Previously, a lot was better in the case of the polar bears. In this respect, it is understandable that Berlin’s largest football club aufhübscht the Sunday home game against the Krefeld penguins in the dreary League of everyday life through a nostalgic, joyful frame. “Back to the 90s”, back in the Nineties, is it in the Arena at the Ostbahnhof (the “Party” from 14 PM to 17 PM). Exactly on the day exactly 20 years ago, the polar bears in Moscow won the 3rd place game in the European Hockey League, with a 4:1 against Ilves Tampere.
European Hockey League? Properly, the EHL was one of those love – and unsuccessful Attempts, a competition in European club football. Of course, there is no longer the EHL for a long time and the increasing power of today’s Champions League in hockey, you could not develop. The polar bears took the EHL but seriously. It is of dramatic games in the corrugated sheet Palace. About that against Jokerit Helsinki, where coach Peter John Lee in the case of residue seconds before the end of an opponent’s racket remeasure. A success measure: the curvature of The racket trowel was not rule-compliant, there were two penalty minutes for the Finns. The polar bears won in the shootout. The Finnish coach was not indignant: “bat night, something we do in Finland.”
the European performances of the polar bears were Ennobled but, above all, by a movie. Pepe Danquart accompanied the Team in international appearances, his “home” was finally shown in the context of the Berlinale. The work was also an incentive to buy for today’s polar bears-owner Philip Anschutz. With the somewhat quirky cult club at the time, polar bear today with her giant hall in the middle of the North American retort quarter at the Ostbahnhof there is not a lot in common.
not everything was better in the past at the polar bears. In the Team Felski played up to Sven rare German and the German ice hockey international was on the ground. At the B world Championships in Denmark missed Hans Zach with the national team just two months after the Triumph of the polar bears of Moscow the rise in the A-group. Peter John Lee, now managing Director, remembers, though, in 1999, when “suddenly the polar bear knew us, in Europe, in the scene”. Sven Felski, head of the Junior Department, recalls: “The medal of Moscow was a great success, because before, we had won nothing, only to become Vice-champion. Without this European Cup of the year, the polar bears would have never become so big.“ That was surely a merit of the former Manager, Lorenz Funk, the shrewd Bayer a charming was in terms of public Relations, a full-time professional.
corrugated sheet Palace history. The year 1999 was for Thomas Steen (left) and the polar bears, here, after a victory (in the semi-final against…photo: picture-alliance/dpa
What is public popularity is concerned, the polar bears 20 years later, no Problem. Your average attendance is at the Games with around 12,000 people – for the first time, as a table in tenth place. Only Mannheim and Cologne have similarly good Numbers, but also both at the top of the table. At the time, the problems in Berlin are especially sporty: The home game against Krefeld can be for the polar bears, but especially for your opponent, the final tenth place. The polar bears win, they would be safe with an eight point lead on the penguins, the participation in the Pre-play-offs in five outstanding Play. You lose Krefeld can not hope that the season ends before you start with the Play-offs correctly.
The polar bears are under pressure, because you have next week, three away games and then at the conclusion of the main round against the top teams from Cologne and Düsseldorf will have to play. And it would be nonsense, the rumpelige 5:3 of the polar bear from Friday at the table to take the last Schwenningen as an indicator for the prospects of success on Sunday. It will be a hard fought game.
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Eisbären Berlin of the football season 2018/19 Live: eisbaren – Krefeld 1:2
Claus Vetter, Jörg Leopold, Jan Schröder
Who wants to see nice football wants to on Sunday, you should better go to the Cologne arena: the sharks masters RB Munich, receive for top game. But the nicer Party in Berlin. In the hall the heroes from the past autographs. Leif Carlsson, Pelle Svensson, Mikael Wahlberg, Mike Bullard and Derek Mayer will be there and, of course, Sven Felski. And is particularly delighted with the old comrades-in-arms, because “it was a nice time, especially with the Sweden-group”.
