantage.

“Having an EU passport opens up a lot of doors because you don’t need a work visa and it’s easy to travel,” said Bierchen, who obtained his dual citizenship through Article 7—having an all-male Luxembourg lineage. 

When he arrived in Luxembourg in 2020 to begin his new coaching job, it was his first time setting foot in the Grand Duchy. 

“My great grandparents immigrated to America, leaving Luxembourg to come to America for opportunity. One hundred and eighteen years later, I left America to go to Luxembourg for opportunity.” [Jean (Johann) Bierchen from Eschdorf in 1902, and Marie Schuller from Boulaide in 1908. They met in Chicago and married in 1910.]

Bierchen coached the Knights for two years and “loved every second of it.” Notably, he increased attendance fivefold through promotions posted to social media. Videos that started out as impromptu, one-minute promos became full-blown theatrical productions at notable locations throughout Luxembourg (including a castle) with costumes, props, a character named “Ziggy” decked out in authentic knight gear and Bierchen riding a horse named Lisa. The serial TV show-like videos promoting each upcoming game were a huge hit.

“When I first arrived, there were about 120 fans per game. By the time I left, they were averaging 550-600 people, and it was really because of the promo videos. It just became this really cool blend of American culture and Luxembourg culture with this Luxembourgish family atmosphere—drinking and eating sausages and all that—and American activities like playing musical chairs on the ice. It was really a lot of fun.” 

While in Luxembourg, Bierchen also served as assistant coach with the Luxembourgish national team and assistant coach at the world championships in Bulgaria.

“Luxembourg hosted the Olympic qualification, which included three games, and that was a really cool experience because I got to represent the country of my heritage, while also getting to do something that I really love.”

Connecting with Luxembourgish relatives
While in Luxembourg, Bierchen also explored his heritage—which sometimes sprung up in unexpected ways. 

One Sunday, he and his father drove to Boulaide to see his great-grandmother Mary Bierchen’s flour mill. When they got there, they struggled through a conversation with a local resident who spoke English about as well as Bierchen spoke Luxembourgish. But Bierchen’s car had Beaufort Knights stickers on it and apparently, the father and son seemed harmless enough, so they were allowed to walk around the mill and take photographs.

[Read the detailed family history about the mill at Boulaide, documented by Bierchen’s first cousin once removed Jim Heckenbach, an avid genealogist.]

A few days later, Bierchen was interrupted at practice and was told someone wanted to see him. Waiting for him in the Ice Park Beaufort sports bar were Denny and Paul Bierchen, sons of Mary Bierchen. The brothers in a round-about, small-country way, heard about the Bierchen and his dad’s visit to the mill. 

“He said, ‘Hey, my grandmother would like to meet you because she’s met your family before.’ The grandmother came to my house in Beaufort with her Bierchen family and she had all kinds of old pictures, letters and postcards that my grandma and grandpa had sent to her. Ironically, one of them was of me in 1991 when I was my daughter Amelia’s age. I recognized my grandmother’s handwriting on the back saying, ‘Oh, little John has got so much energy.’ It just shows how small Luxembourg truly is and it was such a cool experience of making family and cultural connections.”

After his stint in Luxembourg, Bierchen coached in Finland, where he met his wife Anniina, and in Austria before returning to the United States. Bierchen, 38, is currently head coach of the Danbury Hat Tricks, a professional minor league ice hockey team in Danbury, Connecticut, where he and his family live during the hockey season. Anniina has three children from a previous marriage Julius, 13, Juuso, 10, and Livia, 8, and the couple have two-year-old Amelia, who has three passports: Finnish U.S. and Luxembourg.

Benefits of dual citizenship
Along with being an important link to his heritage, becoming a Luxembourg citizen has had a profound impact on Bierchen’s professional and personal life.

“I think what is important for people to get out of this story is whether it’s Americans wanting to go to Luxembourg or Luxembourgers looking to come to America, there’s always an adventure or a connection to your family history, but you’re never going to find that if you don’t take the next step.”

Bierchen, who got his citizenship in 2019, said Wester goes above and beyond to make the experience meaningful for each applicant and offers resources to not only learn more about Luxembourgish history and culture but to take advantage of the benefits of being a dual citizen.

“Kevin is detailed and organized—he’s the expert who has done this for thousands of people. He’s done so much research, has so many connections and offers so many different tours that relate to whatever your interest is. Once you get your passport, you want to use it and there are other places in the world to see, but Luxembourg is really a great country.” 

Bierchen family genealogy
Jim Heckenbach, John Bierchen’s first cousin once removed, has done extensive genealogy research on the Bierchen family. If you scroll down to (C) The family of Dominique BIRGEN and then down to Jean Bierchen, John Bierchen’s grandfather is John Henry Bierchen. The genealogy information, stories and photographs are quite interesting.

Check out Bierchen’s coaching resume.

Promotional videos
Watch a few of John Bierchen’s Beaufort Knights hockey promo videos. Click to watch promos filmed in Luxembourg City, at Calvacade in Dierkirch and a funny bloopers reel that were posted on Instagram.