interview
The DEL awakens from summer sleep on Tuesday. When it comes to the championship, according to ice hockey expert Rick Goldmann, there is no way around the Eisbären Berlin in the new season.
RBB | 24: Mr. Goldmann, the DEL comes back from a long summer break. Even if you no longer go on the ice yourself, but work as an expert from the edge – is it a bit tingling again?
Rick Goldmann: It is still like a player. After the World Cup, you are only happy that there is finally a little calm because it is really stressful. And then at some point you are “allowed” and you wonder: when will it finally go back on the ice? Then the first game comes. I also have to prepare for that as an expert. I sit in front of a lot of papers and worry about what could become of the teams. This enormously fuel the anticipation.
RBB | 24: Then let’s participate in this idea: The polar bears go into the season as defending champions, have become four times German champions in the past five years. What is on their papers about the Berliners before the start of the season?
Rick Goldmann: The Polar bear Are the team you have to beat if you want to become a German champion. This has to do not only with the players and the quality, but also with the mindset. You have a Winning mentality that no other team has internalized so deeply. And there are only a few small changes in the squad. Top players like Ty Ronning and Leo Pföderl have remained.
And came out of the German market Andreas Eder in addition. I find that very interesting, especially because of the history with his brother. I think he can have a top year in this environment. Of course it hurts that Kai Wissmann and Markus Niemeläinen are injured at the beginning of the season, but for me the polar bears remain the big favorite.
RBB | 24: For the capitals it will not be a start from the cold. In the Champions Hockey League (CHL) they have already completed four competitive games in the past two weeks, three of them were lost. How meaningful is that for the current constitution of the team?
Rick Goldmann: The first three CHL games have nothing to do with who will be champion in the end. There is over half a year in between where a lot can happen. When you have become champions, the first games are difficult, you can see that again and again. You have to pay the price for the hard last season, find it again mentally and there is nothing possible. You have to work out everything again.
RBB | 24: However, the competition did not sleep during the summer break. Many teams have upgraded properly. Who will be the most dangerous for the polar bears?
Rick Goldmann: If you only look at paper, it’s definitely Mannheim. They had a brutal upheaval in the team, got two new goalkeepers and signed a few top names – for example Justin Schütz. For me, he is the king’s transfer and has scored over 50 goals at the Cologne sharks in the past two years. Or Nicolas Mattinen, who became a defender of the year at Straubing and has now returned to Germany after a season in North America. So this is a very good team with which Dallas Eakins as a trainer and sports director is also under successful pressure this year.
RBB | 24: And what about the Berlin final opponent last season, the Cologne Haie?
Rick Goldmann: Cologne and Munich are also part of the favorite group. The sharks played into a intoxication last year because Julius Hudacek in particular worked well in the goal. He is now gone, but you have brought many interesting imports for it, especially Finn. If a new top goalkeeper crystallizes out, they are among the top four.
RBB | 24: In the opening game, the polar bears will meet the Dresden Eislöwen, the first DEL promoter for three years on Tuesday. Is there a new east derby?
Rick Goldmann: Yes, perhaps. As a new team, the ice lions are exciting. I heard that 3,000 to 4,000 Dresdeners want to go to Berlin for the opening game. So you can see that the ascent has euphorized the city. The team is very experienced, maybe even experienced. Or said in other words: a little too old. I could imagine that you keep up well at the beginning, but whether you can keep the performance all the season is very questionable.
RBB | 24: A little surprisingly, an institution of German ice hockey: Düsseldorfer eG. How quickly will she return to the upper house?
Rick Goldmann: Interestingly, everyone is asking me to Düsseldorf. You can see from this that they are a big name. It really hurts that they have disappeared from the DEL. Simply getting up again is not that easy. You saw that in Krefeld. But I hope that they come up again.
RBB | 24: The league certainly also shares this request, after all Düsseldorf is a large crowd puller. In the past season, the DEL had caused new records with sales of 200 million euros and a total of 33.3 million viewers in the halls. Why is the product so successful?
Rick Goldmann: Many good decisions have been made in recent years. And it is a development that runs parallel to the German national team. It is number one for ice hockey in Germany. There were two silver medals and we have players like Leon Draisaitl, Moritz Seider and Tim Stützle, who play in the NHL and are really among the best in the world. This attracts attention that the DEL has made to use. The league is attractive, has a high speed and sells very well. Berlin is a good example of this. Even for someone who has never seen ice hockey in his life, this is a spectacle with the polar bears. The inlet show alone. This can not only compete with the NHL, but is at a level.
RBB | 24: The new season is initially all about the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina. How will this interruption affect the league in February?
Rick Goldmann: It is great for the players who drive to the Olympics. You have a consistent season with an absolute highlight. You will come back and never played at such a level before. It will be the best ice hockey tournament ever, you don’t need to fool yourself. For the players who have a break, a new season starts more or less. You suddenly have ten days off, fly home and then come back and make a small training camp. It’s like a restart. And it can be very crucial for many teams.
Thank you for the conversation.
The interview Lukas Witte, RBB Sport.
Sending: The Day, 08/08/2025, 6 p.m.
