EC KAC

EC KAC
Greatest successes
31-time Austrian champion European Cup finalist 1969 Winner of the Interliga 2000
Club information
history	founded in 1909
Location	Klagenfurt , Carinthia , Austria
Nickname	The red jackets
Club colors	Red White
league	Erste Bank Ice Hockey League
Venue	Klagenfurt City Hall
capacity	4945 seats
executive Director	Oliver Pilloni
Head coach	Petri Matikainen
captain	Manuel Geier David Fischer (interim)
Season 2019/20	3rd place (main round) 4th place (placement round)

The EC KAC (Klagenfurter Athletiksport Club) is an Austrian ice hockey club from the state capital Klagenfurt ( Carinthia ). The EC KAC is Austria's record ice hockey champion with 31 championship titles .

history

The Klagenfurt AC was founded as an association on September 18, 1909. Ice hockey has been played since 1923:

"From 1919 there were attempts and from 1923 a section, then followed the" apprenticeship years "until 1925, the first games in 1926 and the KAC ice hockey team blossomed out of the original bandy."

"The first ice hockey game of a KAC team takes place in 1924 as part of an ice hockey festival organized by the club on the Walterskirchner" Kleine Wörther See "near Krumpendorf (...)"

Since the 1923/24 season, the EC KAC has been a participant in the various ice hockey leagues in Austria that have existed since then. In 1926 he joined the Austrian ice hockey association . At that time there were no dress suits, people played in gym shorts, soccer socks and soccer jerseys, and so-called friezes were used as ice skates : shoes made of wood with a metal rail as a runners that were tied to the feet with leather straps. At the beginning, two nailed heels of women's shoes served as a puck. Much still depended on the ingenuity and commitment of the players who, as a warm-up exercise before each match, cleared the snow from the playing area at Kreuzberglteich.

Before and after World War II

In 1928 an uncovered ice arena was built in Glangasse with wooden stands for the slowly increasing number of spectators. A heated hut was also available for the players, who had previously changed into the forest next to the pond and hung their clothes on the branches. At the same time, the youth work was also promoted for the first time; With “Geco” Gehbauer there was a first scout who looked for suitable candidates for the future teams among the many children who began to be interested in the still quite new sport on the Lend Canal and on the Wörthersee . The year 1929 also brought the KAC a floodlight system for the arena in Glangasse, and industrially manufactured hockey gloves and other accessories came onto the market for the first time.

As early as the 1933/34 season , the EC KAC won its first championship title and thus stopped the almost uninterrupted rule of the Vienna Ice Skating Club . It was the first championship title that was not awarded to a team from Vienna or the surrounding area. Reinhold "Reinke" Egger , one of the best Austrian ice hockey players of the time, was the first player from the so-called "province" to be called up for the national team. The Second World War suddenly interrupted the rise of the young club. With Eberwein, Kaiser, Winkler, Stertin and later Prommer, five of the great players from the pre-war years fell.

After the war, it took a long time to get a functioning gaming operation back on its feet. The facility in Glangasse survived the war relatively undamaged, but there was a lack of material. According to an anecdote, groundskeeper Simon Nusser had to get the bulbs for the floodlights from the British occupying forces. Nevertheless, many stars from the time of the first championship titles could be counted back to the regular squad and accelerated the further rise of the EC KAC into the 1950s. In 1947, however, it almost came to a catastrophe when on the return journey from Innsbruck the brakes of the bus failed on a steep mountain pass and the driver was only able to stop the vehicle on an uphill side road. The ORF reporter Edi Finger , who had accompanied the team, suffered a shock that gave him jaundice a little later .

The 1950s

Between 1952 and 1960 he won the championship title three times, when the Austrian championship was ruled mainly by the Innsbruck EV . With Robert Nusser (44 years old at the time) and Reinke Egger (48) there were two players in the squad for the 1955 title who had already been on the team for the first title in 1934. The title was celebrated after the victory against EK Engelmann with a liter of wine and a roast chicken in Grinzing .

Several times during these years, however, there had been problems with the mild winters. For example, some games could only be played late in the evening when the temperature had dropped low enough to guarantee a solid ice surface in the open arena. The training units also often took place at night or early in the morning. This was soon remedied: on November 22, 1959, the Klagenfurt City Hall was opened, which, after several renovations, is still the venue of the EC KAC today. This season also represented a turning point in the history of the club in other respects: with Tom Lemon , George Edwards and Desmond Senior there were now three legionnaires in the squad, with whom the team laid the foundation for the winning streak in the sixties. In the last season of the decade, there were also several victories against foreign top teams such as IK Göta from Stockholm ( Sweden ) or Jakopoli Club from Finland, which were noted throughout Europe .

The 1960s and 1970s - on the way to becoming the record champions

The seeds for winning the championship series in a row were laid a few years earlier. Reinke Egger took over the office of junior coach. Some of the star players from the 1960s matured under him, such as Sepp Puschnig , Gerd Schager , Gerhard "Flury" Felfernig (the first Villacher to play for KAC), Walter Possarnig and Anton Kenda . The defense was based on Charly Pregl in goal, who also played in Austria's national team. The storm line Dieter Kalt senior - Puschnig - Romauch became famous during this time . The two legionaries "Del" St. John and Adolph "Addie" Tambellini made a major contribution to the success of the team during this time.

From 1964 to 1980 the championship title went to Klagenfurt fifteen times. The only competitor at that time was ATSE Graz , which was able to break this series in 1975 and 1978.

During this time, the EC KAC took part in the European Cup several times , for the first time in the 1965/66 season. In 1966/67 the team reached the semifinals and only had to admit defeat against ZLK Brno , as in the following season . The climax followed, however, in the 1969/70 season, when the EC KAC competed in the final against CSKA Moscow , but lost there significantly. In total, the EC KAC took part in the tournament nineteen times, only two fewer entries than the record holder CSKA Moscow.

The 1980s

The eighties began for the EC KAC with another title win. Mainly responsible for this was the storm line around Thomas Cijan and the two Finns Perti Koivulahti and Seppo Ahokainen , as well as the line of Rudolf König , Herbert Pöck and Alexander Sadijna . Although the team had started the season with two defeats, the championship title succeeded thanks to a sensational goal by Klaus Brabant , who shot the puck from his own third to the opponent's goal, where WEV goalkeeper Friedrich Prohaska meditated and did not react Let hit happen.

In the following season, however, bad grips were made with the legionaries, and the domestic top performers also left out after insufficient preparation in the summer. Under the new coach Rudi Sindelar , decisive changes were made in the 1981/82 season. The Norwegian Bjørn Skaare became a crowd favorite with his spectacular style of play. In the decisive game the EC KAC led 4: 2 after two thirds, but played the last third down much too loosely and finally lost 4: 6 against VEU Feldkirch . In the 1982/83 season Skaare then left the team after an ultimatum from his girlfriend, the failure was compensated for by signing Edi Lebler and Scott Lecy . The latter could not replace Skaare and was in turn replaced by the Finn Jukka Porvari . Nevertheless, the responsibility this season rested more on the shoulders of the young players, and as in the previous year, the runner-up title was won.

The 1983/84 season, however, brought problems again. Rudi Sindelar no longer enjoyed the full trust of the team, and after the basic round was finished in fourth place, the team slipped to sixth place in the championship round. Sindelar's contract was not renewed, instead Bill Gilligan returned after the end of his active career and took over the coaching position at the EC KAC. Although there were still a few difficulties in the regular season (mediocre legionaries and blatant bad luck with injuries did the rest) and they only barely qualified for the playoffs, the team blossomed thanks to Gilligan's targeted training methods and an enormous fighting spirit in these and caught up with them next championship title. Gilligan built up a strong and successful team over the next few years and won a total of four titles in a row with the EC KAC by 1988. This success makes him a legend in Klagenfurt to this day.

After that, however, the team had a lot of bad luck with the coaches. Roger Lamoureux and Josef Capla never managed to form a real team and so the seasons 1988/89 and 1989/90 ended with rather mediocre results. Success only came back with the signing of Herbert Pöck as coach.

The 1990s

Austrian hockey was mainly characterized by a shortened domestic Austrian season, which in each case preceded the Alpine League from 1991/92 to 1998/99 , in which teams from Slovenia and Italy also took part. Only in the 1997/98 season was the EC KAC in the finals of this tournament, but had to admit defeat to the then series champion VEU Feldkirch . When the successor to the Alpine League, the Interliga , was established in the 1999/2000 season , the EC KAC won its first edition, but was unable to defend the title, as the Austrian teams only participated in the premiere season due to a restructuring in the Austrian leagues.

In the state league came the semi-final out against EC VSV in 1991/92, in the following season the team missed the playoffs with fifth place after the basic round. Also in the seasons 1993/94 and 1994/95 was against the EC Graz and the EC VSV in the semi-finals. At the same time, the dominance of VEU Feldkirch began, which was able to prevail in the successive years 1996, 1997 and 1998 in the final against the KAC. In 1999 it was again the EC VSV who won the final series with 4-2 wins. Only in the following millennium season was the EC KAC able to bring the title back to Klagenfurt.

The Millennium Championship and beyond

In the 1999/2000 season, the EC KAC managed to bring the championship title back to Klagenfurt after the long dry spell in the 1990s. In the following season this succeeded again. The following two years passed without the club taking part in the finals, which also had to give up some of its own youngsters such as Dieter Kalt and Thomas Koch . At the same time, goalkeeper Gert Prohaska left the club because he could not prevail against Michael Suttnig and moved to arch-rival EC VSV to the Drau. Suttnig, however, faltered in the 2002/03 season, so the club was forced to get a replacement for the playoffs. He came to the EC KAC with the Canadian Andrew Verner , who was the first of eight legionnaires (alongside Dan Cloutier , Travis Scott , Jordan Parise Andy Chiodo , Pekka Tuokkola , Tomas Duba and Lars Haugen ) to guard the Klagenfurt gate. Already in his first fully completed season, the 2003/04 season, Verner was able to help bring the title back to Klagenfurt, after the EC KAC had already dominated the regular season. In the overtime of the last final game in the best of five series, David Schuller shot the EC KAC to victory. The contract with master coach Jorma Siitarinen was not extended after the season.

In the 2004/05 season, which started with neo-coach Mats Waltin , the EC KAC had to accept an adductor injury from Andrew Verner after just a few rounds. The young backup Hannes Enzenhofer took over his position for some time , but was unable to show any satisfactory results due to lack of experience, so that the club felt compelled to become active on the transfer market again. Due to the lockout in the NHL, the goalkeeper of the Vancouver Canucks, Dan Cloutier , was signed for the rest of the season. At the same time, the defensive was reinforced with Mike Siklenka . In the basic round, however, it was no longer possible to catch up with the outstanding Vienna Capitals . The EC KAC met this in the final. The best-of-seven series started very curiously with six wins for the respective away team. In the fifth game in Vienna, however, Dan Cloutier was injured, so that Verner, who was not completely cured, had to take over as the first goalkeeper. As a result, the team lost the last two games and had to be satisfied with the title of runner-up.

Sporty descent

The 2005/06 season heralded a downward trend in sporting terms. After the first games were lost again, Mats Waltin was replaced as coach by Kevin Primeau . In the meantime, defender Emanuel Viveiros had taken over the team as player-coach for a few games. But even under the new coach, the EC KAC did not get out of the sporting turbulence. The defender Ricard Persson and the inadequate capacity in the striker area came under fire, with the result that the EC KAC failed to reach the playoff for the first time in the new millennium.

Kevin Primeau formed a new team for the following season, but again the first games got completely out of hand. Above all, the team's physical fitness was criticized. Primeau was sacked at half-time of the season, and Viveiros took over the team as head coach after he himself had to give up active play due to injury at the age of 41. The performances of the EC KAC stabilized, but the gap to the leading teams was so great that the playoffs were again missed and the season had to end in the unsatisfactory penultimate place.

Realignment

Viveiros changed some players again in the summer of 2007. Old star Mario Schaden became assistant coach, and Gerald Ressmann was appointed youth coach after his career ended. The defenders Jeff Tory and Kirk Furey , as well as the striker Andy Schneider were brought out of the DEL, Mike Craig moved from the Vienna Capitals to Klagenfurt. The season started with this newly designed team. Again, a lot went wrong in the first few games, but the performance gradually stabilized and culminated in an outstanding winning streak in November and December. The team was able to complete the second round as the most successful team. In the playoff, however, the EC KAC lost three times in a row against the newcomer HDD Olimpija Ljubljana and had to end the season prematurely. At the same time, the club's management announced that they no longer wanted to extend the contracts with old star Andrew Verner and defender and team captain Jeremy Rebek.

For the new season 2008/09 Hannes Enzenhofer should take over the position of the first goalkeeper, René Swette from EHC Lustenau was signed as backup. Sean Brown and Jeff Shantz from the DEL were also brought on board . Christoph Brandner was brought back by the Hamburg Freezers . The team got off to a good start in the new championship, and after a few laps placed in the top half of the table. However, Enzenhofer injured himself about halfway through the regular season, and Travis Scott was brought on board to replace him . As a result, the EC KAC dominated the regular season, settled at the top of the table and ended the regular season in first place. HC Innsbruck was defeated in the quarter -finals, and a sweep against EHC Linz was successful in the semi-finals . In the final, the EC KAC met defending champions EC Red Bull Salzburg , started the series somewhat awkwardly after a ten-day break, but were able to secure the 29th championship title in their seventh game in front of their own audience.

In the following season, the aim was to defend the title. The team remained essentially unchanged, but Dieter Kalt, one of the most successful young players in recent years, was brought back to Klagenfurt. Many injuries, some of which dragged on for large parts of the season, were partly responsible for a rather modest performance in the regular season, where only seventh place was achieved. The team improved in the playoffs, but had to end the season in the quarter-finals against EC Red Bull Salzburg.

Development since 2010

Some innovations were introduced for the 2010/11 season , which should enable a qualitatively better training of the young players. The club installed a farm team that played in the Oberliga , Austria's third highest division, and announced a cooperation with the national league team EC Dornbirn . In the basic season of the Erste Bank Liga, the club set a new league record with seventeen wins in a row this season and finished the basic season in first place. In the final, however, the team lost to the defending champions from Salzburg in the overtime of the seventh game. The contract with coach Viveiros was extended during the playoffs.

As a result, the Oberliga was dissolved; Instead, the club and its youth teams were active in the newly founded Erste Bank Young Stars League (U20) and the Erste Bank Juniors League (U18). The 2011/12 season was mixed at first, but ended after coach Viveiros was replaced by Swiss Christian Weber with a participation in the finals, where the team was subject to the EHC Linz . Weber stayed in office, but after a bad start to the following season, he was replaced by the Swede Christer Olsson , who had already been a player for the club at the turn of the millennium.

With Olsson as head coach, he won the championship title through a final sweep of the Vienna Capitals . However, this was followed by a missed playoff qualification in the 2013/14 season . The club then replaced Olsson with Martin Stloukal , from whom it was hoped that the youth players would be forced into the game and that the game would be harder. The Czech then introduced rigorous training sessions, but failed to prepare the team for the new championship. After only four games and a "historic" 9-0 home defeat against EHC Linz, he and assistant coach Gerald Ressmann were sacked, with Ressmann suing the club a little later. Doug Mason then took over as coach , with whom the semifinals could then be reached.

Mason stayed with EC KAC in the 2015/16 season , but was surprisingly dismissed in December when the team was still one of the top places in the table despite individual deficits. The club's management decided to promote the junior coach Alexander Mellitzer to coach the fighting team. In the period that followed, however, the team suffered severe defeats, including a 7-0 home defeat against Salzburg, which provoked violent media reactions, and slipped from the top of the table, which had been qualified for the playoffs. In the qualifying round, the KAC was able to buy a play-off ticket behind the EC VSV . For the quarter-finals, the Klagenfurters were then unsurprisingly selected by Salzburg, to which they lost 3: 4 in the best-of-seven. After the departure, the KAC parted ways with Bernd Brückler , Pekka Tuokkola , Jason DeSantis , Jonas Nordquist , Luke Walker , Oliver Setzinger , Captain Thomas Pöck , Jean-François Jacques and István Sofron .

In the 2016/17 season the playoff final was reached, where they lost to the Vienna Capitals with 0: 4 wins. Coach Mike Pellegrims then moved to the Düsseldorfer EG in the German Ice Hockey League , his successor at EC KAC was Canadian Steve Walker , who was previously assistant coach at the German club Adler Mannheim .

successes

The master years

With 31 championship titles, the EC KAC is the record holder among Austria's ice hockey clubs. In February 2000 the EC KAC became champions of the Interliga with clubs from Austria, Slovenia and Hungary .

See also: Austrian champions (ice hockey)

Placements of the last seasons

• 2018/19 : Champion
• 2017/18 : quarter-final out
• 2016/17 : runner-up
• 2015/16 : quarter-final out
• 2014/15 : semi-final out
• 2013/14 : 9th place
• 2012/13 : Master
• 2011/12 : runner-up
• 2010/11 : runner-up
• 2009/10 : quarter-final out
• 2008/09 : Master
• 2007/08 : quarter-final out
• 2006/07 : 7th place
• 2005/06 : 5th place
• 2004/05 : runner-up
• 2003/04 : Champion
• 2002/03 : semi-final out
• 2001/02 : semi-final out
• 2000/01 : Master
• 1999/2000 : Master

team

Squad of the 2020/21 season

As of August 19, 2020

No.	Nat.	player	Item	Date of birth	in the team since	place of birth
31		David Madlener	G	March 31, 1992	2016	Feldkirch , Austria
3		David Fischer	D.	19th February 1988	2016	Minneapolis , Minnesota , USA
65		Michael Kernberger	D.	January 24, 1997	2016	Klagenfurt , Austria
		David Maier	D.	January 12, 2000	2020	St. Veit an der Glan , Austria
28		Martin Schumnig	D.	July 28, 1989	2007	Klagenfurt , Austria
24		Steven Strong	D.	February 16, 1993	2015	Villach , Austria
92		Clemens Unterweger	D.	0April 1, 1992	2018	Lienz , Austria
73		Niklas Würschl	D.	August 28, 1999	2018	Klagenfurt , Austria
46		Johannes Bischofberger	C.	July 13, 1994	2016	Dornbirn , Austria
17th		Manuel Ganahl -  C.	W.	July 12, 1990	2019	Bludenz , Austria
21st		Manuel Geier	W.	0January 8, 1988	2008	Judenburg , Austria
19th		Stefan Geier	W.	0January 8, 1988	2008	Judenburg , Austria
11		Lukas Haudum	C.	May 21, 1997	2019	Linz , Austria
27		Thomas Hundred Pounds	C.	December 14, 1989	2014	Klagenfurt , Austria
18th		Thomas Koch	C.	17th August 1983	2011	Klagenfurt , Austria
80		Nikolaus Kraus	W.	November 21, 1996	2016	Vienna , Austria
98		Daniel Obersteiner	C.	0February 2, 1998	2013	Sankt Veit an der Glan , Austria
8th		Nick Petersen	W.	May 27, 1989	2018	Wakefield , Quebec , Canada
43		Dennis Sticha	C.	0August 5, 1998	2018	Feldkirch , Austria
42		Rok Tičar	C.	0May 3, 1989	2020	Jesenice , Slovenia
47		Marcel Witting	RW	September 23, 1995	2018	Hall in Tirol , Austria
		Samuel Witting	F.	January 14, 1998	2020	Hall in Tirol , Austria

Coaching staff

Item	Nat.	Surname	Date of birth	in the team since	place of birth
Head coach		Petri Matikainen	07th January 1967	2018	Savonlinna , Finland
Assistant coach		Juha Vuori	March 31, 1975	2020	Ulvila , Finland

The master teams

Austrian champion 1978/79 season

Goalkeepers: Johann Schaunig , Robert Mack , Johannes Schmölzer , Heinz Stodolak Defenders: Hans Fritz , Klaus Brabant , Johann Sulzer , Josef Edlmann , Gerry Ross , Franz Ban , Gert Kompain Attackers: Seppo Ahokainen , Alfred Woath , Helmut Koren , Rudolf Gabbauer , Markus Schretter , Rudolf König , Franz Ban , Thomas Cijan , Herbert Haiszan , Alexander Sadjina , Herbert Pöck , Gerhard Ban , Bernhard Pirker , Harald Köstinger , Robert Kasan Coaching team: Walter König , Hermann Knoll

Austrian champion 1979/80 season

Goalkeepers: Johann Schaunig , Robert Mack Defenders: Gert Kompain , Hans Fritz , Klaus Brabant , Johann Sulzer , Josef Edlmann Attackers: Pertti Koivulahti , Seppo Ahokainen , Helmut Koren , Franz Ban , Thomas Cijan , Herbert Pöck , Alfred Woath , Jörg Rojsek , Günter Koren , Rudolf König , Robert Kasan , Alexander Sadjina , Markus Schretter Coaching team: Walter König , Karl Pregl

Austrian champion 1984/85 season

Goalkeepers: Johann Schaunig , Robert Mack Defenders: Johann Sulzer , Gert Kompain , Hans Fritz , Klaus Brabant , Reinhold Sodia , Walter Schneider , Manfred Edlinger Attackers: Brock Tredway , Edward Lebler , Ernie Godden , Gerhard Ban , Erich Solderer , Leopold Kristoph , Thomas Cijan , Markus Schretter , Jörg Rojsek , Herbert Pöck , Rudolf König Coaching team: Bill Gilligan

Austrian champion 1985/86 season

Goalkeepers: Robert Mack , Johannes Schmölzer Defenders: Johann Sulzer , Gert Kompain , David Shand , Hans Fritz , Martin Krainz , Manfred Edlinger Attackers: Edward Lebler , Tony Collard , Gernot Kakl , Thomas Cijan , Rudolf König , Herbert Pöck , Günter Koren , Manfred Mühr , Erich Solderer , Richard Watzke , Hannes Scarsini Coaching team: Bill Gilligan

Austrian champion 1986/87 season

Goalkeepers: Robert Mack , Michael Puschacher , Johann Schaunig Defenders: David Shand , Erich Solderer , Johann Sulzer , Hans Fritz , Gert Kompain , Manfred Edlinger , Martin Krainz , Michael Krainer-Bidovec Attackers: Thomas Cijan , Edward Lebler , Tony Collard , Herbert Pöck , Rudolf König , Werner Kerth , Manfred Mühr , Helmut Koren , Richard Watzke , Jörg Rojsek , Hannes Scarsini , Jan Bürger , Walter Putnik Coaching team: Bill Gilligan

Austrian champion 1987/88 season

Goalkeepers: Robert Mack , Hans Schaunig , Michael Puschacher Defenders: David Shand , Erich Solderer , Gary Shopek , Hans Fritz , Johann Sulzer , Gert Kompajn , Martin Krainz , Gert Possarnig Attackers: Thomas Cijan , Jim McGeough , Edward Lebler , Tony Collard , Rudolf König , Helmut Koren , Herbert Pöck , Manfred Edlinger , Manfred Mühr , Silvio Szybisti , Erich Solderer , Hannes Scarsini , Walter Putnik Coaching team: Bill Gilligan

Austrian champion season 1990/91

Goalkeepers: Michael Puschacher , Robert Mack Defenders: Jim Burton , Erich Solderer , Johann Sulzer , Martin Krainz , Peter Dilsky Attackers: Kraig Nienhuis , Thomas Cijan , Andreas Pušnik , Iiro Järvi , Günter Koren , Helmut Koren , Patrick Pilloni , Alexander Czechner , Mario Schaden , Gary Emmons , Gert Possarnig , Dieter Kalt jun. , Ewald Seebacher , Harald Fülöp , Bernhard Bittmann , Harald Schrott , Herbert Diamant Coach team: Herbert Pöck

Austrian champions 1999/2000 season

Goalkeepers: Michael Suttnig , Gert Prohaska Defenders: Christer Olsson , Jan Mertzig , Darcy Martini , Roger Öhman , Thomas Pöck , Christian Sintschnig , Marc Brabant , Alexander Mellitzer , Jens Felix Kraiger , Johannes Reichel Attackers: Stefan Nilsson , Gerald Ressmann , David Emma , Christian Perthaler , Dieter Kalt jun. , Christoph Brandner , Patrick Pilloni , Mario Schaden , Christoph König , Gregor Hager , Thomas Koch , Thomas Eichberger Coach team: Lars Bergström

Austrian champion 2000/01 season

Goalkeepers: Michael Suttnig , Gert Prohaska , Hannes Enzenhofer Defenders: Emanuel Viveiros , Jan Mertzig , Christian Sintschnig , Alexander Mellitzer , Jens Felix Kraiger , Marc Brabant , Herbert Ratz , Johannes Reichel , Wolfgang Kitzler , Markus Brugger Attackers: Gerald Ressmann , Johan Strömwall , Christian Perthaler , Thomas Koch , Christoph König , Mario Schaden , Gregor Hager , Daniel Welser , Patrick Pilloni , Harry Lange , Christoph Brandner , Daniel Leiner , Patrick Brabant , Philippe-Michael Horsky , Manuel Latusa , Christian Ban , Christoph Ibounig , Philipp Winzig Coach team: Lars Bergström

Austrian champion 2003/04 season

Goalkeepers: Andrew Verner , Hannes Enzenhofer Defenders: Emanuel Viveiros , Jaako Niskavaara , Herbert Ratz , Igor Iwanow , Johannes Reichel , Johannes Kirisits , Christopher Bartolone , Christian Sintschnig , Christoph Quantschnig Attackers: Anthony Iob , Thomas Koch , Matti Kaipainen , Gerald Ressmann , Daniel Welser , David Schuller , Gregor Hager , Philippe-Michael Horsky , Harald Ofner , Christian Ban , Jens Felix Kraiger , Mario Schaden , Philipp Winzig , Christoph Ibounig , Harry Lange , Manuel Ferrara , Christof Peternell , Paul Schellander , David Wechselberger Coach team: Jorma Siitarinen

Austrian champion 2008/09 season

Goalkeepers: Travis Scott , René Swette , Hannes Enzenhofer Defenders: Herbert Ratz , Johannes Kirisits , Johannes Reichel , Kirk Furey , Martin Schumnig , Jeff Tory , Sean Brown , Mike Pellegrims Attackers: Markus Pirmann , Warren Norris , Paul Schellander , Gregor Hager , Silvio Jakobitsch , Stefan Geier , Manuel Geier , Thomas Hundertpfund , Christoph Brandner (C) , Jeff Shantz , David Schuller , Andy Schneider , Christoph Harand , Raphael Herburger , Mike Craig Coaching team: Emanuel Viveiros , Mario Schaden , Gerald Ressmann

Austrian champion 2012/13 season

Goalkeepers: René Swette , Andy Chiodo Defenders: Kirk Furey , Nikolaus Holzer , Florian Iberer , Maximilian Isopp , Johannes Kirisits , Herbert Ratz , Johannes Reichel , Martin Schumnig , Mike Siklenka Attackers: Stefan Geier , Manuel Geier , Gregor Hager , Raphael Herburger , Thomas Hundertpfund , Thomas Koch (C) , John Lammers , Jamie Lundmark , Markus Pirmann , Tomislav Zanoški , Patrick Harand , Paul Schellander , David Schuller , Tyler Scofield , Tyler Spurgeon Coach team: Christer Olsson , Dieter Kalt , Bernhard Sussitz

Austrian champion 2018/19 season

Goalkeepers: Lars Haugen , David Madlener Defenders: Adam Comrie , Christoph Duller , David Fischer , Robin Gartner , Martin Schumnig , Steven Strong , Clemens Unterweger Attackers: Johannes Bischofberger , Manuel Geier , Stefan Geier , Patrick Harand , Thomas Hundertpfund , Thomas Koch , Andrew Kozek , Nikolaus Kraus , Siim Liivik , Matthew Neal , Nick Petersen , Marco Richter , Mitch Wahl , Marcel Witting Coach team: Petri Matikainen , Jarno Mensonen

The second team

EC KAC II
Club information
history	EC KAC II (since 2016)
Location	Klagenfurt , Austria
Nickname	Red jackets
Club colors	Red White
league	Alps Hockey League
Venue	Klagenfurt City Hall
capacity	4,945 seats
Head coach	Kirk Furey
2018/19	15th place, playoffs missed

The second team (club-internal EC KAC II ) is also a professional team and has been playing in the multi-national Alps Hockey League since 2016 .

Squad for the 2019/20 season

goal	Defense	Storm
53 Jakob Holzer 12/02/1998 34 Fabian Horn 02/06/2001 1 Michael Sure 05/15/2003 33 Florian Vorauer 12/09/1999	77 Jonathan Bergmann 09/02/2001 32 Elias Dobnig 12/09/1999 52 Christoph Duller 01/02/2002 29 Petter Hansson 1 05/16/1996 65 Michael Kernberger 01/24/1997 68 Lorenz Lindner 07/01/2003 25th Alexander Moser 06/22/2001 6th Thomas Patterer 09/19/2000 Maximilian Preiml 06/12/2003 4th Kele Steffler 09/05/1998 24 Steven Strong 02/16/1993 26th Christoph Tialler 01/28/2003 73 Niklas Würschl 08/28/1999	56 Nicolaus Casati 12/06/2001 63 Simon Hammerle 08/08/1998 87 Valentin Hammerle 08/08/1998 69 Jakob Jagarinec 11/21/2001 9 Christian Jonsson 10/09/2002 70 Rok chapel 05/04/1999 68 Marco Kasper 04/08/2004 74 Mark Kompain 07/13/1997 80 Nikolaus Kraus 1 11/21/1996 91 Philipp Kreuzer 04/01/1995 98 Daniel Obersteiner 1 02/02/1998 5 Niklas Ofner 03/20/2001 89 Markus Pirmann (C) 01/21/1989 22nd Valentin Ploner 05/24/2000 81 Marco Richter 11/19/1995 93 Josef Schönett 01/23/2001 43 Dennis Sticha 08/05/1998 68 Marco Sunitsch 10/27/2002 14th Kevin Szabad 07/31/1997 26th Maximilian Theirich 02/23/2003 84 Neal Unterluggauer 03/13/2002 80 Finn van Ee 01/12/2003 47 Marcel Witting 1 09/23/1995 1 Also in the first team's professional squad As of August 19, 2019

player

Team captains

Period	captain
2005 / 06–2006 / 07	Emanuel Viveiros
2006/07/2007/08	Jeremy Rebek
2008 / 09–2009 / 10	Christoph Brandner / David Schuller (interim)
2011 / 12–2013 / 14	Thomas Koch
2014/15	Johannes Reichel
2015/16	Thomas Poeck
since 2016/17	Manuel Geier / David Fischer (interim)

Club-internal records

Statistics since the 1965/66 season. All preliminary round and play-off games are included.

season

Gates space player Gates season 1. Dmitri Kvartalnov 50 1998/99 2. Rudolf King 47 1979/80 3. Edward Lebler 46 1985/86 4th Pertti Koivulahti 44 1979/80 5. Edward Lebler 41 1988/89 Rudolf King 41 1982/83

Assists space player Assists season 1. Gerald Ressmann 73 2000/01 2. Stefan Nilsson 68 1998/99 3. Andrew Schneider 61 2008/09 4th Jeff Tory 54 2008/09 5. Johan Strömwall 53 2000/01

Top scorer space player Points season 1. Gerald Ressmann 111 2000/01 2. Pertti Koivulahti 96 1979/80 3. Edward Lebler 93 1985/86 4th Rudolf King 91 1979/80 5. Dmitri Kvartalnov 89 1998/99 Johan Strömwall 89 2000/01

Penalty minutes space player Penalty minutes season 1. Mike Siklenka 206 2005/06 2. Mike Siklenka 200 2004/05 3. Sean Brown 163 2008/09 4th Johnathan Aitken 157 2006/07 5. Mike Siklenka 155 2011/12

All in all

Gates space player Gates 1. Thomas Cijan 230 2. Rudolf King 203 3. Christoph Brandner 181 4th Andreas Pušnik 174 5. Thomas Koch 172

Assists space player Assists 1. Thomas Koch 327 2. Thomas Cijan 325 3. Gerald Ressmann 316 4th Andreas Pušnik 212 4th Kirk Furey 209

Top scorer space player Points 1. Thomas Cijan 555 2. Thomas Koch 499 3. Gerald Ressmann 474 4th Andreas Pušnik 386 5. Dieter Kalt 365

Games space player Games 1. Mario damage 799 2. Johannes Reichel 793 3. Herbert Ratz 635 4th Thomas Koch 628 5. David Schuller 608

Well-known former players

(Team membership and position in brackets)

Thomas Pöck (1998–2000, defense) A former junior player who moved to the New York Rangers in the NHL , later in the AHL and, after playing a few games with the New York Islanders , 2 seasons with the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in Switzerland, is now active in Sweden with MODO Hockey .	David Emma (1997-2000, storm) The now no longer active striker from the USA was in the EC KAC squad for three years and scored the championship goal of the 1999/2000 season.	Dan Cloutier (2005, goalkeeper) The former goalkeeper of the Vancouver Canucks came as a replacement for the injured Andrew Verner during the NHL lockout in the 2004/05 season and played with the team until the final, where he was also injured. The team then lost to the Vienna Capitals with Verner who had not fully recovered .	Sepp Puschnig (1963–1976, Sturm) A former junior player and striker in the 60s and 70s. In 1999 he was the only Austrian player to be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame . The training hall in Klagenfurt is named after him. He is the idol of the KAC.
Dieter Kalt senior (1957–1967, 1969–1980, Sturm) Young player and teammate of Sepp Puschnig, today the captain of the Austrian ice hockey association .	Karl Pregl (1965–1977, goalkeeper) Goalkeeper of the EC KAC and the Austrian national team in the sixties and seventies. Pregl is still considered to be one of the club's best goalkeepers.	Robert Mack (1977-1991, goalkeeper) Goalkeeper of the EC KAC and the Austrian national team in the late seventies to the early nineties. Mack is still considered one of the club's best and most successful goalkeepers.	Adelbert "Del" St. John (1963–1971, Sturm) One of the first legionnaires of the EC KAC in the sixties and seventies and player-coach for several years. He is also Sepp Puschnig's brother-in-law.
Reinke Egger (???? - ????, storm) One of the pioneers before the Second World War and one of the first star strikers of the then still young team. He was later appointed as a junior coach. He was the first "Provincial" in the Austrian national team.	Adolph "Addie" Tambellini (???? - ????, storm) Legionnaire in the sixties and seventies.	Dmitri Kwartalnow (1996–1999, Sturm) A Russian striker who played in Klagenfurt in the late 1990s.	Michal Pivoňka (1994-1995, storm) A Washington Capitals (NHL) center forward who played in Klagenfurt during the 1994 NHL lockout.
Rudolf König (1973–1989, Sturm) A former star striker of the EC KAC and with 183 points scored (105 goals) in 158 games the record holder of the Austrian national team.	Stefan Nilsson (1998–2000, storm) From 1998 to 2000 in the service of the KAC, Austrian champion, Swedish champion, 3 times vice world champion with Sweden, most assists in the Swedish elite league of all time, for the KAC 138 assists in 99 games, one of the best playmakers ever in Austria have played.	Kraig Nienhuis (1990-1994, Sturm) Nienhuis spent four years at EC KAC and also won a championship title with the team. Nienhuis was also known for his singing talent off the ice; today he tours the world with his band "9House".

Nominations for the All-Star Team

season	player
2006/07	Andrew Verner , Jeremy Rebek , Herbert Ratz , Anthony Iob
2007/08	Mike Craig , Hannes Enzenhofer , David Schuller , Jeremy Rebek , Herbert Ratz , Christoph Harand , Jeff Tory
2008/09	René Swette

Coach history

Bill Gilligan led the club to four straight league titles.

Over the decades, coaches from many different nations have been contracted to the EC KAC. In the seventies and eighties it was mainly names from the former Eastern Bloc countries, but over time this shifted towards North America. Only a small number of the coaches were able to maintain their position over a long period of time. One of the most successful coaches is the American Bill Gilligan , who took over the coaching position only shortly after the end of his active career and who led the EC KAC to the championship title four times in a row between 1984 and 1988. The Swede Lars Bergström was similarly successful at the turn of the millennium with two consecutive titles. Both are or were also the head coach of the Austrian national team .

Several times in the course of the club's history, coaches were dismissed from current contracts during the current season for lack of success. For this reason, there were often active games with Adelbert St. John , David Emma or Emanuel Viveiros , which occupied the coaching office on an interim basis. This was last the case with Viveiros in November 2005, when he replaced the Swede Mats Waltin . Waltin had tried unsuccessfully to switch the team to an offensive style known as the torpedo system and was released after only about a year.

After the Canadian Kevin Primeau took over the team for a short time , Viveiros finally took over the post of head coach due to an injury-related end of his career. The club signed a five-year contract with him.

From December 2015 until the end of the season, Alexander Mellitzer led the team on an interim basis.

Mike Pellegrims was signed as the new coach for the 2016/17 season, but left the KAC again the following summer and moved to Düsseldorfer EG .

In the summer, Steve Walker was introduced as the new coach.

Period	Surname	Remarks
1965 / 66–1966 / 67	Josef Kus	1 championship title
1967/68	Rudolf Cerny	1 championship title
1968 / 69-1970 / 71	Adelbert St. John	Player-coach - 3 championship titles
1971/72	Don Ross	Player-coach - 1 championship title
1972 / 73–1973 / 74	Yuri Gluchow	2 championship titles
1974 / 75-1975 / 76	Yuri Baulin	Co-Trainer Dieter Kalt Senior - 1 championship title , 1 time runner-up
1976 / 77-1977 / 78	Dieter Kalt senior	1 championship title , 1 runner-up title
1978/79	Walter King Hermann Knoll	1 championship title
1979 / 80-1980 / 81	Walter King Karl Pregl	1 championship title , 1 time 6th place
1981 / 82-1983 / 84	Rudolf Sindelar	2 times runner-up, 1 time 6th place
1984 / 85-1987 / 88	Bill Gilligan	4 championship titles
1988/89	Roger Lamoureux	Early release
1988/89	Viktor Shalimov	Interim trainer - 4th place once
1989/90	Jozef Capla	Early release - 1 time semi-final out
1990 / 91-1991 / 92	Herbert Poeck	1 championship title , 1 time semi-final out
1992/93	Bart Crashley	1 time 5th place
1993 / 94-1994 / 95	Rauno Korpi	2 times semi-final out
1995/96	Sergei Kotov	Early release
1996/97	Chris Reynolds	Early dismissal - 1 time runner-up
1997 / 98-1998 / 99	Herbert Poeck	Early dismissal - 2 times runner-up
December 1998	David Emma Dieter Kalt	Player trainer for 3 games
December 1998	Kiki Mahkovec	Interim trainer
January 1999–2002 / 03	Lars Bergström	2 championship titles , 2 times semi-final out
2003/04	Jorma Siitarinen	1 championship title
2004/05 - October 2005	Mats Waltin	1 × runner-up
November 2005	Emanuel Viveiros	Player trainer for 3 games
November 2005 – October 2006	Kevin Primeau	Early release
October 2006 – February 2012	Emanuel Viveiros	1 × champion , 1 × runner-up, 2 × quarter-final out
February – December 2012	Christian Weber
December 2012 – February 2014	Christer Olsson	1 × master
March 2014-September 2014	Martin Stloukal	Early release
October 2014-December 2015	Doug Mason	Early release
December 2015-March 2015	Alexander Mellitzer
2016/17	Mike Pellegrims	1 × runner-up
2017/18	Steve Walker	1 × quarter-final out
2018/19	Petri Matikainen	1 × master

Youth work

One of the great strengths of the EC KAC is its work with young talent. The club maintains teams in all age groups between the Bambinis and the U20s. In the 2018/19 season, the junior teams U11, U12, U14, U16 and U18 won the Austrian championship title.

Several internationally successful players also come from the EC KAC management team. In March 2004, Thomas Pöck , a junior player of the EC KAC and son of the Austrian ex-team trainer Herbert Pöck , even made it into the NHL to the New York Rangers . In addition, youth player Thomas Koch made the leap into the Swedish elite league and played for Luleå for two years before returning to Austria for the Red Bulls Salzburg .

Others

The multibillionaire and ice hockey lover Heidi Horten appears again and again as a sponsor for the EC KAC .

The mascot of the EC KAC is called "Lindi" and is reminiscent of the symbol of the city of Klagenfurt: the Lindwurm . As part of a modernization in the summer of 2008, the "Lindi" was completely redesigned and also received a computer-animated likeness that can be seen in recordings on the video cube.

Fan culture

The KAC has five registered fan clubs, three of them in Klagenfurt (Stiege 19, Red White Dragons & Vikings), one in the federal capital Vienna (Vikings section Vienna) and one in the Styrian capital Graz (Vikings section Graz). All fan clubs also organize activities outside of their purely team support activities. In summer 2008, a new KAC anthem was also presented. The title is a new recording of an older piece. For this purpose Dieter Themel , lead singer of the famous blues rock band " The Blues Breakers ", lent his voice to the song.

The Carinthian ice hockey derby

• Main article Carinthian ice hockey derby

A decade-long rivalry has existed between the fans of the EC KAC and those of the Villach Bundesliga club EC VSV since the latter rose to the top division in 1977. These derbies are regularly sold out and are special highlights of the season for fans of both camps. There is also a homepage, the "Carinthian Derby Site", which is managed by an ice hockey fan and on which the data of all previous games is collected and in the form of statistics are made accessible. This homepage is also one of the most detailed reference works for the Austrian ice hockey league. The last clash in the playoffs between the two teams took place in the 2010/11 season, where the EC KAC prevailed in game 5 and thus reached the final.

The games of both clubs have been regularly accompanied for decades by the radio station Radio Kärnten , where the games are reported live as part of the "Carinthian Ice Hockey Magazine". Quiz games and elections are organized around the live broadcasts, during which the audience chooses the best player from both teams from the current season.

Venue

The Stadthalle Klagenfurt has been the home of the club since 1959.

The home games of the EC KAC have been held in the Klagenfurt town hall since 1959 . After various renovations, including a VIP club, which was added and expanded several times, the hall now has a capacity of 5,088 spectators. In addition, a video cube was installed in the hall.

In 2008, the project “Wörtherseehalle neu” was worked on, with the aim of breaking the ground for the construction of a new multi-purpose hall in summer 2009 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the KAC, in which the EC KAC would also play its home games in the future to reach. The planned capacity was 8,200 places.

Average audience

The following shows (if available) the number of spectators for all seasons since the Bundesliga was founded ( 1965/66 season ). Home games are taken into account without exception.

(*) The average number of spectators was influenced by the open-air derby on January 9, 2010, which saw a total of 30,500 spectators in the Hypo Group Arena .

literature

• Margreiter, Haiszan, Kilias: The Great Austrian Ice Hockey Book , Verlag Buch Spezial Dornbirn, ISBN 3-900496-04-4
• OMR. Dr. Hellmuth Reichel: KAC - ice hockey conquers a city! , Publisher: Klagenfurter Athletiksport Club, Klagenfurt, 1995
• Club brochure: 75 Years of KAC, 1909–1984 , publisher: Klagenfurter Athletiksport Club, Klagenfurt, 1984
• Anniversary book: Red as blood, white as snow - 100 years of KAC , publisher: Klagenfurter Athletiksport Club, Klagenfurt, 2009 , author: Dr. Gert Seeber, Walter Grill, Heinz Traschitzger

Web links

Commons : EC KAC  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Homepage of the EC KAC
• Entry on hockeyarenas.net with photos of the ice rink

Individual evidence

1. ↑ "Nach_Spielzeit", page 7, accompanying the exhibition at the National Archives, Publisher: Johann Stermetz / Hans Witek / Thomas Zeloth, Klagenfurt, 2008
2. ^ Association brochure: "75 Years of KAC, 1909–1984", page 33, publisher: Klagenfurter Athletiksport Club, Klagenfurt, 1984
3. ^ "KAC - ice hockey conquers a city!", Page 12; Publisher: Klagenfurter Athletiksport Club, Author: OMR. Dr. Hellmuth Reichel, Klagenfurt, 1995
4. ↑ National league champion Dornbirn becomes farm team of the KAC , report on hockeyfans.at from August 11, 2010
5. ↑ Martin Stloukal is like the new KAC-coach expects , report on kleinezeitung.at from March 6, 2014
6. ↑ KAC separates from Coach Stloukal. Retrieved October 11, 2019 . 
7. ↑ Former KAC trainer sues against expulsion , report on orf.at dated November 13, 2014
8. ↑ Accusation of bullying and dismissal without notice from the KAC , report on kleinezeitung.at from November 18, 2014
9. ↑ Doug Mason no longer a KAC coach , report on kleinezeitung.at from December 1, 2015
10. ↑ Mellitzer is the new head coach for Rekordmeister KAC , report on kurier.at from December 23, 2015
11. ↑ We have no words about the KAC , report on kleinezeitung.at from January 7, 2016
12. ↑ http://www.kac.at/de/news/steve-walker-neuer-head-coach
13. ^ Peter Karlik: KAC after winning the 6th final game for the 31st time ice hockey champion. Courier , April 24, 2019, accessed April 25, 2019 . 
14. ↑ [1] . In: eliteprospects.com , August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
15. ↑ http://www.kaerntnerderby.info/
16. ↑ ^{a b} http://www.krone.at/nachrichten/plaene-fuer-neue-klagenfurter-eishalle-praesentiert-8213-sitzplaetze-story-114130 (link not available)