Before the start of the new DEL season, half the league is looking at the title. A number of clubs are gearing up again after difficult years in the pandemic. The league is aiming for a sales record.
The worries are hidden, the league is gearing up again. A surprising number of clubs in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) are reporting ambitions before the start of the season on Thursday and want to prevent the Eisbären Berlin from winning the title hat-trick.
“The league is very balanced this year. There are many teams that will play for the title,” said head coach Uwe Krupp of the Cologne Sharks of the German Press Agency. The club of the former national coach is the best example of the bold tone of most clubs.
During the Corona crisis, the eight-time German champion seriously feared for his existence and repeatedly demanded more and higher state aid. Nevertheless, managing director Philipp Walter announced to the astonished fans at the season opener that he wanted to play for the championship within the next three years.
Possible restrictions in winter due to another corona wave or the consequences of the energy crisis are being suppressed. “We’re looking forward to the new season and, as always, we’re concentrating on those things that we can influence,” said deputy sports director Christian Winkler from EHC Munich to dpa.
“Back to pre-corona level”
The entire league is aiming for a sales record. “Yes, we are back to the pre-corona level,” said DEL Managing Director Gernot Tripcke. “In the new season we are hoping for a turnover of 150 million euros.” In the greatly shortened 2020/21 season, without spectators, it collapsed to around 80 million euros. Hardly anyone believes that spectators could be excluded again in winter.
“In my opinion, constant threat scenarios massively damage our society in terms of health and economy. We have proven how responsibly we can deal with crises,” said Cologne’s Walter. The previously financially ailing Haie rebuilt the squad, especially on the defensive and treated themselves to the best defender in the Eastern European professional league KHL in US professional Nick Bailen.
Elsewhere, too, people are padding again. In Henrik Haukeland from EHC Red Bull Munich, Düsseldorfer EG steered one of the best goalkeepers in the league to the Rhine and wants to be at least in the top six. “We want to challenge the favourites,” said coach Mark French from ERC Ingolstadt briskly. And Kurt Kleinendorst from Iserlohn, who was almost relegated, said about the title prognosis: “Any coach who names a team other than his at this point should think about whether he’s approaching the matter with the right attitude.”
Does the title go to an underdog?
In any case, the time when the Formula Mannheim or Munich – the financially strongest clubs in the league – was automatically issued seems to be over. The Red Bull Club from Bavaria was last champion in 2018. While the Eagles are almost humbly making a new attempt at the title, Munich coach Don Jackson is clearly committed to his goals: “We want to win the title at the end of the season. We have strengthened our team very well in certain areas and have an extremely powerful squad at our disposal.”
Two championships of the Eisbären Berlin recently broke the phalanx from Mannheim and Munich. The Grizzlys Wolfsburg are also seen by some as a title co-favourite. “The race is open,” said Mike Stewart from the Lower Saxony club, which is subsidized by the VW group. “But I wouldn’t be totally surprised if an outsider won the title.”
In any case, the concerns of the league seem to be over. The energy crisis is also not (yet) seen as a major problem. Long-term hall contracts often still apply. “That will only play a role in the medium term, when the existing contracts have to be renegotiated again,” said Tripcke. However, from 2024 onwards, the league will also collect more money from the extended contracts with the media partner Telekom and the name sponsor Penny.