Dead animal and attack on player
Escalation at a German ice hockey game
March 25, 2026 – 4:32 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
There were unpleasant scenes in the playoff game between Deggendorfer SC and Füchse Duisburg.
Ice hockey is generally considered a tough contact sport, but in a duel in the German top league some fans went overboard. In the third meeting of the playoff quarter-final series between Deggendorfer SC, champions of the Oberliga Süd, and Füchse Duisburg, representatives of the Oberliga Nord, the situation surrounding the game escalated significantly.
The DSC supporters hung a fox skin on the Duisburg players’ bench. In an interview with “Tag24”, Füchse managing director Tom Södler referred to the history of the first two duels, of which both teams had won one each. After the second game, two Füchse players were suspended. “This naturally caused emotions to run high among the fans. And that culminated in us being greeted on site with a dead fox,” said Södler.
The fur was attached to the plexiglass. Duisburg’s managing director explained: “This makes the mood even more high.” Despite a tip, the fur initially got stuck and was not removed immediately.
It wasn’t the only unpleasant incident. “It culminated in one of our players being physically attacked by a fan at the beginning of the first break,” reported Södler.
The affected player remained uninjured. Södler said: “Because then our bus driver intervened. But the fan was already hanging on his neck. So in the truest sense of the word.” The DSC has now responded publicly to the incidents. “We expressly distance ourselves from the incident in which a fox fur was hung in the stadium. Such an act in no way corresponds to the values of our club and has no place in the Deggendorfer SC environment,” the club announced via social media.
The club also said it “strongly condemns” the scenes in which guest players were attacked while leaving the ice. It goes on to say: “As a result of this incident, stadium bans have already been imposed.” In terms of sport, Deggendorf prevailed on Tuesday after extra time. The fourth game of the series is on Friday. To advance, a team must win four games.
