BSC Prussia

BSC Prussia
Greatest successes
Play-off semi-finals 1991 , 1992 , 1993 , 1994 , 1995 , 1996 , 2000 Second division champions 1987
Club information
history	Berlin Ice Skating Club Preussen (1983–1995) Preussen Devils (1995–1996) Berlin Capitals (1996–2002) BC Preussen (2002–2004) Berlin Ice Skating Club Preussen (2004–2005)
Club colors	Black White Red
Venue	Ice rink Jafféstraße (until 2001) Deutschlandhalle
capacity	6,000 seats 8,764 seats
2004/05 season	1st place (preliminary round of the Oberliga ) play-off quarter-finals

The BSC Preussen is a former Berlin ice hockey club whose origins go back to 1981. The club reached the semi-finals of the German championship six times in a row from 1991 to 1996 and in 2000 . In 1994 the club was a founding member of the German Ice Hockey League . Their home games carried the teams of the BSC Preussen initially until the end of the 2000/01 season in the ice rink on Jafféstrasse and from the 2001/02 season in the in Berlin's Westend located Germany Hall from.

history

Foundation (1981 to 1983)

In 1981, the ice hockey department of the German record ice hockey champion Berliner Schlittschuhclub became the Berliner Schlittschuhclub Eishockey e. V. outsourced. In 1982 the club had to give up for financial reasons and withdrew from the ice hockey Bundesliga at the end of the 1981/82 season. As the successor club, the BFC Preussen was ready and the team was able to occupy seventh place after the main round and qualify for the play-offs. In the first round, the play-off quarter-finals, the Berliners lost 2-0 to the Cologne EC . The KEC was able to win twice with 12: 5 and 5: 0. After only one season, however, the BFC ended and there was no team in the DEB leagues in Berlin.

At the instigation of the former treasurer of the BSchC Hermann Windler and the BFC maker Heinz Klopstech, a merger of the two former clubs was initially sought, but the BSchC did not agree, as their tennis department exerted great influence within the club. On April 29, 1983, the Berliner Schlittschuh-Club Preussen e. V. (BSC Preussen), whose players were made up of the bankruptcy assets of both former West Berlin clubs.

The time in the 2nd Bundesliga (1983 to 1987)

Placements
season	Preliminary round	Finals
1983/84	1st place	1st place
1984/85	1st place	3rd place
1985/86	1st place	4th Place
1986/87	1st place	1st place ↑

The 1983/84 season was the first game year of the newly founded BSC Prussia. With an investment of 750,000 D-Marks, the BSC managed to place itself in first place after the main round and after the final round. Rick Hindmarch , who scored 50 goals and another 45 assists , became the second most successful scorer in the league behind Kenneth Brown . The promotion to the 1st Bundesliga did not succeed in the end, as only fifth place was achieved in the qualifying round. Economically, the preparations for the premiere season were initially successful, but the BSchC demanded half a million D-Marks for the transfer of the license and the players, of which the BSC finally paid 300,000 DM.

In the following season , the Prussians were able to repeat the success of the previous year and take first place in the main round. Overall, the club lost only nine games in 42 games and had the most points with a score of 61:28. The league primus ended the relegation round to the Bundesliga in third place. Thus, the promotion to the then highest German ice hockey league was missed for the second time. Almost 130,000 spectators attended the home games of BSC Preussen, only Mannheim and Düsseldorf were able to record higher attendance figures in Germany.

Also in the third year in the 2nd Bundesliga, the team took first place after the main round and missed promotion in the subsequent relegation round. Behind the Eintracht Frankfurt , the SC Riessersee and the Augsburger EV , the club reached fourth place in the table. The BSC thus fared worse than in the previous year. The 1986/87 season was the last of the Berlin club in the 2nd Bundesliga. The club reached the relegation round with a first place and 67:13 points with a clear lead over ESG Kassel . There it was enough for first place this time and the BSC Preussen consequently rose to the Bundesliga. The team's best scorer was Uli Egen , who scored 119 times.

Bundesliga (1987 to 1994)

Placements
season	Preliminary round	Finals
1987/88	9th place	1st place 1st
1988/89	6th place	Quarter finals
1989/90	4th Place	Quarter finals
1990/91	4th Place	4th Place
1991/92	4th Place	Semifinals
1992/93	6th place	Semifinals
1993/94	6th place	Semifinals

¹ - Relegation round

After promotion to the German Bundesliga, the Prussians initially occupied ninth and last place in the table. Since the ECD Iserlohn had to stop playing during the current season, the BSC was the only Bundesliga team to enter the relegation round. There the Berliners achieved first place and thus relegation in the first Bundesliga year. In the following two seasons, the club qualified for the play-offs. In 1989 , however, the club lost with 1: 3 defeats against the Mannheim ERC and in 1990 also in the quarter-finals with 2: 3 games against the Schwenningen ERC .

On September 21, 1990 the first derby took place with EHC Dynamo Berlin. The BSC Prussia, which had meanwhile established itself in the Bundesliga, won against the newcomer 12-0. Until the last derby, which the Berlin Capitals won on March 3, 2002 in the Deutschlandhalle against the Eisbären Berlin 5-3, there had been a total of 48 derbies. There were 28 wins, 18 defeats and two draws. The 1990/91 season was the most successful in the history of the BSC. After finishing fourth in the main round, the club defeated the Mannheim ERC 3-0 in the play-off quarter-finals. However, the Prussians lost the semifinals in a close series after the " Best of Five " mode with 2: 3 against the eventual runner-up, the Cologne EC. This success could be repeated in the following three years.

Foundation of the DEL (1994 to 2002)

When the German Ice Hockey League was founded in 1994 as the new highest German ice hockey league , the Prussians were one of the 18 founding members, although they were denied their license at the first examination. In the first season the Berliners took first place after the main round and won the subsequent play-off round of 16 with 4-0 victories against the Ratinger Löwen . After another victory in the quarter-final series against the Schwenninger Wild Wings, the club lost the semi-finals of the German championship with 1: 3 defeats against the Kölner Haie.

Placements
season	Preliminary round	Finals
1994/95	1st place	Semifinals
1995/96	2nd place	Semifinals
1996/97	3rd place	Quarter finals
1997/98	10th place	-
1998/99	13th place	-
1999/00	6th place	Semifinals
2000/01	8th place	Quarter finals
2001/02	15th place	descent

As a result, there were reports of financial problems at the club, which had debts of more than three million Deutschmarks . Since a renovation was considered unlikely, the Preussen Devils GmbH was founded, which continued the game operations of the BSC Preussen in the DEL. The Prussian players were taken over by the Devils. In the 1995/96 season , the Preussen Devils again reached the play-off semi-finals, which were lost to the Düsseldorfer EG . The DEG then secured the German championship. With Klaus Merk and Tom O'Regan , the Devils had the best goalkeeper and the best point defender in their team. A short time later the club was renamed again. From July 16, 1996 the organization was called Berlin Capitals .

Logo of the Berlin Capitals

As second in the main round in the 1995/96 season, the Capitals qualified for the European Hockey League . There the Berliners met in their group on the then Finnish runner-up TPS Turku , the Swedish champion Luleå HF and the British club Manchester Storm . Overall, at the end of the group phase, the Capitals had an even point balance of 6: 6 and thus occupied third place, which meant the elimination.

In the following years, the club did not manage to repeat the successes. Identification figures such as John Chabot , Tony Tanti or Tom O'Regan were dismissed and in addition to financial difficulties, the club failed once in the quarter-finals, once in the first round of the play-off qualification and in the 1998/99 season the final round was 13th in the table completely missed. October 6, 1998 was one of the blackest days in the club's history. On this day, Canadian striker Stéphane Morin collapsed on the bench in a DEL game between Revierlöwen Oberhausen and Berlin Capitals (score 0: 3) during the second period and died a short time later in hospital. Morin had moved from North America to Berlin just before the season.

In the summer of 1999 the association was again given the addition Die Preussen . With the patron Egon Banghard and the Finn Harry Harkimo, plans were developed to build a large event arena in Spandau or Charlottenburg , but these were shelved in 2001. In addition, a new manager, Roger Wittmann, was hired and in the 1999/00 season the Capitals succeeded in building on earlier successes. The Berliners placed sixth and defeated the Krefeld Penguins in the first round of the play-offs , who previously took third place in the DEL main round. In the semifinals, the Capitals failed because of the Kölner Haien, against whom the team was often eliminated in the play-offs in previous years.

Local derby between the Berlin Capitals and the Eisbären Berlin

Before the start of the 2001/02 season there were again problems with the licensing. Finally Dietmar Hopp made eleven million D-Marks available to the Capitals, which saved the club for the time being, but had to start the season with six minus points due to licensing problems. In addition, the club played for the first time in the Deutschlandhalle after the Jafféstraße ice rink was demolished , which was not accepted by the fans. After the main round, the team only occupied the penultimate place and therefore had to play in the play-downs to stay in the league. Before the match on March 3, 2002, a total of 1,300 Eisbären Berlin fans held a memorial march that stretched from the Westkreuz S-Bahn station to the home ground of the Berlin Capitals. The polar bear supporters wanted to symbolically bury the derbies of both clubs. Coffins, crosses and banners expressed this intention. The background was the bad sporting and financial situation of the Capitals and the related fact that this was the last derby for both clubs in the DEL.

As a result, the Berlin team competed against the Schwenninger Wild Wings in the playdowns. The series after the Best of Seven mode extended over the full distance. Before the seventh and final game on April 7, 2002, the economic problems became obvious and sole shareholder Egon Banghard offered his share for a symbolic euro. In addition, the team was announced a non-relegation bonus of 100,000 euros, but the Capitals lost 5: 7 in their own hall and were thus determined to be relegated from the DEL. A little later, the insolvency proceedings against Berlin Capitals Eishockey GmbH were opened and the license for the DEL was revoked. The Capitals had a debt level of 770,000 euros and, according to the then DEL press spokesman Andreas Ulrich, had not kept promises regarding guarantees. Thus, at a meeting of the DEL shareholders in March 2002, a 14-0 vote in favor of a license withdrawal was decided. After eight years and as a founding member, the Prussians left the German elite league.

Relegation, license withdrawal and new beginning (2002 to 2004)

Placements
season	Preliminary round	Finals
2002/03	1st place	Ascent ↑
2003/04	7th place	8th place
2004/05	1st place	Quarter finals

After a failed new beginning in the 2nd Bundesliga, from whose licensing phase the Capitals withdrew on June 19, 2002 due to a lack of sponsors, the club was integrated into the Young Capitals regional league team . As BC Preussen , a team consisting mainly of young players started in the fourth-class regional league in the 2002/03 season . During the season, Lorenz Funk senior returned as an active player at the age of 56 for a game on the ice. The promotion was achieved through a successful sporting season and they participated in the ice hockey league in 2003/04 . In the league season, the sporting descent could be avoided, but the financial end followed. Again, the club had debts of several hundred thousand euros.

Special jersey for 20 years of Preussen Berlin

In 2003, to mark its 20th anniversary, the club played a friendly game on April 26, 2003, in which a traditional team consisting of former Prussian players competed against the current team. A special jersey was also made for this occasion.

Berlin Ice Skating Club Preussen (2004/05)

After the insolvency of the club in 2004, the Berliner Schlittschuhclub Preussen GmbH was founded, which took part in the major league in 2004/05 in cooperation with the Berliner Schlittschuhclub under the name Berliner Schlittschuhclub Preussen . After the end of the 2004/05 season, BSchC Preussen also went bankrupt .

ECC Preussen Juniors (2004-20)

→ Main article : ECC Preussen Berlin

Also in 2004, the ECC Preussen Juniors Berlin (originally EC Neuer Anfang Berlin ) was founded from the junior division of the EC Berlin Capital . He started in 2004/05 with a senior team in the Regionalliga Ost and played in the major league from 2010 to 2013 and from 2015 to 2019. In 2012 the association deleted the word Juniors from the name, in 2020 the association was dissolved after filing for bankruptcy.

→ See also: Ice hockey in Berlin

player

Blocked jersey numbers

Surname	#	position	Time at the club	Remarks
Georg Holzmann	16	striker	1988-1998	Holzmann was in the Berlin squad for a total of ten seasons. After his release in 1997, the crowd favorite had to organize his farewell game himself, but the club rewarded his achievements by placing his jersey under the roof and blocking his shirt number.

Members of the Hockey Hall of Fame Germany

Personalities who have rendered outstanding services to ice hockey in Germany will be admitted to the “Hall of Fame” of the German Ice Hockey Museum. Of the actors included in the Prussians: (Team membership and position in brackets)

Lorenz Funk (1983–1986 Sturm, 1986–1987 coach, 2002–2004 president)	Georg Holzmann (1988–1998, Sturm)	Axel Kammerer (1987–1993, Sturm)	Dieter Medicus (1990–1992, defense)
Tom O'Regan (1989-1998, attack and defense)	Klaus Merk (1987–1998, goal)	Jürgen Rumrich (1990–1998, Sturm)	Michael Rumrich (1985–1986, 1991–1994 Sturm)

Participation of players in the DEL All-Star Game

Mike Pellegrims took part in the DEL All-Star Game in 2000

Some of the Prussian players were nominated for the DEL All-Star-Game while they were part of the team . This is a friendly game that has been held annually since 1998 and in which the most outstanding players of the German Ice Hockey League compete against each other.

Participant in the DEL All-Star Game
Surname	position	Participation (noun)	team
Mike Pellegrims	defender	2000	DEL All-Star Team
Fredrik Öberg	striker	2002	DEL All-Star Team

Other major players

(Team membership and position in brackets)

Dave Silk (1989-1991, Sturm)	Gaétan Malo (1988–1997, storm)	John Chabot (1992–1995, 1996–1997, Sturm)	Tony Tanti (1992-1998, Sturm)
Pavel Gross (1999-2004, Sturm)	Czesław Panek (1983–1990, defense)	Franz Steer (1985–1989, defense)	Yvon Corriveau (2000-2002, 2004-2005 Sturm)

President of the BSC Prussia

• Hermann Windler 1983 to April 1995
• Axel Banghard May 4, 1995 to 1997
• Marian Czechowski until 2002 (Young Capitals e.V.)
• Lorenz Funk 2002 to 2004 (EC Berlin Capitals e.V.)

Trainer

The first coach of the BSC Preussen was Jim Setters together with Lorenz Funk senior as player- coach , who reached the second division championship in their debut season. From 1984 Setters trained the team again on their own and in the next two years reached first place after the preliminary round, but never rose to the 1st Bundesliga. In March 1986, Setters was replaced by Franz Funk, who achieved fourth place in the final ranking.

Lorenz Funk took over the post for the following season from September 1986. With Stefan Metz, Funk was initially provided with an equal manager who also acted little as an assistant coach after Funk was 0:14 points before the dismissal. Despite his popularity with the fans and expressions of solidarity - for example, five minutes of collective silence during a game against the Düsseldorfer EG - Lorenz Funk was dismissed after five points in 23 games in November 1987. As a successor, the Swede Olle Öst was signed, who issued relegation as a goal and finally achieved with re-signed players. With the Swedes there was continuity in the game of the Prussians, but after reaching two quarter-finals in the play-offs, he moved to Mannheim's ERC in March 1990 .

With Dan Hobér , a coach was then hired who was only engaged until the beginning of the season and was replaced from October 29, 1990 for five days by interim coach and manager Stefan Metz. Craig Sarner came to the Eichkamp for Metz , who made three semi-finals with his team until he was released on November 26, 1992. During his time there was the “key throwing affair” known throughout Germany, in which manager Stefan Metz relocated three players before an away game in order to give potential sponsors these rooms. Sarner wanted to protect his players and symbolically threw a bunch of keys at the feet of the then Vice-President, who then warned Metz and dismissed Sarner. Metz responded with his own resignation after he tore up the three sponsorship agreements that had just been concluded, each amounting to 100,000 D-Marks. The players showed solidarity with Sarner and he was initially reinstated by the Presidium.

With Billy Flynn , the successor to Sarner was presented in November 1993, who trained the Prussians for a year. For him, Kevin Primeau came to the Spree in December 1994, who continued to advance the style of Flynn, offensive hockey, and finally won the preliminary round. After the season the Canadian left the club and Curt Lundmark was signed. After failing again in the semi-finals, Peter Ustorf came to Berlin in August 1996 and stayed there until 1998. Michael Komma was placed at his side, but both could not reach the play-offs. Dale McCourt then took over as coach, but did not come over a 13th place after the preliminary round and missed the play-offs. Michael Komma stood behind the gang again and finally reached the semi-finals again. From November 9, 2000, Chris Valentine got the scepter, but was dismissed a short time later because he informed the public about the financial grievances in the Prussians. For Valentine Pavel Gross took over the command and finally reached the play-off quarter-finals.

After the financial problems became apparent, the newly hired coach Gunnar Leidborg had to form a new team, but could not prevent relegation. After the new start of BC Preussen, Andreas Brockmann was hired as the sporting director, who trained the team until it finally went bankrupt in 2004.

Venues

→ Main article : Ice rink on Jafféstrasse

Between 1983 and 2001, the teams of the BSC Preussen played their home games in the ice rink on Jafféstraße . The multifunctional hall opened in October 1973 offered space for 6,000 spectators. When it opened, the BSchC competed against the Dutch first division club Tilburg Trappers . In 2001 the ice rink was demolished. The main reason for this was the construction of a new entrance area for Messe Berlin , which was located in the immediate vicinity of the hall.

→ Main article : Deutschlandhalle

The Deutschlandhalle

The club then moved to the Deutschlandhalle , which had previously been rebuilt and was therefore suitable for ice sports. Furthermore, the new hall had a capacity of 8,764 seats and was therefore larger than the ice rink on Jafféstrasse. At the end of 2005 the Deutschlandhalle was closed due to problems with the roof construction. The experts noticed these deficiencies during a routine examination. The hall was reopened in March 2006. The Berlin Senate finally decided in 2008 to demolish the Deutschlandhalle and replace it with a new building.

literature

• Ralf Grengel: B osse S pieler C oaches, Prussia , 10 years An ice cold passion. Klaus Kelle Verlag, Berlin 1993
• 20 years of Preussen - the magazine for the event . Berlin 2003
• TV Total at Berlin Capitals . In: Berliner Morgenpost

Web links

• archive

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Karas: 100 years of ice hockey in Berlin, fascination through tradition . 2008, p. 348
2. ↑ The devil is going on at BSC Prussia . In: Berliner Zeitung , May 27, 1995
3. ^ A misunderstood heart attack is Morin's undoing . tagesspiegel.de
4. ↑ The indoor battle is decided: Anschutz builds - Harkiomo watches . In: Ice Hockey NEWS , December 11, 2001
5. ↑ ^{a b c} Karas: 100 years of ice hockey in Berlin, fascination through tradition . 2008, p. 363f.
6. ↑ Mezin keeps capitals alive .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. muppets-ost-berlin.de  
7. ↑ DEL revokes Berlin Capitals' license . Mirror online
8. ↑ Berlin Capitals rise . In: Berliner Zeitung , March 31, 2003
9. ↑ Berlin Capitals file for bankruptcy . ( Memento from September 17th, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) netzeitung.de
10. ↑ hockeyweb.de
11. ^ Noppe's souvenir box - The ice hockey club Charlottenburg Preussen Berlin eV is history. Retrieved July 25, 2020 . 
12. ↑ Karas: 100 years of ice hockey in Berlin, fascination through tradition . 2008, p. 360
13. ↑ Olejnik: "We coaches are just fair game!" . In: Sport-Bild , January 27, 1993, p. 40 f.
14. ↑ Brigitte Schmiemann: With the Deutschlandhalle a piece of history falls . Welt Online , May 27, 2008
15. ↑ Christine Richter : ICC conversion costs 182 million euros . In: Berliner Zeitung , May 28, 2008