DEL: Season 09/10 [Archive]

zecke26

08-27-2009, 01:16 PM

Looking to go to a game in Koln in mid December...my German is just bad enough that I'm not positive whether tickets are available online yet....I see some games are, through october, but nothing beyond that and not sure if I'm just missing something. Anyone with any insight?

i think you can only buy tickets 60 days ahead or so. but don't worry, the games are never sold out. usually you can buy tickets on gameday. but if you want to buy them before, you can simply wait till october when the december tickets should be available.

the games in mid december are against mannheim (11th), ingolstadt (15th) and augsburg (20th).

Snoil11

08-28-2009, 07:22 AM

@Dartmouth:
zecke is right. You won't have any problems getting tickets on game-day. If you however have special preferences for seating and want to have decent tickets for the Mannheim game, you should probably buy them in advance. The demand for the Mannheim game will without a doubt be the highest and it's possible that they'll reach up to 15,000 spectators for that game.

If you have any questions about other activities in the Cologne region, just send me a PM.

zecke26

09-04-2009, 04:10 PM

gameday 1 is over.

Mannheim - Nürnberg 4:1

close game, the adler a bit lucky. 1st DEL games by denis reul and marc el-sayed

Kassel - Berlin 8:3

surprise of the day, zecke26 pretty happy about it. ;)
tryout mike card with 3 assists, josh soares with his first 2 DEL goals. 20y old goalie markus keller of berlin is the loneliest guy at the moment, although he's not to blame.

Ingolstadt - Düsseldorf 5:2

pat kavanagh with 1g and 3a, leafs draftee holzer -3.

Frankfurt - Augsburg 2:4

maybe someone from the lions guys attended the game and can say something about it. biggest thing was maybe tom kuehnhackl's 1st DEL game.

Wolfsburg - Krefeld 4:3

john laliberte with his first 2 DEL assists, young german defender armin wurm his with 1st DEL game.

Hamburg - Straubing 6:0

finnish forward matias loppi with his 1st DEL assist, elia ostwald with 1g, 1a, but the player of the game without a doubt alex barta with 4 assists.

Iserlohn - Köln 6:5 OT

danish newbie mads christensen with 2g, 2a, michael wolf with 1g, 3a, robert hock with 3a and for cologne ivan ciernik with 2g, 1a in his first DEL game after his 1y stint in the KHL.

a lot of goals, some surprised and most importantly the hockey season is underway. :handclap:

Owen

09-04-2009, 07:10 PM

Yeah did anyone else see that Kassel thumping of Berlin coming? Because apparently Eisbären didn't! I wonder why Markus Keller was the only goalie dressed for Berlin

(by the way, did Jacek Plachta retire?)

zecke26

09-04-2009, 07:30 PM

Yeah did anyone else see that Kassel thumping of Berlin coming? Because apparently Eisbären didn't! I wonder why Markus Keller was the only goalie dressed for Berlin

i did of course. ;)
nah, not really, but that huskies team is nice. i don't expect them to make the POs, but any team that won't take them serious will get their ***** kicked. the huskies are young and hungry.

rob zepp is injured, so keller was expected as starter. but why no backup? no clue. i did expect them to bring albrecht as backup, but he wasn't here.

(by the way, did Jacek Plachta retire?)

yeah. his injuries didn't really allow him to continue his career. not sure where he is at the moment. his son is in heilbronn, maybe jacek is with him there.

Snoil11

09-05-2009, 05:41 AM

Frankfurt - Augsburg 2:4

maybe someone from the lions guys attended the game and can say something about it. biggest thing was maybe tom kuehnhackl's 1st DEL game.

Pathetic game by the Lions who played heavy-handed , while Augsburg carried by Dennis Endrass showed a straightforward effort and had the better and more effective PP.
Tom Kühnhackl's debut was the only highlight of the day from my POV. He started out on the first line and the first PP-unit, but was demoted to a lower line later in the game. Spoke to some Augsburg fans after the game and his appearance on the first line was an injury-fill-in for the Matt Ryan. He didn't look totally out of place, but it wasn't a stellar game either. He is really quick and has good offensive instincts, but his defensive game needs improvement. He had a great chance in the first period, but he failed miserably on a 2-on-1 breakaway. Apart from that, he was most noticeable, when he was crushed by an open-ice hit by Sean Blanchard who was penalized for elbowing for that hit. He drew another penalty in the third. After all, I would grade his game a C, keeping in mind that it was his first game in the DEL and on top of that against his father's new employer.

Vipers31

09-06-2009, 02:46 PM

nah, not really, but that huskies team is nice. i don't expect them to make the POs, but any team that won't take them serious will get their ***** kicked. the huskies are young and hungry.

They seemed to still have some polar bear in their stomachs today as they lost 1-5 in Cologne and didn't play all that hungry. :)

Cologne had a very good game, however, and put a lot of pressure on the Huskies' defense. They cycled the puck for long periods and Kassel kept taking penalties which the Haie took advantage of today. The Huskies on the other hand haven't been able to take advantage of Cologne's sometimes over-confident forecheck to take some pressure away - and once they did Lars Weibel did a very solid job in net for Cologne. He could be one of the league's best keepers this year; small sample size, I know, but he made a great impression on me as a fellow goalie.

zecke26

09-06-2009, 03:35 PM

They seemed to still have some polar bear in their stomachs today as they lost 1-5 in Cologne and didn't play all that hungry. :)

yep, that's exactly what i meant though. they are young. once they achieve something they play not as hard the next game. that's why i don't expect them to make the POs. no consistency.

Snoil11

09-06-2009, 04:02 PM

According to http://lions.frblog.de/, Ilya Vorobiev lost consciousness after a slash from Andre Reiß and suffered a concussion and had to be carried off the ice on a stretcher.
Keeping in mind, that Vorobiev missed most of last season due to a concussion, Frankfurt fans can only hope that he will fully recover soon.

mexicohockey

09-06-2009, 04:26 PM

Eisbaeren recovered well from the loss @ Kassel, a 61 shot barrage against Ingolstadt (Dmitri Patzold had 58 saves :amazed:) in a 3:0 shutout victory (Rob Zepp with 26 saves). Jeff Friesen with 1G, 1A. Over 14k audience.

ALF AmericanLionsFan

09-06-2009, 05:43 PM

Sanderson

09-07-2009, 10:56 AM

King-Loppi-Kimmo Kuhta??

;)

Having Loppi and Kuhta on the same line could be possible, the rumours definately exist, though it appears that it's mostly the German press quoting the Finnish press.

King wouldn't be on that line though, he found his place with Barta and Mueller, which puts John Tripp next to Loppi, at least for right now.

Ciccarelli

09-07-2009, 11:36 AM

Having Loppi and Kuhta on the same line could be possible, the rumours definately exist, though it appears that it's mostly the German press quoting the Finnish press.

Kuhta plays for HIFK if he gets an offer, if not he's off to Hamburg.

zecke26

09-07-2009, 12:03 PM

Kuhta plays for HIFK if he gets an offer, if not he's off to Hamburg.

according to the freezers HP it's a done deal now. contract for the current season, no out-clause mentioned.

Hedberg

09-09-2009, 03:13 PM

Who are the Captains and Alternate Captains of DEL teams?

Sealink

09-09-2009, 03:44 PM

Hedberg

09-09-2009, 08:37 PM

For Berlin the Captain is Steve Walker and the Alternates are Denis Pederson and Stefan Ustorf. If any of them isn't able to play, Sven Felski will step in as Alternate.
So, nothing new here.

I think Hamburg has one Captain for their home-games and another one for their away-games. One is Alex Barta the other one Clarke Wilm. Not completely sure about it.

I don't know about the other teams.

This is what I have so far:
Frankfurt: C Eric Schneider/A Jason Young/A Michael Bresagk
Iserlohn: C Robert Hock/A Ryan Ready/A Michael Wolf
Krefeld: C Herberts Vasilijevs/A Lynn Loyns/A Roland Verwey
Mannheim: C Colin Forbes/A Sven Butenschon/A Jame Pollock
Straubing: C Bill Trew/A Yannick Tremblay/A Eric Meloche

Gr3y

09-10-2009, 03:38 AM

Düsseldorf C Daniel Kreutzer / A Craig MacDonald / A Rob Collins

Vipers31

09-10-2009, 09:23 AM

Who are the Captains and Alternate Captains of DEL teams?

For Cologne:
Mirko Lüdemann (C)
Cristoph Ullmann (A)
Stephané Julien (A)

Snoil11

09-10-2009, 05:24 PM

Mannheim: C Colin Forbes/A Sven Butenschon/A Jame Pollock

Ronny Arendt is the second alternate. Jame Pollock is the replacement, who takes on the letter of any injured/suspended player.

http://www.hockeyweb.de/eishockey/artikel.php?a=46280

Snoil11

09-10-2009, 05:28 PM

I think Hamburg has one Captain for their home-games and another one for their away-games. One is Alex Barta the other one Clarke Wilm. Not completely sure about it.

That's correct. The other player of those two and John Tripp are the alternate captains.

Vipers31

09-10-2009, 06:17 PM

Nice win tonight for the Haie in Krefeld, which makes me 1-0 on road games all time... :)

Weibel continued to show his abilities as Ullmann scored on a sick one-handed move as the second shark after Ivan Ciernik's quick backhander in the shootout to take the game for Cologne 3-2 in the skills competition.

raystorm

09-19-2009, 01:36 PM

Hello!
I want to know more about Finnish players at Del. Jere Karalahti, Matias Loppi and Kimmo Kuhta. How are guys played?

Ciccarelli

09-21-2009, 07:17 AM

Purely judging by the stats, it seems that Karalahti has had a nice start to the season, he's at PPG rate in his first five games, on the other hand Loppi has been a disappointment, with only 2 points in his first six games. Kuhta has yet to start his season.

What is nice to see for me personally is how well Derek Damon has started his season, he's already scored four goals in five games and also added three assists. You show 'em double D.

zecke26

09-21-2009, 07:30 AM

What is nice to see for me personally is how well Derek Damon has started his season, he's already scored four goals in five games and also added three assists. You show 'em double D.

two of his goals were shorthanded. he's amazing so far. it's a pleasure to watch him and to no one's surprise i hope he can keep that pace. ;)

Ciccarelli

09-21-2009, 08:09 AM

two of his goals were shorthanded. he's amazing so far. it's a pleasure to watch him and to no one's surprise i hope he can keep that pace. ;)

Just to warn you, he had an excellent start to the season last season back here in Pori too, kind of slowed down a bit after ten or so games. He really can't carry the team on his back, but rather add some secondary scoring and play a decent 2-way game. Ideal 3-line center IMO. But let's see, hopefully he can find an extra gear to his game and become a top-scorer.

Snoil11

09-26-2009, 04:38 AM

Purely judging by the stats, it seems that Karalahti has had a nice start to the season, he's at PPG rate in his first five games, on the other hand Loppi has been a disappointment, with only 2 points in his first six games. Kuhta has yet to start his season.

Hamburg played in Frankfurt yesterday and quite frankly, Kuhta was awful, but to be fair the whole Freezers team played poorly.
Karalahti didn't have a good day either and just like the rest of the Freezers D looked like a pylon in his own end.

Sanderson

09-26-2009, 06:01 AM

You mean Loppi, Kuhta is still injured ;)

Hamburg is on a really bad run right now, doesn't help that players are missing all the time. Half of the time the whole team fails and gives a poor effort, the other half they should win the game but somehow manage to lose.

It's still early, but this stretch couldn't have come at a worse time, as the team is trying to get people to forget the past seasons. The way it is going right now, it's more like nothing has changed.

The players who have done a good job so far, are Barta, Mueller, King, Karalahti and Walter. Barta will miss at least the next two months, Mueller is banged up as well, while Walter is just a depth defenseman. You can't win anything when most of your core-players aren't doing their job.

zecke26

09-26-2009, 06:34 AM

sounds like an ordinary season in hamburg. always only a few steps short of pure chaos. ;)

at least tripp scored. he needs to play much better i think, because he's one of those guys who carry a team by example. so if he improves, some others could follow.

my huskies with an awful game yesterday but 3 points. i guess it's better to play and win than to play good an lose. ;)

pelts35.com

09-26-2009, 03:46 PM

Sanderson

09-26-2009, 04:30 PM

Overall he looks solid, but not as good as last season. Some big saves but also quite a few softies in the last few games. To be fair, the defense isn't helping him, and he was good enough to win at least half of the six games they have lost, but the offense failed to deliver. They have the chances, but miss the easiest goals.

One thing he really shouldn't do, is leave his net while the opponent is close. It has led to a really bad goal plus another few big chances that didn't go in just because of pure luck. In none of those scenes did he have to leave the net, as the defense was there.

Snoil11

09-26-2009, 05:25 PM

@Sanderson:
Thanks for the correction. I wanted to write down Loppi, but apparently was too occupied how to fit in the injured Kuhta in my brief report of yesterday's game that I typed in the wrong name and forgot to mention Kuhta's injury altogether. :D

As for Pelletier, he made some unbelievable saves in the first period yesterday and was the sole reason that the game was tied after the first period, but he also gave up two softies in the second. The go-ahead goal from Thomas Oppenheimer was a slapshot which beat him at the near post and the fourth goal was a highlight-reel goal by Tenute who first undressed Pelletier and then overcame him from behind the goal line.

pelts35.com

09-28-2009, 09:21 AM

Fedz

10-06-2009, 01:54 AM

How are Tyson and T.J. Mulock playing for the Polar Bears?

Sanderson

10-10-2009, 04:44 AM

Wohoo, from first to last, that's something new I think. What an embarrassing game yesterday, absolutely no effort. Pelletier was the only one who really did his job, King was okay as well and Kuhta scored another one and has played just two games so he is excused. No one skated, no one hit, everyone was five feet away from his oponent, it's amazing that the game was still close till the end.

One highlight: Hamburg ties the game on a penalty shot, only to look as if they play shorthanded for the next 1.5 minutes. Gardner takes a timeout and really lays into them because no one is showing effort, you could actually see him being angry from the other side of the arena, got one of the biggest applauses in the game. Faceoff right afterwards, Ingolstadt wins, slapshot from the point, goal. Not that they could have done much about it, apart from winning the faceoff, but somehow it really fit into that game.

Ciccarelli

10-12-2009, 09:01 AM

Too bad the other guys had a headstart on Kuhta otherwise he could've been high in the goal scroring race. The guy can definately still bury the puck.

Chapin Landvogt

10-30-2009, 09:28 AM

How are Tyson and T.J. Mulock playing for the Polar Bears?

TJ is the second best scorere.

Both are playing well. Berlin continues to be the "Detroit Red Wings" of the DEL.

However, they lost 6-4 to Augsburg in a VERY exciting game last Sunday.

Surely some Eisbaeren fans would say the ref played a big role in that loss.

Chapin Landvogt

10-30-2009, 09:29 AM

I have to honestly say that this year's Hamburg Freezers have played some of the most God-awful hockey I've ever seen in the DEL.

It may very well - collectively - be the worst group of skaters I've seen, with this very much visible without Barta in the line-up.

I should be at the game on Sunday against DDorf, which is always fun.

Sanderson

10-30-2009, 09:54 AM

They aren't on Duisburg or Freiburg level yet, but they definately were getting close in some of the games. ;)

Looked better by quite a lot against Frankfurt, actually should have won that game, but they simply make too many costly mistakes at the wrong time, and luck isn't helping them either.

Chapin Landvogt

11-01-2009, 12:42 PM

The Freezers played a much more solid game today against the DEG, who they really contained well.

The Freezers managed to set the overall tone of the game and played very well along the boards.

Not a terribly healthy amount of shots, but everything - PP included - looked much better and the boys seem to go about their business with a lot more confidence.

Definitely looks like they're gonna be on their way back up.

Sanderson

11-24-2009, 01:53 PM

Awesome, awesome, awesome. From next season on, the DEL playoffs with be best of seven throughout all three rounds.

Finally. The playoffs are the most important part of the season, they should be treated as such. :handclap:

JVR

11-24-2009, 05:47 PM

I'm surprised to finally see them getting something right.

Not that I expect the Scorpions ot even be here in Hannover next season anyway.

Sanderson

11-28-2009, 04:10 AM

fuechsken

11-28-2009, 04:18 AM

What a gameday, 57 goals in just six games, 2x 12 goals, 1x 11, 1x 10, 1x 7 and 1x 5, plus quite a lot of penalties in the Düsseldorf-Krefeld game.

The league should be around 6.5 goals per game right now.

181 PM for fighting... this only happens in the DEL, where you get a game misconduct penalty as soon as you drop the gloves. I think they should relax a little bit more and let the tough guys do their work.

Ciccarelli

11-28-2009, 04:26 AM

Matias Loppi with 1+5, noone else in Freezers had more than 2 points. :amazed:

Sanderson

11-28-2009, 05:59 AM

181 PM for fighting... this only happens in the DEL, where you get a game misconduct penalty as soon as you drop the gloves. I think they should relax a little bit more and let the tough guys do their work.

Actually, the DEL is the most lenient league in Europe when it comes to fighting-rules ;)

It was the first league to introduce the 2+2 and 2+2+10 respectively for fighting with/without gloves. Most other leagues still have an automatic 5+game. Some refs still hand out 5+20, and it's obviously a far cry from North America, but it's better than it has been before.

Hopefully that will give Loppi a boost. He has been better lately, but there is still room for improvement.
Hamburg played with only 11 forwards, one of them gets hardly any icetime, so there was a lot of line-mixing in this game.

zecke26

11-28-2009, 06:23 AM

What a gameday, 57 goals in just six games, 2x 12 goals, 1x 11, 1x 10, 1x 7 and 1x 5, plus quite a lot of penalties in the Düsseldorf-Krefeld game.

The league should be around 6.5 goals per game right now.

you forgot pushing and shoving in the stands in frankfurt (vs kassel), police had to divide fighting fans in duesseldorf and flying shoes in wolfsburg by mannheim fans.

a very odd gameday!

fuechsken

11-28-2009, 04:39 PM

Actually, the DEL is the most lenient league in Europe when it comes to fighting-rules ;)

It was the first league to introduce the 2+2 and 2+2+10 respectively for fighting with/without gloves. Most other leagues still have an automatic 5+game. Some refs still hand out 5+20, and it's obviously a far cry from North America, but it's better than it has been before.

Hopefully that will give Loppi a boost. He has been better lately, but there is still room for improvement.
Hamburg played with only 11 forwards, one of them gets hardly any icetime, so there was a lot of line-mixing in this game.

It didn't mean to start a discussion about fighting penalties and refs in the DEL. Otherwise this could be a very long post. But it seems to me that we share the same opinion. ;)

Chapin Landvogt

11-29-2009, 08:14 AM

Hopefully that will give Loppi a boost. He has been better lately, but there is still room for improvement.
Hamburg played with only 11 forwards, one of them gets hardly any icetime, so there was a lot of line-mixing in this game.

The 8-4 win on the road was a real big one though. A game like that should always be a big confidence booster.

Even with some recent close losses, the team has been MUCH better the past ten games than at any time before.

Things seem to be coming together and the team seems to have found a groove, a style that suits them. This is surely in great part due to the coach taking a tough situation with a lot of bigger, slower players and creating a system that works for them and makes the most of their respective abilities.

Of course, having Barta back in the mix is huge.... dunno if there is any player in the DEL who truly means more to his team than Barta. Many have known this for several years now, but boy was that proven this season. Still, he's lost a step in the speed department, which is understandable.

I wonder what role he'll be playing in Krupp's plans?

Sanderson

12-05-2009, 04:17 AM

Terrific, Meloche punches Karalahti in the neck, the ref doesn't see it. Karalahti turns and wipes the floor with Meloche, Meloche gets 2+2, Karalahti 5+game and thus an automatic one game suspension.

Of course it was a rather ugly beatdown, and it took only three punches, but that's no reason to give one player 5+gm and the other only 2+2.

As for the game itself, typically Hamburg. They have the chance to move up, have beaten some good teams lately, and then ruin everything by giving a half-assed effort against Straubing. That's a game you simply have to win, but no, why even show up. The only one who did put some effort into this game was Karalahti, with three big hits early on, before he was thrown out.

Ciccarelli

12-05-2009, 04:43 AM

Sanderson

12-06-2009, 08:05 AM

Sadly no. There aren't any official videos from the game, and so far I haven't seen any other either.

Now this is funny, Kuhta gets 5 and game misconduct for tripping!
Not that I have seen any video of it, but judging from the live reports that penalty was a joke. Simple tripping, no injury, the opponent answers with a punch to the face, one gets 5+gm the other gets 2 minutes, right...

zecke26

12-06-2009, 09:39 AM

but judging from the live reports that penalty was a joke.

wouldn't be the first time that fans don't know the rules. ;)

it's a bit hard to judge the refs by not even watching the game, don't you think?

Sanderson

12-06-2009, 10:25 AM

wouldn't be the first time that fans don't know the rules. ;)

it's a bit hard to judge the refs by not even watching the game, don't you think?

I didn't mean fan reports...

zecke26

12-06-2009, 11:14 AM

I didn't mean fan reports...

what else would live report be? unless you mean journalists, but those sometimes know even less. ;)

don't get me wrong, i'm not a fan of the refs in german hockey, but i read so many complains about bad whistles and when i watch them on TV and read about the rules, the refs did the right thing. :)

JVR

12-15-2009, 12:19 PM

There's a DEL game on Eurosport today, Haie - Ingolstadt, starting 10 minutes from now.

Sanderson

12-15-2009, 12:29 PM

what else would live report be? unless you mean journalists, but those sometimes know even less. ;)

don't get me wrong, i'm not a fan of the refs in german hockey, but i read so many complains about bad whistles and when i watch them on TV and read about the rules, the refs did the right thing. :)

Well, "live ticker" obviously. I wouldn't take the word of your regular newspaper, but there are people who report about the DEL who know their stuff.

Alex Barta signs a new three year deal with Hamburg. Hopefully the new management will finally get a team together that isn't looking horrible 2/3s of the year...

JVR

12-19-2009, 05:21 AM

Scorps are on a roll right now, 8 wins in their last 9 games.
I might actually go and watch them play this season after all. :laugh:

FAL

12-21-2009, 12:02 PM

What's up with the good old Zambonis lately?

2 games called off after 2 periods within a week, somewhat strange...

JVR

12-27-2009, 07:46 AM

Wow, first time I'm watching a DEL game on Sky this season, this commentator is unbearable.

Is every penalty the refs call justified for him?
I think if he was in charge he's call 20 5+ penalties a game.

What has become of German hockey if this is what people want to see?

Even the fans are calling for 2 minutes on every stupid fall und shove, it's unwatchable.

I hope our talented youngsters go the Canada for junior hockey so that they won't be exposed to this crap.

Sanderson

12-27-2009, 09:25 AM

Who was the commentator, Jacques Schulz?

If yes, you can't really blame him, it's not his fault that he has to do play-by-play for a sport he isn't used to. He usually is Formula 1 commentator. I have no idea who at Sky thought that trying him at hockey would be a good idea. You have Hindelang and Leopold, they may sometimes be wrong, but at least they know hockey and have spend years around the game, so why use Schulz?

zecke26

12-27-2009, 09:48 AM

Even the fans are calling for 2 minutes on every stupid fall und shove, it's unwatchable.

that's what the DEL made of hockey. tons of eventies who don't understand the game at all. i sometimes get the impression they want to make it like football on the ice. even the fanbases are changing with all the ultra/hooligan wannabe stuff.

the hockey i used to grow up with is almost dead. the DEL killed the german hockey culture. :(

and certainly the commentators don't make it any better with their semi-knowledge. i really wonder if people these days know what a clean hit is.

Burgs

12-27-2009, 12:05 PM

That has nothing to do with the DEL, it's even worse in the minor leagues. You can't hit somebody without getting a penalty. And if the other guy doesn't jump right back up, you get a misconduct. Soccer mentality and German Regelungswut ruin all the fun.

JVR

12-27-2009, 02:42 PM

Disgusting.
Seriously, every normal contact behind the goals (that you see 100 times in a NHL game) the players and fans are looking for a call because they know the refs will give them what they want.

Don't even get me started on Bandenchecks...

Who decided that this is what the fans want to see?
Except for Berlin because of their new Arena attendances didn't increase in the last year, right?

This is definitly not the type of game I once fell in love with and I can't imagine that anyone I'd take to a game nowadays would.

The took hitting and emotions out of the game and rewarded actors and embellishment.

Vipers31

12-27-2009, 10:20 PM

that's what the DEL made of hockey. tons of eventies who don't understand the game at all.
I don't think the eventies are the ones to be blamed for yelling for calls. From my experience in Cologne over the past eight-ish years, it's more the regular fans that start yelling when another player even touches our guy. Sadly, the referees too often react to the noise the fans make.

Disgusting.
Seriously, every normal contact behind the goals (that you see 100 times in a NHL game) the players and fans are looking for a call because they know the refs will give them what they want.
Very true. But honestly, I don't think it's any different than a couple of years ago. Not better, not worse.

Don't even get me started on Bandenchecks...
If I am right assuming you mean that 80% + of these calls are bulls*** because the player on the boards almost always turns away from the other player knowing what he has coming, then yes, I absolutely agree. Just talked about that today once more after one of the penalties against Frankfurt.

The took hitting and emotions out of the game and rewarded actors and embellishment.
I think the blame goes everywhere. I am all for zero tolerance like they call it in the NHL on hooking, holding and interference. Right now, there is just no need for an average player in the DEL to line up a good hit if you can just easily use your arms or stick to stop the other guy. But once we start actually calling players for every foul - as we should! - we have a game with a crapload of penalties and barely 5-5 play. But we should just let that happen, the players would (have to) learn after a couple of games. Then you would actually have to play the body again and the refs would see a couple more hits so they can eventually remember what good hits actually look like. ;)

We certainly won't be able to change the average German fan that simply doesn't know hockey very well. Too many just don't realize it hurts to get a blow to the face with a stick and will therefore blindly assume the other guy is acting. We already had the stretcher out on the ice for an injured player this season and people (not all, but too many) still wouldn't stop booing and yelling at the injured player that was lying in his own blood. I never felt more disgusted by my own team's fans... :shakehead

But onto more positive things: hockey is fun in Cologne again. If your looking to make a case for the potential benefit of a coaching change, look no further. The team was in ruins with Pavlov, who was as helpless as I have ever seen a coach towards the end. He's still a young coach and he can do his thing, but he couldn't adjust to the tools he had to work with. Those tools were never that bad as one can see now. The Jaspers-Ciernik-Müller line is unreal right now; especially Marcel Müller is playing out of his mind (four goals, eight points in his last two games... :laugh:) . I wonder what the limit for that guy is, I really could not tell right now. He's got all the tools.

Beecke

01-25-2010, 04:14 AM

I don't think the eventies are the ones to be blamed for yelling for calls. From my experience in Cologne over the past eight-ish years, it's more the regular fans that start yelling when another player even touches our guy. Sadly, the referees too often react to the noise the fans make.

We certainly won't be able to change the average German fan that simply doesn't know hockey very well. Too many just don't realize it hurts to get a blow to the face with a stick and will therefore blindly assume the other guy is acting. We already had the stretcher out on the ice for an injured player this season and people (not all, but too many) still wouldn't stop booing and yelling at the injured player that was lying in his own blood. I never felt more disgusted by my own team's fans... :shakehead

I think this is spot on. I do have a season ticket at the O2World right behind the goal. In the end the diehard fans will always be responsible for how much everyone is screaming for a penalty at any given contact. The "eventies" are there to be entertained, nothing more nothing less. I doubt that more than 10% of them actually make an effort to really understand the game. Everyone else is jumping on the bandwagon.

The thing is that the bandwagon is lead by the supporters who have been there for years and years and years. And to be honest the biggest shouts for penalties, however ridicolous are coming from exactly these people. They should know better, in fact they do know better. However they see the referees seemingly reacting to it and continue to so. The "eventies" see what the real supporters do and imitate them because they think that´s the way you do it.

So the real supporters should take notice and stop whining for calls. If they would do that they wouldn´t have to complain that much when they go away from home and see all these calls go against them. But since no one is taking notice and all the "eventies" coming in, more and more people forget what the game should be like, and think this is the way to do it. It´s the nature of the beast I guess, though.

Sanderson

01-28-2010, 12:45 PM

Well, there goes even the theoretical chance of Hamburg reaching the playoffs down the drain...

Manning will miss the next two months and thus the rest of the regular season, while Kimmo Kuhta leaves the team and returns to Finland because of family issues.

The best defenseman and one of the best goalscorers, that's not something you can afford to lose if you are bad as it is.

Ciccarelli

01-28-2010, 02:06 PM

Manning will miss the next two months and thus the rest of the regular season, while Kimmo Kuhta leaves the team and returns to Finland because of family issues.

"Family issues"...turned out that Kimmo was just homesick as he just signed with Hifk, kinda pathetic really, grown man and all.

JVR

02-03-2010, 12:51 PM

http://www.sportschau.de/sp/eishockey/news201001/29/eishockey.jsp

"Im Bewusstsein der Menschen gerät Eishockey heute - gerade gegenüber Fußball - immer mehr in eine Sackgasse, weil es seit Jahren nicht mehr richtig wahrgenommen wird", sagt Schmellenkamp und warnt: "Wenn wir so weitermachen, ist Eishockey in zehn Jahren endgültig in der Versenkung verschwunden." Alle Verbände und Vereine sollten sich zusammensetzen, um über eine Renovierung der Darstellung der Sportart nachzudenken, sagt er: "Die Entwicklung der vergangenen Jahre hat die Bedeutung von Eishockey bei unseren Zielkunden deutlich geschwächt. Und das geht so weiter, wenn wir nichts dagegen unternehmen."

JVR

02-07-2010, 11:46 AM

Just your typical DEL game:

Drittel 1
Kölner Haie - Marcel Müller - (Stockschlag), 2 MIN, 0:42
Hannover Scorpions - Tino Boos - (Haken), 2 MIN, 3:12
Hannover Scorpions - Rainer Köttstorfer - (Haken), 2 MIN, 11:05
Hannover Scorpions - Andre Reiß - (Haken), 2 MIN, 15:06
Hannover Scorpions - Nikolaus Mondt - (Ellbogen-Check), 2 MIN, 15:57
Kölner Haie - Ivan Ciernik - (Beinstellen), 2 MIN, 18:51
Drittel 2
Kölner Haie - Kevin Hecquefeuille - (Behinderung), 2 MIN, 3:18
Hannover Scorpions - David Wolf - (Unnötige Härte), 2 MIN, 3:18
Hannover Scorpions - Patrick Köppchen - (Behinderung), 2 MIN, 6:45
Kölner Haie - Stéphane Julien - (Halten des Gegners), 2 MIN, 12:51
Kölner Haie - Mirko Lüdemann - (Behinderung), 2 MIN, 16:17
Hannover Scorpions - Sascha Goc - (Unsportliches Verhalten Disziplinarstrafe), 10 MIN, 17:45
Kölner Haie - Mats Trygg - (Beinstellen), 2 MIN, 18:39
Drittel 3
Kölner Haie - Jason Jaspers - (Hoher Stock Grosse Strafe), 5 MIN, 4:41
Kölner Haie - Jason Jaspers - (Hoher Stock Spieldauer-Disziplinarstrafe), 20 MIN, 4:41
Kölner Haie - Bryan Adams - (Ellbogen-Check), 2 MIN, 9:51
Hannover Scorpions - David Wolf - (Halten des Gegners), 2 MIN, 11:19
Hannover Scorpions - Sascha Goc - (Haken), 2 MIN, 16:59
Hannover Scorpions - Aris Brimanis - (Beinstellen), 2 MIN, 18:52

Disgusting really. WHO wants to watch that???

Sanderson

02-07-2010, 12:01 PM

I wouldn't say that it's your typical DEL-game. Some refs don't call anything, some call everything and some change their mind multiple times per game, there is no clear cut line.

Apart from that, there are games where all those penalties are warranted. If players truly hook, hold and interfere all the time, it's their fault, not the ref's.

The problem is that there is no consistency and that the refs call way too many penalties on clean physical play. Sometimes it looks like they care more about preventing physical play than stick-fouls. They have to stop taking passion out of the game. Which you can only achieve if you actually let the players be physical, both with hits and with some pushing and shoving (or even punches) when things get heated. Don't jump right between them all the time, and don't hand out penalties every time two players push each other a bit.

Chapin Landvogt

02-08-2010, 05:09 AM

Just your typical DEL game:

Disgusting really. WHO wants to watch that???

Ironically enough, it was actually an extremely fascinating game.

I think both teams had a few select words for the officiating.

I think it's just amazing what Hannover does with that team, on that budget and a line-up so depleted that they can't dress four forward lines, even when using all of their young kids.

Things won't get easier either. They play 3 or 4 games over the Olympic break without Vikingstad, Reiss and the injured Herperger.

Gonna be very defensive battles and an opportunity for several kids to get some prime minutes.

JVR

02-08-2010, 07:36 AM

Yeah, I'm going to miss Zach. At least they will continue with the "German" approach under Krinner.
I'd honestly couldn't identify with a North-American starting line-up.

teddygmr

02-11-2010, 07:22 PM

Chapin Landvogt

02-12-2010, 09:43 AM

looking at the scoring stats, its hard not to notice big young Marcel Muller. If I recall, he was highly rated for the NHL ENtry Draft in his draft year but everyone passed.
He seems to have developed well, scoring lots of points and leading his team in scoring. What is his NHL potential?

Interestingly enough, my inline hockey team played against his team this summer and he once tried to pull the ball up with his stick from behind the goal and score Lacrosse-style. I blocked the attempt by batting the ball away with my hand.

He then chopped me in the mouth in frustration.

Anyhow, he does seem to be developing, but it's always a question about if anyone in the NHL is interested. Guys like Kreutzer and Barta, Ullmann and Wolf have also taken interesting paths of development and have played solidly on the international level to boot, but they've not been considered overseas either.

I think he's going to the Olympics now and it'll be interesting to see if he can hold his own. I didn't expect him to develop like this offensively.

If he WANTS to open some eyes in North America, he's got to have his agent find a spot for him on one of the summer rookie camps somewhere. He'd then have to perform well.

Maybe a team would then look to sign him to an AHL contract. If he could prove himself there, then he might have a shot.

Otherwise he'll just have a nice DEL career.

Sanderson

02-21-2010, 07:20 PM

zecke26

02-22-2010, 05:37 AM

Apparently Cologne is in serious financial trouble, they need about half a million Euro for this season alone.

Lets hope that they can get it done, losing the Sharks would be another huge blow for German hockey.

it would, but then again i'm sick of teams who calculate with PO money, who sign good players during the season, change coaches and then cry for not having enough money. i think this is one of the bigger problems in the DEL. but at least we know that from soccer already.

i hope cologne can get it done, but with a change in management and maybe a change of philosophy. because their youth program is still one of the best and whenever the kids played i was impressed. and still they find a way to replace the kids with useless foreigners. not as bad as in mannheim, but still sad.

Bubba88

02-22-2010, 09:27 AM

I hope they have to go. Poor Management and let's face it, they learned nothing.

It would be interesting to see them with the same budget like Straubing or Augsburg. They would lose EVERY SINGLE GAME.

I can't say I have this money and this money and in the End there is nothing left BEFORE the POs start.

Augsburg has to leave the DEL, if we can't close our stadium but other Teams can make just what they want.

JVR

02-22-2010, 11:10 AM

Scorpions are lucky that Papenburg is paying all the bills so that the Arena won't be empty, they must lose an incredible amount of money each season.

Dfire

02-22-2010, 02:40 PM

You gotta wonder why Cologne got Norm Maracle in january when they already must have known about the financial situation. or is he playing for free?

Sanderson

02-22-2010, 02:59 PM

They said the additonal players and coaching changes cost less than 100k combined and were not the reason why they are in trouble.

Sure, 100k more is 100k less you have to get now, but at that time getting to the playoffs was the priority. Missing the playoffs would hurt the team much more financially then the money they spend on new players and coaches.

Cerberus

02-26-2010, 12:38 PM

Just new to the board. I really hope the will fix the situation around the Sharks. Would be sad if such great club with that history disappears, would be another blow to Hockey in Germany

JVR

02-26-2010, 04:54 PM

It could either lead to the death of the German league or some people
would finally understand that Arena hockey is NOT the future of German
hockey.

Still, the fact that the arguably best supported and most popular German
hockey team is pretty much bankrupt is pitiful.

Maverick41

03-04-2010, 08:33 AM

Just new to the board. I really hope the will fix the situation around the Sharks. Would be sad if such great club with that history disappears, would be another blow to Hockey in Germany

Apparently the people in Cologne feel the same way. They are trying to save the club and even the "1. FC Köln" is helping.

So there might yet be hope for the Sharks.

Sanderson

03-04-2010, 04:20 PM

This article says it all, especially the second to last paragraph:

http://www.morgenweb.de/meinung/kommentar/20100304_srv0000005503268.html

I wonder if it's Gerstberger who wants to see the refs act like that, or if the order came from above. If it's Gerstberger, he needs to be gone immediately, if it came from above, hoping for the DEL to crash and burn may actually not be the worst option...

How could anyone not want constant checking?
The Olympics had quite a few very good games. Obviously that's far above what is possible in the DEL, but you should try to mold the game in that way, not try to be as soft as possible.

JVR

03-04-2010, 05:00 PM

Holger Gerstberger hat mit Blick auf Olympia, als jeder gecheckt wurde, der nicht bei drei auf dem Baum war, gesagt, so etwas wolle man in der DEL nicht sehen.

Makes you want to throw up really. :rant:

People WANT see physical play, who is he talking to of the gets the impression that people prefer this lifeless, emotionless game with 20 minor penalties called/game that we are being forced to watch right now over physical hockey and crushing bodychecks???

Time to really say goodbye to the league I guess.

mexicohockey

03-05-2010, 05:58 PM

I am in Berlin right now for the next couple of days....looking into the Eisbaeren-Frankfurt game next friday. Anybody going to attend?

Snoil11

03-06-2010, 05:34 AM

I am in Berlin right now for the next couple of days....looking into the Eisbaeren-Frankfurt game next friday. Anybody going to attend?

I'll be there. Where is your seat?

JVR

03-08-2010, 07:39 AM

http://www.pascha.de/bilder/news/haie.jpg

Europe's biggest brother supports the Haie! For every patron they'll give 3€ to the Sharks. :D

JVR

03-09-2010, 03:00 PM

Huskies apparently in financial trouble yet again:

http://www.eishockeynews.de/nachricht.html?nachricht_id=10618

According to the article players only received half of their salary recently.

zecke26

03-10-2010, 10:58 AM

farewell my friend, RIP german hockey:

http://www.spieltag58.de/

JVR

03-10-2010, 05:37 PM

At least I'm not alone with my feelings on this league and the direction it has chosen.

Such a shame...

Maverick41

03-16-2010, 03:48 AM

I didn't get a chance to watch any of the games lately so I just looked at the score sheets. I was pretty surprised to see Laurin Braun racking up 5 points in the last two games where he apparently played with Rankel and Pederson.
Has anyone here seen him play and can shed a little light on his performance? I was wondering if he could actually take on a bigger role in the next couple of years.

Maverick41

03-17-2010, 06:45 AM

farewell my friend, RIP german hockey:

http://www.spieltag58.de/

So the DEB tried once again to lower the number of foreign players allowed due to the dismal performance in Vancouver but the DEL teams made clear that they don't want this. 13 out of 15 teams opposed the notion from the DEB. Only Hamburg and Straubing agree with the DEB.

This is so frustrating. :help:

Sanderson

03-17-2010, 02:15 PM

Maverick41

03-18-2010, 02:27 AM

Obviously you can't reduce the numbers drastically, as there aren't enough good Germans to replace the foreigners, and you aren't helping the Germans by lowering the level of the league by a lot, but I really can't see why the teams don't accept a step-by-step reduction.

Of course there has to be more than that. The whole system needs an overhaul. Players aren't magically going to be better just because there are less foreigners, you need a much better focus on developing youth.

Still, a reduction is necessary, and it's simply embarassing that the teams are against it. It may be a bit hard to implement it for next season, as the teams are already quite far in their planing, but there is nothing stopping them from making changes for the future. Lower it by one every year till you arrive at six, heck, build in a break and make it 9,8,8,7,6 if needed. Everything is better than sitting around doing nothing.

Very true. The redutcion that was suggested, from 12 to 8 to 6 would be tough since there are too few German players, but like you say, if they were doing it gradually it could work. That is if they would start implementing measures to improve the youth programs of the clubs and of the DEB. Also the infrastructure needs to be improved. Meaning more rinks, and we also need more and probably better coaches. And all this costs money that neither the DEB nor the teams seem to have.

Dfire

03-18-2010, 03:20 AM

Chapin Landvogt

03-18-2010, 07:47 AM

I believe that if you create the need for more german players (scarcity) the clubs will eventually have to develop more and subsequently better hockey players but that is only if you limit the option of naturalizing canadians.

many people argue that the national team is naturalizing players in order to improve - kind of like it happens in football. But it's actually the clubs reacting to the already existing scarcity.
by creating more scarcity the clubs will choose the easiest option which is naturalizing. of course the easiest option is usually not the most sustainable. It's in the nature of the clubs to think short-termed and not care about sustainability. So limiting the allowed amount of foreigners has to go along with reducing the possibility of undermining that rule by naturalizing.

I also believe that the situation of german players has improved in the last few years at least as much that there could already be a reduction to 8 foreigners without a significant loss in quality.

Of course there are many other issues that have to be adressed as well (for example rule interpretation of the referees, better coaching on the youth level, more professionalism at the DEB) but starting with just one is better than not starting at all.

I agree with this entire post.

Particularly the last sentence mentions issues that are probably at the root of German ice hockey's problem with moving forward.

We shouldn't forget that both coaching and refereeing - at every level - is something that takes a certain kind of person and a asks a person to devote a lot of time to their craft, especially if they wish to do it with a certain level of quality. Both are activities that are not necessarily very well paid and neither is something you can make much of living on, in general.

In addition, ice hockey is an expensive venture. From ice to equipment to travel, it generally costs more to operate than most sports.

Fact is, until a good number of referees and coaches can be paid enough to happily support themselves and their families without having to be active in earning money elsewhere, i.e. can devote all their professional time and resources to their ice hockey duty, German ice hockey will continue to have a big problem moving up in the world.

I think the programs in Berlin, Mannheim and Cologne are pretty doggone good by German standards and of course, some traditional spots (primarily in Bavaria) do a good job with raising and training players, but until there are roughly tripple the amount of such programs or a centralized hockey internat á la the USNTDP are established, the pool of players just will not become big or competitive enough to ensure a strong German league or a regularly competitive national team.

All these things involve money.

The DEB is and always has been very involved with trying squeeze water out of stones when looking to create quality coaches and referees with their seminars.

Maverick41

03-18-2010, 09:09 AM

I believe that if you create the need for more german players (scarcity) the clubs will eventually have to develop more and subsequently better hockey players but that is only if you limit the option of naturalizing canadians.

many people argue that the national team is naturalizing players in order to improve - kind of like it happens in football. But it's actually the clubs reacting to the already existing scarcity.
by creating more scarcity the clubs will choose the easiest option which is naturalizing. of course the easiest option is usually not the most sustainable. It's in the nature of the clubs to think short-termed and not care about sustainability. So limiting the allowed amount of foreigners has to go along with reducing the possibility of undermining that rule by naturalizing.

I also believe that the situation of german players has improved in the last few years at least as much that there could already be a reduction to 8 foreigners without a significant loss in quality.

Of course there are many other issues that have to be adressed as well (for example rule interpretation of the referees, better coaching on the youth level, more professionalism at the DEB) but starting with just one is better than not starting at all.

The naturalizing is a very good point I hadn't even considered.

Another thing that worries me is, that a reduction of foreign players, while it may lead to more German players on the roster, it will not necessarily increase the ice time of those players, especially with the game on the line and in PP and PK situations.

But not only the clubs should give the young players more chances to prove themselves. There are quite a few rather young players out there who I'd really like to the on the national team regualarly. I'm thinking about Gawlik who is playing a great season and is still only 22 or 23 years old, I think. Other names that come to my mind: Fischer, A.Weiß, D.Weiß, Reiß, C.Braun, Hospelt, Holzer, Klinge, Ma. Müller or Flaake. Some of these guys seem to be regulars now, at least I hope they are, others should be and someone like Flaake, although he's not quite there yet, could become one of our better players in the not so distant future.

The way things are going I really hope that more young players choose to go to NA even before they are drafted like Ritter, Abeltshauser or Grubauer. Though Ritter might not be such a good example.
Kühnhackl will also play in NA next season. Guys like Rieder or Forster might take that route as well, though maybe not next season.

Sanderson

03-21-2010, 05:39 AM

Kassel, Krefeld and Cologne all almost bankrupt, doesn't look good right now.

Tough times for those who don't have a rich owner who puts money into the team. Will bve interesting to see how the DEL will handle this.

ALF AmericanLionsFan

03-21-2010, 03:45 PM

zecke26

03-22-2010, 03:57 PM

huskies are saved! :handclap:

fuechsken

03-23-2010, 05:25 AM

Great news for Kassel! But in my opinion, there are too many teams in the league (plus Munich next season?). I don't like that especially established teams like Cologne, Krefeld or even Kassel are struggling. But if this development continues, 2-3 teams will go bankrupt over next 2 years.

Maverick41

03-24-2010, 05:06 AM

huskies are saved! :handclap:

Not really.

For now they'll be ok, but there is still a good chance that the Huskies will go bankrupt within the next couple of years, unless they can work out a sustained strategy with more sponsors. Because Dennis Rossing made it perfectly clear, that he won't be able to save the Huskies on his own. Although he seems to be optimistic.

Hopefully the insolvency administrator they are working with can help straighten things out. It would be a shame to lose the Huskies.

zecke26

03-24-2010, 06:59 AM

Not really.

For now they'll be ok, but there is still a good chance that the Huskies will go bankrupt within the next couple of years, unless they can work out a sustained strategy with more sponsors. Because Dennis Rossing made it perfectly clear, that he won't be able to save the Huskies on his own. Although he seems to be optimistic.

Hopefully the insolvency administrator they are working with can help straighten things out. It would be a shame to lose the Huskies.

they already have the strategies and the sponsors on board. they just need to do the paper work. the voluntary bankruptcy is part of the plan. of course no club can survive when a few sponsors turn their back, but that won't happen. rossing did his homework and in 4 weeks the huskies will get a fresh start. :)

Maverick41

03-24-2010, 08:48 AM

they already have the strategies and the sponsors on board. they just need to do the paper work. the voluntary bankruptcy is part of the plan. of course no club can survive when a few sponsors turn their back, but that won't happen. rossing did his homework and in 4 weeks the huskies will get a fresh start. :)

I'll probably won't belive it until 2 weeks after it happened. I have witnessed on too many occasions in sports and otherwise how deals like this blew up at the last moment although it was supposed to be a done deal.;)
But I really hope you are right, but while I trust Rossing I have trouble believing those sponsors. Keeping my fingers crossed. :crossfing

teddygmr

03-25-2010, 06:32 PM

Sweden just signed a new transfer agreement with the NHL....Finland already had one.....Does Germany have one currently in effect?

Salzig

03-26-2010, 05:17 AM

Sweden just signed a new transfer agreement with the NHL....Finland already had one.....Does Germany have one currently in effect?

Yes until 2011.

Sanderson

03-26-2010, 12:22 PM

Dfire

03-26-2010, 02:28 PM

maybe spieltag58.de had a positive effect after all. Ryan (Augsburg) and Mo Müller (Köln) just had a pretty intense brawl and Piechaczek only handed out minor penalties.
or maybe it's an NHL ref wearing a Piechaczek mask

Sanderson

03-26-2010, 03:01 PM

I don't think it has much to do with that, Piechaczek does that quite often.

Some refs, like Piechaczek or Schütz, usually hand out 2+2 or 2+2+10, others still prefer the major.

Hamburg had two fights in march, both with the two refs named above. One ended with 2+2+10 against 2+2, the other with 2+2+10 for both players. Adam Henrich actually had to be brought back to the ice, as he thought he would get 5+game and left for the dressing room

The problem is that the head of refereeing is completely against fighting and hard hits, and some refs keep to that line instead of the way it is supposed to be called.

Dfire

03-26-2010, 03:13 PM

yes. his name is Holger Gerstberger. I remember an interview with him during the Olympics where he said the hits there are "disgusting" and "nobody in germany wants to see this" while in reality all german hockey fans were rejoicing over the level of physicality there. This guy is delusional.

zecke26

03-26-2010, 04:55 PM

Adam Henrich actually had to be brought back to the ice, as he thought he would get 5+game and left for the dressing room

he thought? he has a brain? :sarcasm:;)

Sanderson

03-27-2010, 04:35 AM

Well, he actually didn't do anything stupid for most of the time he was here, it only started near the end ;)

Salzig

03-27-2010, 05:25 AM

Are you sure?

I was of the opinion that Germany wanted to sign the agreement, but it fell apart when the other countries didn't want to sign it, thus leaving Germany without agreement as well. I don't remember them signing an individual deal like Finland or now Sweden have.

I have to apologize. You're right. I was in a hurry yesterday and just read the Handelsblatt (http://www.handelsblatt.com/magazin/sonstiges/nhl-und-iihf-vor-neuem-transfervertrag;1264245) which coincided with my thoughts. I did a little research now and didn't find anything conclusive which speaks in your favor.

If there had been a deal in place, Gogulla would have left earlier and Toronto would have lost the rights to Holzer by now.

To Gogulla (I'm a season-ticket-holder in Cologne and a Sabre fan, too, so I know the situation well): He didn't want to go to Portland earlier. On the one hand money was definitely an issue because he knew that he'll earn less money in Portland and on the other hand he thought that the DEL is as good for his development as the AHL is.

A year ago you were quoted by a German newspaper "NHL or I will not go". Did you really say it like that back then?

Yes, that's always been my philosophy. I thought to myself, why should I play in Portland? I tried to compare the leagues [AHL and DEL] a little bit. I don't know exactly, how it is over there. Of course it is a different game, but the guys, who came over here, said the DEL is a little bit better than the AHL. Plus you don't make that much money over there, you don't get a car and an apartment. Here you get all that and you make good money. Why should I go over if I'm playing for a top-notch club in Cologne and have the option to stay here?
Now I have to go over. And today it would be naïve to say, I'm not going to play in the farmteam. I absolutely expect to be in the farmteam all year. If I get the chance to get called up once in a while - say if the Sabres run into injury trouble - I would be very, very happy.

Source: Haimspiel.de (http://www.haimspiel.de/magazin/news/single-view/archive/2009/march/18/article/interview-philip-gogulla.html)

Sanderson

03-27-2010, 10:50 AM

To Gogulla (I'm a season-ticket-holder in Cologne and a Sabre fan, too, so I know the situation well): He didn't want to go to Portland earlier. On the one hand money was definitely an issue because he knew that he'll earn less money in Portland and on the other hand he thought that the DEL is as good for his development as the AHL is.

Actually, before he rejected Buffalo's first offer because it was too low (only to sign a few days later), he had planned to make the move to North America. Only the lowball offer by the Sabres changed his mind.

But that's not the point I was trying to make. If a transfer-agreement had been in place, and Gogulla had signed a deal with Buffalo, his contract in Cologne would have been automatically voided. It would have been Buffalo's choice to assign him wherever they wanted to.

They may have decided to let him play in Germany for another season or two, if that's what Gogulla had wanted, but it would have been their decision, not Cologne/Gogulla's.

dklap3

03-27-2010, 03:02 PM

Salzig

03-27-2010, 05:13 PM

I need a little help, I'm trying to figure out when Kölner Haie will play at home IF they advance from the "pre-playoff" (game 3 tomorrow).

The reason I ask is that I'll be in the area next week, and I would really like to see a game at the amazing LANXESS arena in Cologne. I'm already going to the DEG Metro Stars game on April 1st in Düsseldorf.

I can't find any information about possible dates on DEL.org (http://www.del.org), it's not shown in the "spielplan". Does anyone know? :)

They'll play on the same days as the other teams play and would start the series in Berlin if they advanced to the next round. April 1st and 5th are the potential home games but if we'll face Berlin it's very unlikely that there is a game four, so bad news for you.

@Sanderson: Ok, I got you wrong.

dklap3

03-27-2010, 05:42 PM

Salzig

03-27-2010, 05:54 PM

^^ Thanks a lot, surely doesn't look too bright for me (or Kölner Haie:D) then. I thought it was best of 7 series in the playoff?

I plan to be in the area from 31/3 - 5/4, but I could extend it for a night should the miracle happen.

It used to be best-of-7 but due to the Olympic break and the upcoming world championship they decided to play every round in the best-of-5 mode.

If season is over on April 3rd the final ceremony will be held shortly after the season ending. You may drop in for some cheap beers. :D

zecke26

03-27-2010, 06:05 PM

dklap3

03-27-2010, 06:08 PM

Lets see tomorrow if they'll make it to next round. If so I'll follow the series in next week and cross my fingers for a game 4. :)

If not then I might go to Cologne for the world championship, Denmark plays their 3 first games there.

dklap3

03-27-2010, 06:11 PM

i would recommend 3rd-tier (oberliga) play-offs in herne and dortmund. both should play april 2nd at home. herne will face bad nauheim or rosenheim, dortmund will face peiting.
i think the level of hockey is solid. especially herne is basically a 2nd-tier team in terms of talent. and the arena in herne is old school. :D
dortmund vs peiting should be a pretty close series.

it's not DEL and no new arena, but i personally love lower tier hockey with the old arenas and run and gun hockey. ;)It was just as much to see the arena as the hockey game itself, but thanks for the advice, if I'm bored I could go. :) April 2nd would surely be perfect, since I have the DEG game the day before and Dortmund - Werder Bremen the next. I'll keep these games in mind.

Salzig

03-28-2010, 10:26 AM

It was just as much to see the arena as the hockey game itself, but thanks for the advice, if I'm bored I could go. :) April 2nd would surely be perfect, since I have the DEG game the day before and Dortmund - Werder Bremen the next. I'll keep these games in mind.

Too bad - the mircale didn't happen. Congratulations Ingolstadt and another disappointing season for us. :(

JVR

03-29-2010, 10:58 AM

Bakos was so horrible.

He should never ever play for Germany again.

fuechsken

03-29-2010, 03:28 PM

He shouldn't have played for Germany before.

JVR

03-31-2010, 11:04 AM

True.

We know that but I'm just saying what Krupp should do..

Watched the Scorps win against Nuremberg in 3 OT yesterday.

In the end they were so slow and the passes so bad I actually didn't have any hope left of anyone scoring a goal anytime soon.

Love Zach's comments on Wolf's OT goal:

"I'm very happy that a 20 year old decided this game because in this league it just doesn't really happen that when the game is on the line in OT a 20-year old German player is still getting regular ice-time.

I'm so going to miss him.

Chapin Landvogt

04-01-2010, 08:05 AM

I will miss Zach terribly.

He's had an incredible way off squeezing water out of stone.

He's truly the best German coach and there's not anyone in his mold coming up, although some think Toni Krinner has such possibilities.

JVR

04-04-2010, 10:15 AM

Toni Krinner has such possibilities.

And i'm quite happy that we'll have him here in Hannover next season.

It's pretty crazy how different the refs are calling the games in the playoffs.

Ondruschka and Wolf got 2+2 for a fight in the 2nd game and yesterday Reiss and Nasreddine the same.

Also the first penalty called yesterday was in the 33rd miunute.

Not that I'm complaining...

Nürnberg's coach decided to play Jimmy Waite instead of Ehelechner yesterday and it proved to be a good decision.
I think the Tigers might actually win this series, the Scorps were quite lucky in the first two games, lucky and Scott was very good unlike yesterday.

ALF AmericanLionsFan

04-04-2010, 11:42 AM

Frankfurt...:cry:

ALF AmericanLionsFan

04-05-2010, 02:25 PM

That was quick for the Lions.:shakehead

fuechsken

04-07-2010, 02:56 PM

Augsburg just eliminated last year's champion and the dominating team of the regular season, Berlin.

Chapin Landvogt

04-07-2010, 03:02 PM

Augsburg just eliminated last year's champion and the dominating team of the regular season, Berlin.

Yes, absolutely monumental!

A 6-2 win in Berlin - amazing. Berlin walked away with the league title during the regular season.

I haven't seen that kind of playoff upset since the Islanders knocked off Pittsburgh back in 1993.

Watched the HAN vs. NUR series game and Hannover did what they've done all year - scored early, let the opponent creep back in, then got the job done in the waning moments of the game.

So Hannover vs. Wolfsburg and Ingolstadt vs. Augsburg, although I'm not sure why.

Didn't Wolfsburg finish 2nd and Hannover 6th? Augsburg was 5th and Ingolstadt was in the pre-playoffs. Shouldn't Ingolstadt automatically face Wolfsburg?

Bubba88

04-07-2010, 05:21 PM

#3 Wolfsburg - #8 Augsburg
#4 Hannover - #7 Ingolstadt

I'm from Augsburg. What a great day. THIS IS IT. THIS IS OUR YEAR, no matter what will come next. This Season is the best we ever had.

Moobles

04-08-2010, 02:32 AM

My friend was raving to me this morning, he lives in Augsburg. He was choked when they dropped out in football, so he's decided to cheer on the Panthers :laugh:.

fuechsken

04-08-2010, 04:00 AM

Well, at least we'll see two teams in the finals which have never made it there before.

Salzig

04-08-2010, 04:38 AM

Good to see that Berlin got eliminated. Bad to see that Augsburg reached the semifinal, though. :(

Chapin Landvogt

04-08-2010, 05:42 AM

That WOB vs. AUG is gonna be a fun series. Two lethal offensive teams meeting up.

What an interesting year.

Seems like forever since Berlin and Düsseldorf WEREN'T still in it at this point.

Good to see that some teams that have had to plan conservatively for much of their existence have made it this far.

Surely the coaching in at least Hannover, Wolfsburg and Augsburg has been absolutely KEY to the getting these teams to where they are.

Fun year to be watching!

zecke26

04-08-2010, 05:53 AM

fun to watch maybe, but imagine a hannover-wolfsburg final. the DEL final would have a lower average attendance than the 2nd-tier final. :sarcasm:

fuechsken

04-08-2010, 08:05 AM

@zecke: That was exactly my first thought when I tried to figure out which teams would make it to the finals :-D

JVR

04-08-2010, 04:57 PM

Well, if the Scorps make the final they'd probably sell out.

I wasn't in attendance yesterday either tbh and won't be friday as well but will watch the 2nd home game. Too many games in such a short time.

Dolak and Boos continue their fine form, I wonder if that'll be enough for Krupp or if he will nominate some other naturalized Germans instead...

Only 3 German points for Ausgsburg in 5 games. Don't like that. Can't root for them.
As a comparison, 18 points for Hannover's Germans.

Let them play top minutes and they will produce!

Bubba88

04-08-2010, 05:12 PM

3 german Points for Augsburg?

Olver is German and he is a candidate for Krupp. By the way... Olver was 4th in scoring after the season and now is tied leader in PO-Points.

And do you know a guy named Endras? A young german Goalie who gets the chance to be a starter. Our MVP so far.

And we have 4 German D-Men. We have eliminated Berlin, you can't do it with a bad D.

and the Scorpions Top Players are German?? Goc, Goc, Reiss, Dolak, Wolf and Boos. Wow. 6 Germans. Augsburg has 6 Important Germans too.

And a lot of German Fans come to the Augsburg Board and say how much they like what we have done so far and that they will cheer for us during the POs. Even people from Ingolstadt came to us and said this.

And it looks like that we have the 2nd straight sellout (ausverkauft) in Augsburg. 22.500 Visitors in the last 3!! Games. not bad at all (7774 stadium capacity)

zecke26

04-08-2010, 05:23 PM

for a small market team augsburg is doing fine with germans. they have to use the cheaper foreigners unlike the scorpions who were able to sign some better germans.

guys like endras, kohl, kettemer and tölzer took a good development.

so usually i'd root for augsburg, but they dive so often, it sometimes feels like watching soccer.

ingolstadt i never liked, wolfsburg i can't take serious and the scorpions i will never respect until they move back to where they belong (the best hockey barn i know), so i guess i will simply not watch the semi-finals and final at all.

gives me more time to prepare my krupp WC rants. :D

JVR

04-08-2010, 06:17 PM

Scorps HAD to move. How easily people forget.

And most fans in attendance are still Wedemärker (just like me)
but good for you for not being able to respect them.

What a stupid attitude.

I don't have sky so I never watch games of other teams anyway.

And please, Olver is not German. Ok, probably German enough for Krupp anyway...

zecke26

04-08-2010, 06:32 PM

Scorps HAD to move. How easily people forget.

oh i know. but that was the day the scorpions died. (for me)

i'm not a DEL fan myself. the whole league is trash, run by idiots and they ruined german hockey more than they helped. so the forced move was just bad. the barn was fine for 1st-tier hockey. a good place IMO. but i guess you'd agree :)

And most fans in attendance are still Wedemärker (just like me)
but good for you for not being able to respect them.

What a stupid attitude.

i never said i don't respect the fans. :)
in fact, i don't respect the organization. it's a dead product to me.
as for the fans they have my respect. just like any other hockey fan. everyone who is willing to support hockey instead of soccer is fine. ;)

but a title for the scorpions would feel like a title for the freezers or when they were the barons. an artificial product.

I don't have sky so I never watch games of other teams anyway.

i only have the sports package and only to watch DEL and some austrian hockey. it's interesting to see the progress of younger players and gives an overview about the current state of hockey in germany. but sometimes DEL hockey can be so boring. it's almost a comedy when you see players slowing down right before the hit just to avoid a penalty and stuff like that.
i hope the protests of spieltag 58 were just the beginning and they will force the league to change the complete product. hockey needs to be hockey again.

fuechsken

04-08-2010, 06:34 PM

Well, I'm already looking forward to your rants :yo:

If you're looking at all 4 teams in terms of statistics, there might be some hints towards their chances in the semifinals.

Augsburg continued scoring a lot, their top 6 scorers of the regular season are picking up where they left off. Goalie Endras is playing with a lot of momentum, a save percentage of 0.945 is spectacular.

In Ingolstadt, regular season MVP Greilinger is struggling with only 2 points in 7 games as well as Kavanagh. Ficenec regained his scoring touch and puts up pressure from the blue line. Goalie Pätzold (who I think is largely overrated) is playing good playoffs so far, his save percentage of 0.930 is great as well.

Wolfsburg had only 3 games to play, so their stats are not really comparable with the other teams. Goalie Reimer was playing a good series against Düsseldorf as well, 0.950 (which will definitely go down in the semifinals).

In Hannover only 2 players scored more than 1 goal in the series against Nuremberg: Wolf and Blank. Star Center Vikingstad hasn't been able to play his game so far. His performance should be crucial for the Scorpions' further success. Goalie Scott has the worst stats of all 4 goaltenders, but 0.913 are very good as well.

Augsburg just needs to continue scoring. Crucial for their success should be how the young defense incl. Endras can cope with the play-off-pressure.

Ingolstadt should get into trouble if they don't start scoring on a larger scale. I personally don't trust their defense.

There is not much to say about Wolfsburg. Magowan and Laliberte need to keep scoring and Reimer needs to keep up his performance (since the defense is a little slow sometimes).

Hannover needs to calm down first. It is very important to keep up the pace during an entire game. (Nearly) giving up a big lead like in the last match isn't good for your confidence.

Anyway, let Augsburg go all the way and I'm fine with it. I would be frustrated no matter which one of the other teams wins it.

JVR

04-08-2010, 06:50 PM

oh i know. but that was the day the scorpions died. (for me)

i'm not a DEL fan myself. the whole league is trash, run by idiots and they ruined german hockey more than they helped. so the forced move was just bad. the barn was fine for 1st-tier hockey. a good place IMO. but i guess you'd agree :)

I do. I really want to go back but it seems like Papenburg is not willing to give up on hockey yet even though he probably loses a few millions each season.

i never said i don't respect the fans. :)
in fact, i don't respect the organization. it's a dead product to me.
as for the fans they have my respect. just like any other hockey fan. everyone who is willing to support hockey instead of soccer is fine. ;)

You are forgiven. I just hate all this Scorpions vs Indians BS. It was not the Scorpions fault they we weren't allowed to stay in the "barn" and that the KEV went down when we were up and the Arena was built.

I don't think any fans are having it tougher than we have. Everyone basically feels fine insulting us simply for still being there.

but a title for the scorpions would feel like a title for the freezers or when they were the barons. an artificial product.

Why? The Scorps moved to another arena in the same city, like I wrote before, the icehouse in Mellendorf is nearer and faster to reach from Hannover's city center than the stupid Arena where they are now playing, the Freezes are a real Retortenklub.

i only have the sports package and only to watch DEL and some austrian hockey. it's interesting to see the progress of younger players and gives an overview about the current state of hockey in germany. but sometimes DEL hockey can be so boring. it's almost a comedy when you see players slowing down right before the hit just to avoid a penalty and stuff like that.
i hope the protests of spieltag 58 were just the beginning and they will force the league to change the complete product. hockey needs to be hockey again.

Totally agree with you. Being a German hockey fan is tough but one cannont give up hope.

Bubba88

04-09-2010, 03:51 AM

so usually i'd root for augsburg, but they dive so often, it sometimes feels like watching soccer.

Have you seen Berlin or Mannheim? these two teams Dive.
Augsburg laughs at people who say we dive. Can't handle that we are that good THIS year?? (Ok, Chris Collins goes down more than he should, but the contact is there, but it's only Collins)

Augsburg just needs to continue scoring. Crucial for their success should be how the young defense incl. Endras can cope with the play-off-pressure.

the good thing is --> we have no pressure now. We are better than we all self expected and all what's coming now is just for the fun and just to enjoy. (I think it should be clear that everyone wants to win)

And Endras was the main reason why we eliminated Berlin. He can handle it.

And Olver is as German as Dolak, Sachar Blank and Garret Festerling

fuechsken

04-09-2010, 06:05 AM

the good thing is --> we have no pressure now. We are better than we all self expected and all what's coming now is just for the fun and just to enjoy. (I think it should be clear that everyone wants to win)

And Endras was the main reason why we eliminated Berlin. He can handle it.

Don't underestimate the pressure of being seen as a dark horse.
And at least one of the three German goalies remaining in the competition will get shaky.

Chapin Landvogt

04-09-2010, 11:25 AM

and the Scorpions Top Players are German?? Goc, Goc, Reiss, Dolak, Wolf and Boos. Wow. 6 Germans. Augsburg has 6 Important Germans too.

Good post and yes, it is amazing what Augsburg has been doing. Love this recipe for success.

As for Hannover, I'd even say you can't forget the contributions from Kathan, Köppchen, Köttsdörfer and Mondt. They too are key elements to Zach's team success - and are German.

Chapin Landvogt

04-09-2010, 11:29 AM

Bubba88

04-09-2010, 04:29 PM

Augsburg beat Wolfsburg in OT. 3-2. All 3 Goals for Augsburg by Chris Collins.

#1 and #3, Reimer looked not so good :laugh:

and yes, Zach often has good Germans. But saying Augsburg hasn't is WRONG.

JVR

04-09-2010, 08:49 PM

Ok, I take it back, it just totally irks me to look at a boxscore and don't see a
single German name.

Sanderson

04-10-2010, 01:10 AM

I don't see how Augsburg's Germans sound any less German than the ones from other teams.

A name doesn't have to sound like Meyer, Schmitt or Fischer to be German, there are countless names which are most definately German but rather rare.

Bubba88

04-10-2010, 03:46 PM

does it matter who scores and who not? And don't forget the D-Men. 4 German D and maybe the best Goalie at the moment. And the goalie sounds German to me :laugh:

and Top 6 in PO Scoring is from Augsburg. all 6 have 1ppg or better :)

JVR

04-10-2010, 03:50 PM

I don't really get your point? It's not about "German sounding" names, it's about players
that learned to play hockey in Germany. Maybe I worded it wrongly.

Like I wrote before, only 5 points by Germans (I really don't count Olver) for Augsburg in 5 games against Berlin.

But you are right of course about the defense and the goalie, that's great to see.

I don't even want the Scorps to win tbh, it's not like I'm a huge fan but they are still a little bit "my" team even
though it pains me to imagine what great atmosphere we'd have in our "barn" with 3600.
Not that much less than in the Arena. :D

Sanderson

04-10-2010, 04:32 PM

Who cares how many points the German players got, this is a team game. Just because not everyone has their Germans going in the playoffs, doesn't mean they don't play their Germans or that they are somehow inferior.

It's not like the other teams are loaded with Germans that score in bunches these playoffs. Nürnberg has Barta and maybe Grygiel, Wolfsburg has Furchner and Hospelt, Frankfurt had Gawlik, Düsseldorf had Kreutzer, Ingolstadt doesn't have any Germans who are scoring right now.

Things like that can change easily, the playoffs are way too short to judge the scoring the Germans bring on a team. Hannover could have advanced without even one of their Germans scoring, would you have mentioned it as well, or would you have seen it as it is, something that can happen every week to every team?

Thomas Greilinger was flat out dominant in the regular season, didn't prevent him from being pretty much useless in the playoffs.

Dfire

04-12-2010, 02:46 AM

JVR

04-13-2010, 04:07 PM

Bubba88

04-14-2010, 05:06 AM

No matter what will happen or who they face.

Zach, not Hannover, will win the final. (if not because of the Team, then the League will do it :laugh:)

fuechsken

04-14-2010, 05:09 AM

Well, it was actually a pretty good game yesterday and a good effort by both teams. Hannover deserves to advance to the finals, they just show more tactical skills on the special teams and score reliably from the blue line.

And don't get me started about Uwe Krupp, but there are some players I would rather like to see playing for Team Germany than Dolak and Kathan. Nevertheless I really like their effort this season, don't get me wrong.

Bubba88

04-14-2010, 06:12 AM

Hannover desevers it. Augsburg (only use the Money you have, don't be like Cologne :laugh:) would deserve it too. Should be good Finals.

Chapin Landvogt

04-14-2010, 06:36 AM

Hannover desevers it. Augsburg (only use the Money you have, don't be like Cologne :laugh:) would deserve it too. Should be good Finals.

Believe you me folks, Augsburg is NOT "paying" with open cards.

There's no way they've got a correct and honest financial structure going on there.

Chapin Landvogt

04-14-2010, 06:40 AM

Just returned from the Arena, wow what a game.

When it was 1:4 nobody inside that Arena had any doubt that
the Scorps would come back and win the game.

You just know that this Zach-coached team will NEVER give up
and never lose the faith and the fans didn't shut up for a second either.

It was quite beautiful really.

And Goc, what else is there to say, such a shame Germany lost him but
I pray that Uwe is thinking about Dolak and Kathan, they deserve a chance!

Thoroughly enjoyed the game.

Amazing storybook ending. Herperger gets the shot in his chops, comes back 10 minutes later and ties it up. Birthday boy Goc gets his second of the game in OT to win it.

Pure Hollywood ending there.

Dolak:
In my mind's eye, he's one of Germany's top 12 forwards - in the DEL. Don't know who's coming to the WC from outside the DEL, but it's hard for an offense-starved German side to overlook him in the name of implementing younger guys like Hager, etc.

I also thoroughly expect Andy Reiss to be one of Germany's 8 Dman at the WC. In fact, it's kind of ashame that Köppchen isn't taken into consideration. An absolute monster shorthanded.

Salzig

04-14-2010, 08:07 AM

Augsburg (only use the Money you have, don't be like Cologne :laugh:)

:facepalm:

So what's your point? What did Cologne wrong? What was the mistake Cologne did?

JVR

04-17-2010, 06:36 AM

Tore Vikingstad is still stuck in Norway because of the volcanic ash.

I'm optimistic though that he makes it via boat to Germany till tuesday. :D

Bubba88

04-20-2010, 03:31 AM

Finals - Game 2 in Augsburg - after ~3 hours, there aren't anymore tickets available. That was fast :laugh: :yo:

Believe you me folks, Augsburg is NOT "paying" with open cards.

There's no way they've got a correct and honest financial structure going on there.

No, we have the Money we have, but we are #15 of 15 Teams when it comes to the money. And it won't change that soon.

:facepalm:

So what's your point? What did Cologne wrong? What was the mistake Cologne did?

I hate to talk about it, especially in English. THIS is way to long. And I would start with. POs are not 100% sure so don't plan with the Money you would get. But I'm finished now with this conversation.

Chapin Landvogt

04-20-2010, 06:37 AM

No, we have the Money we have, but we are #15 of 15 Teams when it comes to the money. And it won't change that soon.

Maybe officially, but not 'unofficially' - and that's what I'm getting at.;)

There's some under the table stuff goin' on and folks around the DEL know about it. Things will probably change in the summer.

Or maybe not.

Bubba88

04-21-2010, 06:40 AM

no, we haven't the money for the unoffical :laugh:

Salzig

04-22-2010, 07:27 AM

I hate to talk about it, especially in English. THIS is way to long. And I would start with. POs are not 100% sure so don't plan with the Money you would get. But I'm finished now with this conversation.

To sum it up: You love to criticize Cologne, but you hate to justify your thesis? :sarcasm:

Vipers31

04-23-2010, 07:20 AM

I hate to talk about it, especially in English. THIS is way to long.

I agree, it is way too long. But honestly, judging from your earlier statement, you don't know enough about the facts and numbers involved in the Cologne case. It's far from your textbook example of a club living above their standards and ending up simply paying the price. It's about a club having to deal with very unique conditions (unlike to about every other DEL club) and having to overcome adversities that most other clubs would have folded due to much earlier. But honestly, I doubt enough of the facts about the rent for the LanXess Arena (seven-figures) in comparision to your DEL team's average five-figure arena rent cost for example have gotten through to the Bavarian hockey media ... :)

fuechsken

04-25-2010, 12:54 PM

The Hannover Scorpions are the DEL champions 2010. They defeated Augsburg in Game 3 by 4:2.

Congrats to Hannover and especially to Coach Hans Zach!

Vipers31

04-25-2010, 01:33 PM

Chapin Landvogt

04-26-2010, 06:40 AM

I can't remember the last time I acknowledged the DEL playoffs with such utter apathy as this year. And the Scorpions of all teams, that creature without a face or character, being the 2nd most liked hockey team in the hotbed that is the magnificent city of Hannover, winning the title... ugh. Anyway, congrats. ;)

Funny, this was the first DEL playoffs that I followed with such great fever and intensity for years. It was sooooooooooooooo good not to see Berlin, Düsseldorf or Mannheim being in the quarterfinals, much less the finals.

As for "Retortenclubs", I gotta think that the minute the Scorpions were able to acquire Zach as their coach, everyone in Germany needed to take them as a team and organization that was serious about its work and direction.

Taking the 25% paycut into account, and their ability to play a safe and smart game that made use of their individual talents, I don't know if there was team in the entire country that did things more "right" or was better coached than the Scorpions.

And they have now reaped the benefits of their work! Respect, especially considering Herperger and Scott are about the only real foreign players whose names are of any note to the international community, and Sascha Goc's being about the only one most fans in other countries would recognize amongst their Germans.

Now I'd like to see if Krupp was paying attention. You won't find 8 WC-available Dmen in the DEL who are better than Andy Reiss. In addition, I really can't fathom how the Nati side could possibly overlook Dolak at the moment, especially not in the name of the Hagers of the world. I'd even say that Köppchen should get some consideration.

Vipers31

04-26-2010, 11:07 AM

Funny, this was the first DEL playoffs that I followed with such great fever and intensity for years. It was sooooooooooooooo good not to see Berlin, Düsseldorf or Mannheim being in the quarterfinals, much less the finals.

As for "Retortenclubs", I gotta think that the minute the Scorpions were able to acquire Zach as their coach, everyone in Germany needed to take them as a team and organization that was serious about its work and direction.
Coaching is about the only thing I am going to give them. They were fortunate that Zach had too much stress in the bigger German markets and wanted to be in some place where people cared even less and he would not be bothered. Good for them. They still are the 2nd most popular team in their own town, and their DEL title will probably have less fans cheering than the promotion of the Indians a year ago. But yeah, I just don't care for that club. Good for Hans, good for Travis, but otherwise I could hardly care less.

JVR

04-26-2010, 11:37 AM

One of th greatest days ever yesterday. This Retortenfan (in my 13th year, how' that possible??) had a lot of fun! :D

I think half of the Wedemark were in the Arena, alone about 100 people from my small village and we couldn't care less what the rest of hockey-Germany thinks.

There were some of our old friends there to support us from Wilhelmshaven, Braunlage and Kassel and yes we cried. ;)

Bubba88

04-26-2010, 03:13 PM

I was in Hannover. I saw their "Fans" too bad that the Scorps only have 800 Fans :laugh:

qwWb75qtHlE
look Hannover... this are Fans

and yep....

I don't give Hannover some credit for the title. I don't say congratulations. I think they don't deserve it. 180 Minutes of non Hockey.
Too bad that they haven't face a Team like Berlin or Wolfsburg.

And this one is for you Looker. I hope you go back to NA. I hope you will never be a Ref in Germany. You shouldn't have deceided the Game (s in the POs). Go home.

Vipers31

04-26-2010, 03:49 PM

@ JVR: I don't doubt they have some actual fans. I do know one, well, including you it's two, which is probably half of the entire fanbase. Congrats to both of you... :) I still don't have much respect for the club.

@ Bubba: I kind of agree. I also don't think the Scorps would have been able to beat any of the bigger teams. That's why I was so optimistic that you guys would take that title with Endras, who I like a lot.
The sad thing about Looker is that while he does tend to screw up in the big ones, to me he's still one of the better, well, least craptastic refs in the league. At least he doesn't call every hit...

Bubba88

04-26-2010, 03:59 PM

that's the Problem for me.
He hasn't called everything and then... boom.... pow.... he deceided to give us a penalty FOR NOTHING. Endras covered the Puck and a call withóut a penalty should have been made.

And he MUST have called 2-3 Penaltys (in the 5 Minutes before the End) against Hannover. Imagine a PP for Augsburg with the momentum and this 3-4 Minutes before the End of the Game?
Looker was bad when we faced Berlin, Looker was BAAADDDD when we faced Wolfsburg and now he was also bad.
And I hope you can see that I think he is crap. Even when Augsburg won, he was bad.

I'd rather see Schimm or Aumüller. We all know that they are always bad, but we know what we can expect.

fuechsken

04-26-2010, 06:00 PM

Vipers31

04-26-2010, 06:04 PM

Yeah, I get what you're saying. The rest at least sucks consistently. I haven't seen much of the playoffs at all, so I can't comment on particular calls, but it definitely sounds like vintage Looker. Reffing in Germany is just so utterly bad. And the DEL is making them look even worse by giving them so much room for decisions on technical fouls. People get hooked or held or interfered with 80 times a game, and two or three players get randomly called. Why not just commit to zero tolerance again and have players learn it in a couple of months? If you can't put your arms or stick around the opponent, you might actually have to hit him again now and then... But somehow hitting seems to be a red flag to the league.

Vipers31

04-26-2010, 06:08 PM

You know what to expect from Looker, too. He very strictly calls every little hook and every trip, but he lets most of the clean hits go. That's something I can live with, but not with Schimm or Aumüller, who IMO are way less consistent in their decision making than Looker.

I don't know about that. I don't remember a single referee this season that came even close to calling every mentionable hook, let alone little ones. Looker might do that a little better than most, but he's still far from being consistent enough on these fouls, imo. Who can really blame him, when the leauge actually states they don't want to have every hook called... :shakehead

Bubba88

04-26-2010, 09:17 PM

SchwenningerWildWing

04-27-2010, 02:46 AM

What a new champion we have. 1000 celebrated the titel with the team according to NDR. :laugh:. We had 1000 away supporters in Bietigheim and Munich and they are champion. Ridiculous

Chapin Landvogt

04-27-2010, 08:06 AM

the problem for me is not that he let them play... the problem is that their are 4-5 possible call's against (call them) Team A and he calls nothing. The next little thing from Team B is called. And I've seen it enough to say THAT call for the PP in the last minutes against Kettemer was BS.

And that's where I say I would rather have Schimm. I know that he is bad and that I shouldn't expect much, but Looker is BS

As a Hannover fan, I didn't feel a ref should make that call on Kettemer at that point in the game.

I can't STAND the referree deciding games! In a finals like these, you put away the damn whistle for the last 5-10 minutes unless someone is r***d or there's an undeniable need for call, i.e. stick cuts face.

ACHTUNG:
I know from an insider (DEL player not to be named) that Looker is a little b***h. He hangs out with the teams as if he's one of the players, constantly joking around and being silly, but makes serious threats to them about giving them penalties whenever he feels like it. He then does this - and everyone in the league knows it. The player I'm speaking of once made a joke at Looker's expense and was called for 4 penalties in the ensuing game. You can bet your bottom dollar that all he did was "breathe" in on his opponent's direction.

Chapin Landvogt

04-27-2010, 08:15 AM

Coaching is about the only thing I am going to give them. They were fortunate that Zach had too much stress in the bigger German markets and wanted to be in some place where people cared even less and he would not be bothered. Good for them. They still are the 2nd most popular team in their own town, and their DEL title will probably have less fans cheering than the promotion of the Indians a year ago. But yeah, I just don't care for that club. Good for Hans, good for Travis, but otherwise I could hardly care less.

Well, we all have our preferences, but one shouldn't forget that the Indians are something special. They are 'cult' and have a 'cult following'. Their situation is pretty unique and there are FEW clubs in the 2nd or 3rd leagues that have that kind of following - maybe it's even unparalleled. I know that i.e. Crimmitschau once had a pretty fine following, but I haven't kept up with them in recent years.

As for the Scorpions as a symbol for the DEL, every 'German' hockey fan should be very happy to have seen a team with several unspectacular but solid foreigners, a good handful of impact Germans, and a bunch of younger Germans (Goc, Wolf, Blank, etc.) not only make it to the finals, but ultimately do what was necessary to win.

I too think the ultimate test would have been Berlin. In addition, I think it was too much to ask of Augsburg to win the pre-playoffs, knock off teams 1 and 2 in the standings AND win the championship. Just too darn much.... so here's giving them all the respect in the world for doing what they did. If Mitchell can continue putting together these teams of unknowns and getting them into the playoffs every year, he may one day need to be considered for the position as the Nati team chef.

You can dislike the Scorpions for whatever reasons, but they did win this championship the right way, conceptually speaking.

ENDRAS:
Young guy who has come a long way. Hard to ask so much of him, so quickly. However, for my taste, he let in several goals in the finals that just shouldn't have gone in. He could have been the difference in a positive manner for Augsburg. Didn't happen...

Bubba88

04-27-2010, 08:55 AM

Endras was good in the whole POs and in the Finals also. He can't save the Team all the Time. The Scorps often scored on 2 vs 1 like in NHL10.

The Problem for Augsburg was just that they haven't scored.

Vipers31

04-27-2010, 09:54 AM

You can dislike the Scorpions for whatever reasons, but they did win this championship the right way, conceptually speaking.

Well sure, if you win the title, you necessarily have done some things right along the way. :) I just don't think the club as an organisation (not necessarily the players) including the surrounding is deserving. But that's obviously very subjective. :)

Salzig

04-27-2010, 04:40 PM

Congratulations Hannover. I heared the fans celebrated the victory after the game. I hope the two of you had fun. :sarcasm:

zecke26

04-27-2010, 05:14 PM

reading this thread at least reminds me of what is wrong with german hockey these days. the same "we have more fans" arrogance we have in soccer. not to mention "we lost because of the refs", "we deserved it more", yadda yadda...

i'm really no fan of the hannover scorpions product, but the wedemark scorpions fans were always pretty nice.
i always enjoyed to be in augsburg too, but these "heeeey" crowd this year got on my nerves. but i guess that's a leaguewide trend. :(

Salzig

04-28-2010, 03:54 AM

Well I think Hannover did a tremendous job this season. In the beginning they accepted a 25% paycut and they had [probably] no lockerroom cancer after they signed Scott. (This has nothing to do with Scott as a person, but I thought that the players would become angry because they've accepted a paycut and then the Scorpions signed an expensive goalie - even though a sponsor paid him [I don't know everything about this deal in detail]). I'm really impressed but Hannover is Indians territory.

Bubba88

04-28-2010, 04:00 AM

No, I still think the Scorps would have been the Champs. But I hate the fact that Looker is bad and can't let the players deceide the game.
I remember a game, where Hamburg was with 1 Goal in front and made a handpass. The call was right, but not 30 seconds after it heppend and he called it after Hamburg scored a Goal. (and this was good for Augsburg ;))

Vipers31

04-29-2010, 11:46 AM

reading this thread at least reminds me of what is wrong with german hockey these days. the same "we have more fans" arrogance we have in soccer. not to mention "we lost because of the refs", "we deserved it more", yadda yadda...

I agree partially. Howeverm, I do think every shot a the Scorpions for their fanbase (size, not quality of individuals, obviously) and standing is justified. ;)

The "we lost because of the refs" excuse has definitely gotten old a long time ago, but the sad truth also is that it simply suits the games way too often. Credit to the refs, and again, especially to the league for not sticking to the zero-tolerance rule and thereby handing refs, of which they know that they are not properly trained, more power to decide completely arbitrarily.

But otherwise, it's still true that these excuses come up even more often than they should. But I find it increasingly hard to blame fans for not knowing a right call was made when that call is made in one out of ten cases...

i always enjoyed to be in augsburg too, but these "heeeey" crowd this year got on my nerves. but i guess that's a leaguewide trend. :(
It sure is. With a little group we've been doing loads of cynical "heeeeeey" shouts in cases when even the boldest homers didn't have it in them to shout for a penalty. Sometimes people actually chime in and are surprised when they see us laughing. It's pretty hilarious at times. :laugh:

Mathletic

07-03-2010, 08:52 AM

just wondering what you think of David Wolf and Jerome Flaake

Chapin Landvogt

07-07-2010, 04:11 AM

just wondering what you think of David Wolf and Jerome Flaake

Wolf came along really well and did a wonderful job in a 3rd/4th line capacity. He was often running around out there like a bull in china store.

Going into the season, I think there were few who expected him to do more than get a cup of coffee and spent most the season at the affiliate in Bremerhaven. He worked himself into a regular role and looks like a real good young DEL player. Don't know what his offensive upside is, but there is a power forward aspect to his game. Maybe it'll develop?

Flaake had a pretty miserable year in Cologne. Dunno if he was a product of his surroundings or one of the causes, but he's signed with Hamburg and is looking to get a fresh start. Hamburg is NOT generally the type of place young guys go and become nurtured and better, although Alex Barta is one such case. There's new management there (Stephane Richer, one time Bruins prospect) and maybe things will run differently, but it'll be another very North American-influenced team.