EHC Biel
| EHC Biel | |
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| Club information | |
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Ice Hockey Club Biel (1939–1947) EHC Tornado Biel (1947–1948) EHC Biel (1948–1998) Ice Hockey Club Biel AG (since 1998) |
| Nickname | EHCB |
| Parent club | EHC Biel |
| Club colors | Red and yellow |
| league | National League |
| Venue | Tissot Arena |
| capacity | 6,521 seats (of which 4,411 seats) |
| executive Director | Daniel Villard |
| Head coach | Antti Törmänen |
| captain | Mathieu Tschantré |
| Season 2018/19 | 4th place, playoff semifinals |
The EHC Biel is a Swiss ice hockey club from the bilingual city of Biel / Bienne . The club currently plays in the National League , the highest Swiss ice hockey league . The professional team was outsourced in 1998 as a stock corporation by EHC Biel, which was founded in 1939, the parent club is now responsible for the junior division below the elite junior level.
The stock corporation acts as EHC Biel Holding AG and has three subsidiaries (EHC Biel Sport AG, EHC Biel Marketing AG and EHC Biel-Bienne Spirit AG). The professional team continues to appear as EHC Biel . Since the city of Biel is consistently bilingual , there is also a French name: HC Bienne (abbreviation: HCB ) in addition to the German name EHC Biel (abbr .: EHCB ).
For 20 years, between 1975, the year of their first promotion, and 1995, the Bielers played in the top division. They won three championship titles in 1978, 1981 and 1983 under three different coaches ( František Vaněk , Ed Reigle , Kent Ruhnke ) and shaped the national championship with SC Bern and SC Langnau in the late 1970s and 1980s.
In the late 1980s and 1990s, the Biel-based company could no longer withstand the financial pressure of the increasingly professional and commercial ice hockey game operation, also due to the departure of the patron Willy Gassmann , and finally were relegated in 1995. After relegation and renovation, it took EHC Biel 13 years after four NLB championship titles in five years and just as many attempts in the league qualifying games with the NLA bottom in the 2007/08 season.
The budget for the first NLA season 2008/09 after the resurgence amounted to seven million francs, which represented an increase of 3.8 million compared to last year. The budget for the 2015/16 season was around CHF 13 million. The AG capital is 847,800 francs and is divided into bearer shares.
history
The foundation (1939–1955)
EHC Biel was founded in 1939 by Heinrich Plüss , who left the club a little later due to internal differences. He founded the competing association EHC Tornado Biel , in whose shadow the EHC Biel continued to exist in the following years. The club also had internal and financial problems.
On September 25, 1947, the two associations merged, with Heinrich Plüss again being elected to head the new association. The association that emerged from the merger was called EHC Tornado Biel. On August 1, 1948, EHC Biel was introduced as the association's official name. He played in Serie B (synonymous with today's second Swiss amateur league), sporting successes remained largely absent. Since no suitable training ground was found, the players at EHC Biel often had to travel to Bern for training . The club was therefore dependent on mobile players, which in the first years after the Second World War was a problem that should not be underestimated.
First upswing (1956–1959)
In 1956, when EHC Biel was in financial straits, Willy Gassmann, owner of the Bieler Tagblatt newspaper , took over the presidency. Since the team had been allocated at the green table in Serie A the previous season (equivalent to today's 1st Swiss Amateur League), new donors and sponsors were found. In the 1957/58 season, Willy Gassmann's development work began to show its first successes. The Canadian player- coach Moe Five and a better preparation phase contributed to this. In the second half of the season, EHC Biel finished at the top of Serie A, level on points with Urania Genève Sport .
For the first time in its history, the EHC Biel mobilized a large number of supporters to the top games. In the 7: 6 win against Urania Geneva, 3,000 ice hockey fans were present on the Gurzelen natural ice rink. A sudden change in the weather prevented the last round of the season from being held. The regulations brought Urania Genève Sport promotion to the NLB, as this club had won the preliminary round. In 1958, those eligible to vote in Biel approved the application for the construction of an artificial ice rink (KEB) in Biel's Längfeld district, which was carried out within a short time.
On November 17, 1958, the first game in the new KEB Längfeld was played in front of 4,000 spectators. The official opening took place four days later, on November 21, on the occasion of the friendly match against the Swiss champions EHC Arosa . 5,000 spectators witnessed a 4-2 win for the Biel ice hockey team. After the season, HC Martigny and EHC Biel were tied. In the last game in Martigny in front of 7,000 spectators, EHC Biel lost 4: 9 and missed promotion to the NLB. Also in the following season, the club missed this in a relegation game against HC Ajoie .
Promotion to the National League B (1960–1967)
By increasing the National League B , the EHC Biel - next to the EHC Winterthur - subsequently rose to the second highest ice hockey league. At the end of the first season, the team reached fourth place in the NLB. More often, their own juniors were built into the squad, which helped the team to win their NLB group in the 1963/64 season. In Biel, in front of over 6,000 spectators, and in the second leg, the EHC was defeated by the western group champions Geneva.
The Canadian player- coach Bob Dennison ended his career and traveled back to his homeland. From the following season, the team with Ernst Wenger was coached for the first time by a coach who was not also active as a player. The EHC Biel rose in 1967 in the first division, the successor to Serie A.
Promotion to the National League A (1968–1976)
A season later, the direct promotion to the National League B was achieved. In 1971, still in the NLB, construction of a covered ice rink began in Biel. The team played their games this year in the Lyss artificial ice rink , which is now the Seelandhalle , 15 kilometers away . There, too, the EHC Biel was very popular, especially because of the new Canadian crowd favorite Steve Latinovich .
At the start of the second half of the 1972/73 season, a game took place in the new Biel ice rink for the first time . The club just missed promotion to the National League A (NLA). Two years later, the Canadian Barry Jenkins , whom Steve Latinovich had sent to EHC Biel in Switzerland as a replacement during his absence for professional reasons, was defeated in the penultimate round of promotion of the EHC Visp in front of 7,000 spectators in the Biel ice rink. The EHC Biel rose to the National League A for the first time in its history.
The training at the Federal Gymnastics and Sports School in Magglingen and in the weight rooms of the ice rink, which was now also intensified during the summer break , resulted in a good start for the EHC Biel into the new season. The audience interest continued to grow. At the cantonal derby against SC Langnau , a record crowd of 9,000 spectators framed the ice rink. After eight games in the first season in the NLA, the EHC Biel was in the middle of the table. EHC Biel then achieved a series of twelve victories in a row and achieved the highest number of spectators in a home game with 9,411 spectators in the derby win against SC Bern .
Although the series broke down, EHC Biel still had the chance to win the championship with a win in the last game of the season in Langnau. The team lost 3: 6 and had to give the Emmental first place. Third place was achieved in the 1976/77 season. SC Bern became champions and SC Langnau sat in front of EHC Biel. As a goalkeeper, the Biel talent Olivier Anken was in action for the first time this season .
Three times championship win (1977–1983)
In the 1977/78 season, EHC Biel won its first championship title . The last game of the season was won 4-1 against EHC Kloten . Since SC Langnau was defeated by SC Bern at home, the Emmentaler were still intercepted.
In the anniversary year - 40 years of EHC Biel - the club refused to cede its players to the national team and was able to make up the points deficit on the leading teams after the New Year. On the last day of the match, the fight was decided to the disadvantage of the Biel team, which slipped to fourth place due to the close position at the top of the table.
EHC Biel tackled the 1980/81 season with a team that had been restructured into numerous positions. The most important changes were made among foreigners. Serge Martel and Richmond Gosselin replaced Steve Latinovich and Robert Lindberg . After a moderate start, the EHC Biel returned to its old form, which is why the second title was ultimately won. In the end, the season ended with a seven point lead and an average of 7,784 spectators.
In the 1981/82 season , the EHC Biel was with Anken in the gate an encounter before the end of the main round in the relegation zone and met in the decider on SC Bern . After Bern's attacker Bruno Wittwer was illegally stopped by Biel's defender Daniel Dubuis in a so-called “breakaway” situation in the last third , referee René Fasel imposed a penalty for SC Bern. Anken, however, parried Wittwer's shot and then Serge Martel shot the Bieler within a short time to a 3-2 win over SC Bern and the league. With the victory, EHC Biel took part in the championship round. This season, EHC Biel signed four coaches ( Jürg Ochsner , Jean Helfer , Ed Reigle , Kent Ruhnke ).
The team was changed again in 1982/83 in various positions. The Canadian defender Daniel Poulin joined EHC Biel and the long-time president and patron Willy Gassmann retired. In contrast to the previous seasons, when the EHC Biel was the wealthiest club in the NLA, expectations of the club now also fell. Although the EHC Biel was no longer one of the favorites, the team shone in the 1982/83 season under coach Kent Ruhnke. Richmond Gosselin was the NLA's standout player, Daniel Poulin was a dangerous scorer from the blue line and goalkeeper Olivier Anken was the season's best goalkeeper. At the end of the qualification, EHC Biel came second. In the championship round (ten games, nine wins), EHC Biel intercepted HC Davos and won their third championship title.
Safe in the upper half of the table (1983–1990)
The title defense did not succeed in the 1983/84 season and the EHC Biel reached fifth place. Especially after the rise of HC Lugano in 1982, player salaries in the league increased, which increasingly posed a financial problem for EHC Biel. Therefore, the club tried to compensate for the precarious situation with fundraising and players waived part of their wages.
The 1984/85 season started the EHC Biel with a new coach, Tibor Vozar , and a new player, the Canadian Normand Dupont , who came for Richmond Gosselin. The club also had a foreign duo, which together with Olivier Anken contributed to the fact that EHC Biel was never in danger of relegation in the following years. With the storm line Willy Kohler , Normand Dupont and Marc Leuenberger , the EHC Biel provided one of the best attack series of the NLA. Under Tibor Vozar, the team reached sixth place and thus the championship round, but the defensive style of play prescribed by the coach was not suitable for attracting large numbers of spectators.
Not least for financial reasons, the club's management decided to hire Jean Helfer, who had previously served the club in various functions (TK boss, interim trainer, talent scout), as a coach for the following season. In the 1985/86 season, the EHC Biel fought to the end for participation in the first-time playoffs of the top four, but lost the last and decisive game against HC Sierre in the Biel ice stadium. In the 1986/87 season, the Bieler won an average of about one point per game, which was not enough for the playoff qualification. In the end, EHC Biel finished the season in sixth place.
With the 1987/88 season began the era of the Swedish coach Björn Kinding , who worked relatively successfully for four years. Players from their own youth team were integrated and made many breakthroughs in the first team. The club still didn't have to worry about staying up. On average, about one point was won per game and thus narrowly missed the playoffs of the top four in the 1987/88 season. In the 1988/89 season, the club qualified for the playoffs for the first time with sixth place. The quarter-finals against cantonal rivals SC Bern were lost (1: 4, 2: 5).
For the 1989/90 season Köbi Kölliker returned to Biel, the Canada-Swiss Gaëtan Boucher was signed and the departure of Daniel Poulin was compensated by NHL player Gaston Gingras .
On the one hand, the routine gained, on the other hand, the positive development of the team, which Björn Kinding has been in charge of for three years, meant that EHC Biel was temporarily at the top of the table this season and was third at the end of the qualification. In the playoff quarter-finals, EHC Biel won two games against EV Zug . In the semifinals, there was a duel with the cantonal rivals from the capital. The first game in Bern was won (3: 2), in the third game in Bern the Bielers lost (3: 2 after extra time), while SC Bern prevailed in the games in the Biel ice stadium (2: 6, 6: 9) .
Consolidation (1990–1994)
In 1990/91 the practically unchanged team did not get confirmation. Coach Kinding was sacked mid-season and replaced by Dick Decloe , who came from SC Lyss (NLB). The result was a seventh place after qualifying and three defeats in the quarter-finals against HC Lugano.
The following transfer period caused a turning point in the team. Both Normand Dupont and Marc Leuenberger left the club, which led to the end of the Kohler-Dupont-Leuenberger storm line. Jean-Jacques Aeschlimann , Laurent Stehlin and Gaston Gingras switched to HC Lugano. Due to the political changes in the Eastern Bloc, a new player market opened up in 1991/92 and two players from the former Soviet Union were signed up. Martin Laminet , the Biel president, signed two players from the top Soviet league , as did the Friborg-Gottéron president Jean Martinet . With the offensive defender Valery Schyrjajew , who scored 38 points in 44 games in the last season of the top Soviet league and Ramil Juldaschew , with 56 points in 44 games the top scorer of this championship, two top-class Ukrainian players came to EHC Biel. EHC Biel prevailed in the negotiations against HC Davos , who had also wanted to sign the two.
Thus, the EHC Biel took the 1991/92 season with new players, but initially continued with coach Decloe. Ramil Juldashev scored 35 goals and a total of 66 points in 39 games with just 20 penalty minutes in his first season and the defender Schyrjajew was at the end of this season with 42 points in 33 games. Despite the two new and on paper strongest foreigners in the league, the EHC Biel only reached eighth place and was four points away from a relegation round place.
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In the playoffs, EHC Biel, now trained by the duo Lucien Ramseyer / Köbi Kölliker, defeated HC Friborg-Gottéron , who dominated the qualification this season, after a penalty shoot-out in the first quarter-final game , the second was lost after extra time. In the third and fourth game, the Bieler lost against HC Friborg-Gottéron, mainly because of the two Russian strikers Slawa Bykow and Andrei Chomutow .
In 1992/93 the EHC Biel was under the direction of trainer Bror Hansson . He managed to better integrate the two Ukrainians into the team, the team played a clear game system and reached the playoff quarter-finals (seventh place), which were lost against Kloten with 4-0 games. After the end of the season, coach Bror Hansson, who was considered the public's favorite, was dismissed from his ongoing contract by Ueli Roth's board and replaced by Köbi Kölliker, who was inexperienced as a coach. Until then, Köbi Kölliker had only worked once as a coach and this in the 1991/92 playoffs together with Lucien Ramseier as a coaching duo.
In the 1993/94 season, the hitherto reliable scorer Ramil Yuldashev scored only 26 points in 34 games due to many injuries and due to the departure of his passer Valerij Schyrjajew. The Dane Heinz Ehlers was almost on his own due to Juldashev's many injuries and received no support from the Czech Leo Gundas , who only scored 5 points in 19 games. These two could not replace the Ukrainian duo valabel. Therefore, after qualifying, the club reached tenth and last place. Now the coach has been replaced by Jean Helfer . This was followed by playout games against the ninth-ranked EHC Olten . In the sixth game, in the Biel ice stadium, Olivier Anken held the decisive penalty in the penalty shoot-out and the EHC Biel stayed in the NLA. Olivier Anken then resigned from professional sport.
Relegation and redevelopment (1994–1997)
In the 1994/95 season, Chris Chelios played three games for EHC Biel during the NHL lockout and recorded three assists before injuring himself.
Sörensen and finally Reynolds were the coaches this season. President Roth had heard that Biel's striker Marc Weber allegedly claimed that it would be better for EHC Biel, given the financial situation, to relegate to NLB. Roth then dismissed Weber without notice, who was then accepted by SC Rapperswil-Jona . This action did not help the team, the last place and the playout defeat against Rapperswil were the result. The EHC Biel was relegated to the NLB. The resigning management of EHC Biel left behind a mountain of debt of 4.5 million francs.
The next few years were all about renovation. Among other things, Urs W. Frey and Erwin Stalder improved the financial situation through a moratorium of the association. In addition, the public limited company EHC Biel AG was founded in 1998 . In terms of sport, there were no major successes in the first two NLB years. In 1995/96, the EHC Biel with the coach Barry Jenkins, the Russians Kwartalnow and Malgin and a team changed in several positions after relegation in the first NLB season. After the qualification, the seventh place was taken. In the playoff quarter-finals, EHC Biel was eliminated 3-0 against the later promoted HC La Chaux-de-Fonds .
In the next season Canadian players like Paul Gagné and Shawn Heaphy were committed again. The club was now trained by Mike Zettel . Despite good performances by foreigners and, for NLB standards, top-class newcomers such as Fredi Lüthi (returnees) and Maxime Lapointe , the EHC Biel showed no significant progress in the 1996/97 season. It resulted in eighth place after the qualification and a defeat at the end of the playoff quarter-finals against the qualifying winner HC Thurgau (2: 3 wins). At the end of this season, the NHL first-round draft Michel Riesen left the EHC Biel, who had already got his first NLA games and first NLA points in the EHC Biel's last NLA season at the age of 15.
National League B (1997-2003)
In the 1997/98 season Paul-André Cadieux took over as coach. The team, which has not changed much, showed good performances, the EHC Biel became the NLB top team. Second place in qualification, playoff quarter-finals and semi-finals against GC and Thurgau. It came to the derby final against the SCL Tigers from Langnau, in which the Tigers prevailed with one to three wins (2: 3, 3: 8, 8: 0, 2: 3). In the 1998/99 season, the EHC Biel did not keep up with the leading teams and reached fourth place. This was followed by 3-1 victories in the quarter-finals against HC Lausanne before he lost 3-1 in the semifinals against EHC Chur.
For the 1999/2000 season, the Canadian Paul Gagné took over as coach. His compatriots Claude Vilgrain and Michel Mongeau were the new players on the team. The team reached fifth place in a broad top group. The team prevailed in the quarter-finals against Thurgau and was defeated by the later promoted EHC Chur in the semifinals.
The next coach was called Markus Graf . In the 2000/01 season, the EHC Biel rose again to the top. With the Canadians Gino Cavallini and Claude Vilgrain, the EHC Biel had a strong foreign duo. The EHC Biel reached second place after qualifying and prevailed in the playoffs against HC Ajoie and Servette Geneva , before the team lost in the final to the Lausanne Hockey Club .
In the 2001/02 season EHC Biel was eliminated in the playoff quarter-finals against Ajoie. Shortly before the playoffs, Graf was dismissed and replaced at short notice by Leuenberger. For the 2002/03 season , Bror Hansson took over the position of coach like ten years ago. The qualification phase ended in third behind GC and Basel, in the playoffs EHC Biel defeated HC Thurgau and then lost to the later promoted EHC Basel.
Promotion candidate (2003-2007)
In the 2003/04 season , Charlie Oppliger was on the gang. With him, the EHC Biel reached first place in the qualification ranking. After the playoff final against HC Sierre , the NLB championship title was won. The club had the chance to move up after a win against HC Lausanne. There the difference turned out to be too big, especially in the case of foreign personnel, and so the EHC Biel clearly failed.
The 2004/05 season was marked by many NHL mercenaries in Switzerland who, due to the lockout, were looking for match practice in European leagues. EHC Biel also signed two players from the NHL, Ben Clymer and Tyler Wright . After finishing second in the qualification, the club failed in the semi-finals at HC Sierre-Anniviers.
In the 2005/06 season , the EHC Biel was the qualifying winner. Then the respective opponents ( GCK Lions , HC Lausanne and HC Sierre-Anniviers) were defeated with 4-1 victories in the playoffs . In the last game that brought the championship title, the HC Sierre-Anniviers were beaten 10-0 in the home ice stadium Biel.
From the mistakes of the last promotion games in the 2003/04 season, when the difference, especially between the foreigners, turned out to be too big, the club's management drew the conclusion for this league qualification that new players would have to be signed again. In addition to the Canadians who are already under contract, Jesse Bélanger , Patrice Lefebvre , Pascal Trepanier and Éric Perrin from SC Bern, Marko Tuomainen from SCL Tigers, Steve Thornton from EHC Basel and Alexandre Tremblay and the dual Ukrainian-Swiss citizen Valerij Schyrjajew from HC La Chaux-de-Fonds . But as the opponents also strengthened (a total of 17 foreign licenses were awarded during the season), the EHC Biel failed again, this time with 2: 4 wins against Friborg-Gottéron.
After winning the NLB championship title and missing promotion, many regular players left the club, the foreigners had to leave the club. In addition, two regular players had to withdraw from ice hockey due to an injury. Thus, the EHC Biel rose with a strongly changed team in the 2006/07 season . Despite these many changes and due to this an unstable season, the EHC Biel finished in second place. After the playoff quarter-finals and semi-finals, the third NLB championship title in four years was won against EHC Visp. In order to advance, the EHC Biel spent over CHF 350,000 on reinforcement foreigners. These were the Czech national goalkeeper Marek Pinc , the former NHL players Jiří Šlégr and Serge Aubin , as well as Nick Naumenko and Eero Somervuori from HC Ambrì-Piotta and Kirby Law from HC Genève-Servette. Thus, EHC Biel, in addition to its own foreigner Alexandre Tremblay as well as Brian Felsner and the loaned Stefan Hellkvist , had nine foreigners under contract with five allowed to play per game. The EHC Biel made the best-of-seven series against the SCL Tigers unsuccessful.
Promotion to the NLA and the first years in the NLA after promotion
On April 8, 2008, EHC Biel rose to National League A again after 13 years in National League B, four NLB championship titles in five years and in the fourth attempt in league qualification. In the league qualification, the EHC Basel was defeated 4-0 in the series. The EHC Biel had started the season with a new coach, had started with a small squad and occupied a place in the front midfield for a long time. In the end, the Bielers won the qualification with seven points ahead of Lausanne HC. In the playoffs, the team prevailed against EHC Olten (4: 1 in the series), HC Ajoie (4: 3) and HC La Chaux-de-Fonds (4: 1) and won for the fourth time in five Years the NLB championship.
The club intervened in the transfer process in April, as the league membership was secured at that time. So the season was tackled with almost the entire team from last year, the promotion team, with new foreigners joining, last year's top scorer from relegated EHC Basel Thomas Nüssli and Martin Steinegger from Biel returned from SC Bern.
In the first season after the promotion, after some respectable successes against top clubs, the performance dropped in the last quarter and the season ended in last place in the table. After defeats in the playouts against Langnau and Ambrì, the EHC Biel continued the season in the league qualification against the NLB champions Lausanne HC and fell 2-0 down in the series. At this time, coach Heinz Ehlers was released and replaced by sports director Kevin Schläpfer . As a result, the team defeated Lausanne HC in the seventh game and decided the series 4: 3 for EHC Biel.
For the 2009/10 season , Sébastien Bordeleau , Curtis Brown and Richard Jackman were committed to the previous Canadian Rico Fata on the foreign positions . With Kent Ruhnke a former master trainer of the EHC Biel was taken under contract. With one of the smallest budgets in the league, the club played for a long time to get into the playoffs. After the end of the qualification it was not enough for the eighth place and the club finished ninth. In the playouts against Ambrì and Langnau the Biel team lost, so that it was time to go into the league qualification again. Therefore, Kent Ruhnke was immediately released, who was again replaced by Kevin Schläpfer, who held EHC Biel in the National League A.
In the 2010/11 season , the board of directors placed its trust in former sports director Kevin Schläpfer and appointed him as a coach. Ahren Spylo was signed as a new striker in the foreign position . Spylo got the most points for his team by the end of the season. During the season, the Canadians Brendan Bell and Éric Beaudoin were committed due to the injury-related failures of Bordeleau and Brown . In the course of the season, five Biel players were also given the opportunity to play for the Swiss national team. With Kevin Lötscher , a player from Biel took part in an ice hockey world championship for the first time in a long time. EHC Biel, being ninth in the table, narrowly missed the playoff places, but was able to win the first playout round against HC Ambri-Piotta and thus say goodbye to the holidays early.
In the 2011/12 season the club finished 8th and qualified for the playoffs in the fourth year after being promoted again, for the first time in 19 years. The 1/4 final series was lost with 1 to 4 wins against EV Zug. Biel's goalkeeper Reto Berra was also voted the best goalkeeper of the 2011/12 season. After the season, both Martin Steinegger and Sébastien Bordeleau resigned from top ice hockey.
Fight for the playoffs
For the second time in a row since the promotion, the EHC Biel, despite the smallest budget of all NLA teams, reached the playoffs in the 2012/13 season . As in the previous season, the Bielers secured the last playoff place in the final qualifying round against EV Zug, ahead of EHC Kloten . EHC Biel competed in the quarter-finals against the qualifying winner Friborg-Gottéron and was the first team to equalize a best-of-seven series since the introduction of the playoffs in 1986, in which it was 0: 3 to the detriment of the team and forced a seventh Game. During the playoffs, EHC Biel had to do without up to nine players due to injury. For the first time since the promotion, Jacob Micflikier, Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Tyler Seguin placed three Biel players among the top 20 scorers of the regular season. During the lockout of the NHL, several NHL greats played with different teams on Swiss ice. Between September and October 2012 until the end of December 2012, Tyler Seguin of the Boston Bruins and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks played for EHC Biel.
The 2013/14 season turned out to be more difficult for EHC Biel than in previous years. Due to significant losses on the defensive, especially goalkeeper Reto Berra, who moved to the National Hockey League , the club management decided with the returnee Brendan Bell again for a foreign defender. Together with Canadians Ahren Spylo , Ryan MacMurchy and Matt Ellison , early league preservation should be sought again. However, Ellison turned out to be a mistake and had to leave EHC Biel after seven games. Another returnees, Éric Beaudoin, was signed as a replacement . After a good start to the season, the results of the Zealanders worsened, whereupon the club management wanted to set an example with the signing of the American Chris Bourque and the Swede Dragan Umičević . The two new foreigners did not prevent the penultimate place in the table. In the newly introduced intermediate round nothing changed in the table situation and so the EHC Biel had to fight against the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in the playout final to maintain the league. The series was lost with 2-4 wins. The team of coach Kevin Schläpfer then fought in the league qualification against EHC Visp for league maintenance. Despite the efforts of the NHL legend Alexei Kowaljow , EHC Biel prevailed with 4-1 victories and thus secured the league. In the 2014/15 season, EHC Biel qualified for the playoffs for the third time within four years and had to admit defeat to qualifying winner ZSC Lions after seven games in the quarter-finals.
2015/16
The main round of the 2015/16 NLA season ended with the EHCB bottom of the table, in the relegation round they occupied one of the last two places and thus had to go to the final against the SCL Tigers . Biel lost this series 2: 4, so that one was determined as a participant in the league qualification. Since NLB champion HC Ajoie declared his resignation, Biel remained in the NLA without a fight.
2016/17
In November 2016, the club separated from head coach Kevin Schläpfer after nine defeats from ten games under his leadership. “But you can do more with Schläpfer than a trainer. He was the club », wrote the Neue Zürcher Zeitung on the occasion of the separation. Schläpfer had shaped the EHC Biel for years as a player, sports director and then as a coach and was very popular with the supporters. Young coach Mike McNamara took over the post of head coach on an interim basis, and in mid-December 2016 the management of the club decided to hand over the post to the Canadian until the end of the 2016/17 season. McNamara led the team out of the crisis and confidently into the playoffs, the EHCB was ranked 8th after the regular season. The club management then trusted him and provided him with a contract for the following season. In the playoff quarter-finals, the Bieler faced canton rivals SC Bern . The Bernese had finished the qualification as winners, so the chance of advancing was rated accordingly small. This was confirmed, the EHC Biel lost the series 1: 4 and was eliminated. Shortly after leaving, EHC Biel announced the takeover of Stars of Sports AG . EHC Biel now has exclusive rights in the area of gastronomy in the Tissot Arena.
2017/18
The Davos junior coach Anders Olsson was signed for the new season, who succeeded Dino Stecher. Of 25 home games in the qualification, 17 were won, and Biel finally came in third. In autumn, however, there was still little evidence of such a successful season. After a promising start to the season, a series of unsatisfactory performances followed. At the end of November 2017, head coach McNamara was dismissed after a series of four games with just one win. The Finn Antti Törmänen succeeded him. Under sporting director Martin Steinegger and the newly signed Finn Törmänen, the Zealanders managed the turnaround and were the most successful team in the National League from December until the end of qualification. In the playoffs, the EHCB met HC Davos in the quarter-finals and defeated the Grisons with 4-2 wins. In the semifinals, the Bielers had the upper hand against HC Lugano for a long time, but ultimately had to admit defeat to the Ticino.
2018/19
For the new season, EHC Biel signed the Finnish defender Anssi Salmela , who was already experienced in the NHL and who has already taken part in six World Cups and even became world champion in 2011. With Damien Brunner , the long-time Swiss national player with NHL experience, the attack was also significantly intensified. For the first time since promotion, hardly a key player left the club at the end of the preseason and they could play a solid season. The playoff qualification was never questioned and they finished the qualification in 4th place. In the quarterfinals they met HC Ambri Piotta. They defeated the Ticino with 4-1 victories. In the semi-finals, they then lost out to SC Bern. In a gripping series, they were only eliminated in the last game. The key game was game 6, where you had a match puck at home but unfortunately lost 0-1. In the decisive seventh game they lost their courage and the game ended with 5-1.
Venues
The ice rink Biel was built in 1973 at the suggestion of the club's president Willy Gassmann in Biel-Bözingen. It was one of the largest and most modern stadiums in Switzerland. During the championship period it was sold out twice with 9,411 spectators and it was otherwise well above average. In the 1980/81 season with an average of 7,784 spectators.
In the first season after being promoted to the NLA in 2007/08, 5'015 spectators attended the games in the Biel Ice Stadium, which was the sixth place among the highest number of spectators in the Swiss NLA. During the years in National League B, the number of spectators fell to around 2,500 per game, and the stadium was much better filled in the playoffs.
On April 14, 2006 (league qualification game EHC Biel - HC Friborg-Gottéron), the Biel ice rink was sold out again for the first time in eleven years, but only with 7,000 spectators, because due to the age of the ice rink and the changed safety regulations no more than 9 ' 411 spectators were allowed. In the following seasons, the ice rink was sold out in individual games during the league qualifiers (SCL Tigers, EHC Basel, Lausanne HC) and during the NLB playoff semi-finals 2007/08 against HC Ajoie.
Since the return to the NLA in spring 2008, the stadium has been occupied down to the last place in several games against cantonal rivals Bern, in the two league qualifications against Lausanne HC and in the derbies against Friborg-Gottéron.
Until 1958, EHC Biel played on an open ice rink with natural ice in Biel's Gurzelen district. In the late 1950s, EHC Biel became more popular and attracted more audiences. Thus the natural ice rink turned out to be too small and on November 21, 1958 the newly built artificial ice rink Längfeld was opened in front of 5,000 spectators on the occasion of a friendly match against the Swiss champions EHC Arosa. Although the game was now being played on artificial ice and grandstands had been built around the stadium, the stadium was not yet covered.
The Tissot Arena opened in September 2015 . With this new stadium, the aim was to meet the increased flow of spectators in the National League A , the new safety requirements and the changed needs of the spectators. The Tissot Arena includes an ice hockey and football stadium, as well as a curling hall and a shopping center and is located directly on the A5 motorway in Biel-Bözingen. The ice hockey stadium has a capacity of 6500 seats, of which 4400 seats.
Biel fans
There are various fan clubs that support the club at every game. These are all brought together in the umbrella organization Tribune Sud , which is supposed to unite all fans and groups present in the standing room curve. The most important are the Ultra groupings Insieme Bienna and Ultima Ratio . There are also traditional fan clubs such as the Seeschwalbe Fan Club , the Bully-Goal Fan Club and Curva Sud Centro . There are also fan groups such as the Curva Grünstern or the Curva Ganja . The atmosphere in the stadium is significantly influenced by chants, choreographies and cheers from the Biel's standing room curve, the so-called Tribune Sud, which can hold 4,000 spectators.
As in the entire bilingual city of Biel, bilingualism is also reflected in the standing area of the ice rink. The chants are partly in French, partly in German. When the EHC Biel is in the lead, dominates the opponent or puts them under pressure, the typical chant “Ici c'est Bienne, ici c'est Bienne…” can be heard from the Tribune Sud.
During the playoffs of the 2006/07 season , an old custom from the NLA era and the associated derbies against SC Bern was revived. In each series a fish (trout) was thrown onto the ice by one of the viewers, which was supposed to bring luck to EHC Biel.
Rivalries
There is a special fan rivalry with the fans of the clubs EHC Olten , Friborg-Gottéron , SCL Tigers and SC Bern . The games against this team are usually particularly explosive due to their derby character and attract many spectators.
player
Squad for the 2019/20 season
As of September 13, 2019
| No. | Nat. | player | Item | Date of birth | in the team since | place of birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 |
|
Elien Paupe | G | August 2, 1995 | 2017 | Delémont , Switzerland |
| 4th |
|
Kevin Fey - A | D. | December 8, 1990 | 2013 | Switzerland |
| 29 |
|
Beat Forster | D. | February 2, 1983 | 2017 | Herisau , Switzerland |
| 44 |
|
Samuel Circle | D. | April 4, 1994 | 2017 | Burgdorf BE , Switzerland |
| 90 |
|
Janis Moser | D. | June 6, 2000 | 2018 | Switzerland |
|
Will Petschenig | D. | 3rd February 1995 | 2018 | Manotick , Ontario , Canada | |
| 23 |
|
David Prysi | D. | January 14, 2000 | 2019 | Switzerland |
| 27 |
|
Yannick Rathgeb | D. | October 24, 1995 | 2015 | Langenthal , Switzerland |
| 13 |
|
Anssi Salmela | D. | August 13, 1984 | 2018 | Nokia , Finland |
| 22nd |
|
Rajan Sataric | D. | April 1, 1992 | 2019 | Solothurn , Switzerland |
| 33 |
|
Stefan Ulmer | D. | December 1, 1990 | 2019 | Dornbirn , Austria |
| 96 |
|
Damien Brunner 
|
RW | March 9, 1986 | 2018 | Oberlunkhofen , Switzerland |
| 10 |
|
Luca Cunti | C. | 4th July 1989 | 2019 | Zurich , Switzerland |
| 21st |
|
Jason Fuchs | C. | September 14, 1995 | 2017 | Bern , Switzerland |
| 58 |
|
Anton Gustafsson | C. | February 25, 1990 | 2019 | Karlskoga , Sweden |
| 61 |
|
Michael Hügli | W. | November 30, 1995 | 2018 | Seedorf , Switzerland |
| 42 |
|
Roman Karaffa | LW | March 26, 1999 | 2019 | Slovakia |
| 15th |
|
Gilian Kohler | LW | May 27, 2000 | 2019 | Biel / Bienne , Switzerland |
| 73 |
|
Mike Künzle | LW | December 26, 1993 | 2018 | Zurich , Switzerland |
| 8th |
|
Fabian Lüthi | LW | August 21, 1989 | 2015 | Lützelflüh , Switzerland |
| 40 |
|
Jan Neuenschwander | C. | January 10, 1993 | 2016 | Davos , Switzerland |
| 78 |
|
Marc-Antoine Pouliot | C. | May 22, 1985 | 2016 | Quebec , Canada |
| 25th |
|
Toni Rajala | W. | March 29, 1991 | 2016 | Parkano , Finland |
| 9 |
|
Damien Riat | C. | February 26, 1997 | 2018 | Geneva , Switzerland |
| 3 |
|
Peter Schneider | RW | April 4, 1991 | 2019 | Klosterneuburg , Austria |
| 91 |
|
Simon Wüest | LW | May 2, 2000 | 2019 | Fischingen , Switzerland |
- Coaching staff
| activity | Surname | Date of birth | In the team since | place of birth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trainer |
|
Antti Törmänen | 19th September 1970 | 12/2017 | Espoo , Finland |
| Assistant coach |
|
Not so Olsson | May 16, 1975 | 2017 | Gothenburg , Sweden |
| Goalkeeper coach |
 
|
Marco dispute | 7th December 1975 | 2013 | Koeniz , Switzerland |
| Off-ice coach |
|
Willi Kaufmann | October 28, 1957 | 2010 | Grenchen , Switzerland |
Records
Abbreviations: TW = goalkeeper , V = defender , S = striker , * = still active player
The 10 most successful NLA foreigners
| Surname | position | Games | Gates | Assists | Points | Points per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normand Dupont | S. | 262 | 267 | 257 | 524 | 2 |
| Richmond Gosselin | S. | 155 | 169 | 139 | 308 | 1.99 |
| Serge Martel | S. | 77 | 65 | 63 | 128 | 1.66 |
| Daniel Poulin | V | 249 | 165 | 202 | 367 | 1.47 |
| Ramil Juldashev | S. | 84 | 81 | 41 | 122 | 1.45 |
| Barry Jenkins | S. | 56 | 40 | 37 | 77 | 1.38 |
| Steve Latinovich | S. | 82 | 67 | 43 | 110 | 1.34 |
| Robert Lindberg | S. | 104 | 72 | 61 | 133 | 1.28 |
| Valery Schyrjajew | V | 66 | 36 | 42 | 78 | 1.18 |
| Gaston Gingras | V | 55 | 22nd | 31 | 53 | 0.96 |
(Order according to points per game, players at least 1 season at EHC Biel)
The 10 most loyal players by year (as of September 12, 2019)
| Surname | position | Games | of which NLA | of which NLB | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathieu Tschantré | S. | 854 | 542 | 312 | 2000-2020 (20) |
| Olivier Anken | TW | 628 | 628 | 0 | 1976-1994 (18) |
| Jakob Kölliker | V | 368 | 368 | 0 | 1970-1984 1989-92 (17) |
| Serge Meyer | V | 585 | 54 | 531 | 1996-2010 (14) |
| Sven Schmid | V | 563 | 212 | 351 | 1986–1989 1991–2002 (14) |
| Cyrill Pasche | S. | 533 | 54 | 479 | 1992-2002 2004-2007 (13) |
| Gilles Dubois | S. | 453 | 348 | 103 | 1985–95 1998–2001 (13) |
| Beat Cattaruzza | V | 398 | 398 | 0 | 1983-1995 (12) |
| Willy Kohler | S. | 359 | 359 | 0 | 1982-1992 (10) |
| Bjorn Schneider | V | 310 | 180 | 130 | 1989–1995 1999–2003 (10) |
| Daniel Dubois | V | 278 | 278 | 0 | 1975–1985 (10) |
Further internal club records
| Best statistics while belonging to the EHC Biel | |||
| category | Surname | number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most points in the NLA | Normand Dupont | 524 points | |
| Most goals | Normand Dupont | 267 goals | |
| Most assists in the NLA | Normand Dupont | 257 assists | |
| Most points in the NLA in one season | Normand Dupont | 90 points in 38 games (2.37 pps) | |
| Most NLA goals in one season | Richmond Gosselin | 52 goals in 38 games (1.37 pts) | |
| Most of the years | Mathieu Tschantré | 20 years | |
| Most games in total | Olivier Anken | 628 games | |
| Most of the games in the NLA | Olivier Anken | 628 games | |
| Most of the games in the NLB | Serge Meyer | 446 games | |
Status: end of season 2010/11
NHL players during lockouts
| Surname | season | league | Games | Gates | Assists | Points | Points per game | Penalty minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Chelios | 1994/95 | NLA | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4th |
| Ben Clymer | 2004/05 | NLB | 19th | 12 | 13 | 25th | 1.32 | 30th |
| Tyler Wright | 2004/05 | NLB | 19th | 11 | 12 | 23 | 1.21 | 48 |
| Tyler Seguin | 2012/13 | NLA | 29 | 25th | 15th | 40 | 1.38 | 24 |
| Patrick Kane | 2012/13 | NLA | 20th | 13 | 10 | 23 | 1.15 | 6th |
Chronological order
Blocked jersey numbers
- # 30 Olivier Anken
Placements since 1974/75
| season | league | placement | Playoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974/75 | NLB | 1st place | Master NLB / Promotion NLA |
| 1975/76 | NLA | 2nd place | none carried out |
| 1976/77 | NLA | 3rd place | none carried out |
| 1977/78 | NLA | 1st place | Swiss master |
| 1978/79 | NLA | 3rd place | none carried out |
| 1979/80 | NLA | 4th Place | none carried out |
| 1980/81 | NLA | 1st place | Swiss master |
| 1981/82 | NLA | 5th place | Championship round |
| 1982/83 | NLA | 1st place | Swiss master |
| 1983/84 | NLA | 5th place | Championship round |
| 1984/85 | NLA | 5th place | Championship round |
| 1985/86 | NLA | 5th place | Missed the playoff |
| 1986/87 | NLA | 6th place | Missed the playoff |
| 1987/88 | NLA | 5th place | Missed the playoff |
| 1988/89 | NLA | 6th place | Quarter finals |
| 1989/90 | NLA | 3rd place | Semi-final |
| 1990/91 | NLA | 7th place | Quarter finals |
| 1991/92 | NLA | 8th place | Quarter finals |
| 1992/93 | NLA | 8th place | Quarter finals |
| 1993/94 | NLA | 10th place | Playout |
| 1994/95 | NLA | 10th place | descent |
| 1995/96 | NLB | 7th place | Quarter finals |
| 1996/97 | NLB | 8th place | Quarter finals |
| 1997/98 | NLB | 2nd place | Final |
| 1998/99 | NLB | 4th Place | Semi-final |
| 1999/00 | NLB | 5th place | Semi-final |
| 2000/01 | NLB | 2nd place | Final |
| 2001/02 | NLB | 6th place | Quarter finals |
| 2002/03 | NLB | 3rd place | Semi-final |
| 2003/04 | NLB | 1st place | Master NLB |
| 2004/05 | NLB | 2nd place | Semi-final |
| 2005/06 | NLB | 1st place | Master NLB |
| 2006/07 | NLB | 2nd place | Master NLB |
| 2007/08 | NLB | 1st place | Master NLB / Promotion NLA |
| 2008/09 | NLA | 12th place | League qualification |
| 2009/10 | NLA | 9th place | League qualification |
| 2010/11 | NLA | 9th place | 1st playout round |
| 2011/12 | NLA | 8th place | Playoff quarter-finals |
| 2012/13 | NLA | 8th place | Playoff quarter-finals |
| 2013/14 | NLA | 11th place | League qualification |
| 2014/15 | NLA | 8th place | Playoff quarter-finals |
| 2015/16 | NLA | 12th place | Playout final |
| 2016/17 | NLA | 8th place | Playoff quarter-finals |
| 2017/18 | NLA | 3rd place | Playoff semi-final |
| 2018/19 | NLA | 4th Place | Playoff semi-final |
Information on the placements from:
Well-known former coaches
-
František Vaněk (1976–1980) -
Kent Ruhnke (1981-1984) -
Ștefan Ionescu (1984–1988) -
Kim Collins (2004-2007)
-
Heinz Ehlers (2007-2009) -
Kevin Schläpfer (2010-2016)
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offspring
The youngsters are organized under EHC Biel-Bienne Spirit AG, which was founded on June 16, 2003 as the youth organization of EHC Biel, and currently comprises around 113 youngsters between the ages of 6 and 18, divided into 10 teams. The elite juniors still belong to EHC Biel Sport AG.
The strict separation of the offspring from the professional area was a requirement of the Swiss ice hockey association after the relegation from the NLA in 1994/95 and the subsequent financial difficulties of the EHC Biel.
EHC Biel has already benefited from its own youngsters several times and many former youngsters play at other ice hockey clubs in the NLA. These are recently z. B. the Swiss national players Patrick von Gunten, Philipp Rytz and Martin Steinegger as well as the former NHL player Michel Riesen .
Club crest
In the beginning the club coat of arms was the coat of arms of the city of Biel. It was not until the 1970s that EHC Biel had its own club crest. The club crest has been changed several times to this day, so in the 1994/95 season the Biel logo was changed by adding a penguin, with which the club wanted to adapt to the North American NHL clubs, which is still common at many clubs today. The model for the penguin was the then very successful Pittsburgh Penguins . The penguin was later removed from the coat of arms. Since then, a mascot has inevitably been associated with relegation to the NLB in 1994/95 by the majority of Biel fans and has therefore never reappeared at EHC Biel.
Typical of all previous club coats of arms are the two crossed axes from Biel's city coat of arms.
until the mid-1970s
1975-1985
From 1985
Late 1980-early 1990
Mid-1990s
1994/95
1995-2011
from 2011
Running-in jersey
For some time now, it has been a tradition at EHC Biel that the running-in jersey is sponsored - as is the case with other clubs - but always has a strong connection with EHC Biel. The EHC Biel does not appear with a pure advertising jersey when entering and playing - like many other clubs. Until the 2007/08 season, the running-in jersey was sponsored by Tourismus Biel.Bienne . It has been provided by the Seeschwalbe fan club since the 2008/09 season .
Run-in jersey 2008/09
Starting jersey 2009/10 (on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of EHC Biel )
literature
- Eugen Künzle, Hans Küng: 40 years of EHC Biel-Bienne. 1939-1979. Gassmann, Biel 1981.
- Beat Moning: 75 years of EHC Biel. Gassmann, Biel 2014. ISBN 978-3-906124-09-4
- Klaus Zaugg: ice hockey. Habegger, Derendingen, various years.
- Werner Schweizer, Jürg Vogel, Klaus Zaugg: Ice ages: The century of Swiss ice hockey. Schwanden, Kilchberg 1999, ISBN 978-3-9520363-9-6 .
- Klaus Zaugg: Slapshot: Hockey Guide. IMS Marketing, Bern, various years
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Official homepage of EHC Biel
- ↑ a b c Werner Schweizer, Klaus Zaugg: Torriani's heirs . Schwanden Verlag, Kilchberg 1993, ISBN 3-9520363-1-5 , p. 30 .
- ↑ Summer vacation for the SCL Tigers - Biel still has to wait for the NLB final . In: watson.ch . ( watson.ch [accessed on November 21, 2016]).
- ↑ Simon Strimer: That keeps Biel up: Ajoie wins the NLB title! - look . ( blick.ch [accessed on November 21, 2016]).
- ^ Daniel Germann: Biel dismisses Kevin Schläpfer: Broken happiness . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . November 14, 2016, ISSN 0376-6829 ( nzz.ch [accessed November 21, 2016]).
- ↑ No more trust in cult trainer Schläpfer. In: derbund.ch/. Retrieved November 21, 2016 .
- ↑ Mike McNamara remains EHCB head coach - EHC Biel-Bienne - The official website of EHC Biel | Le site officielle du HC Bienne. (No longer available online.) In: www.ehcb.ch. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016 ; accessed on December 14, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 6: 3 - The playoff qualification is over! Retrieved March 3, 2017 .
- ↑ Mike McNamara remains EHCB head coach. Retrieved March 3, 2017 .
- ↑ EHC Biel acquires Stars of Sports AG. Retrieved April 25, 2017 .
- ↑ Anders Olsson becomes assistant trainer in Biel . In: Berner Zeitung . March 22, 2017, ISSN 1424-1021 ( bernerzeitung.ch [accessed June 15, 2017]).
- ↑ https://www.bernerzeitung.ch/sport/hockey/EHC-Biel-setzt-Trainer-Mike-McNamara-ab/story/11195676
- ↑ http://www.ehcb.ch/de/news/clubnews/antti-toermaenen-neuer-ehcb-headcoach/
- ↑ http://www.sihf.ch Play-off semi-finals. Retrieved September 25, 2019 .
- ↑ http://www.sihf.ch Playoff quarter finals. Retrieved September 25, 2019 .
- ↑ Biel - TISSOT ARENA. In: www.biel-bienne.ch. Retrieved November 21, 2016 .
- ↑ aquaverde.ch: Tissot Arena | Portrait. In: www.tissotarena.ch. Retrieved November 21, 2016 .
- Jump up ↑ Derby Loss, EHCB
- ↑ https://www.ehcb.ch/de/team/
- ↑ http://www.hockeyfans.ch/ Spieler/stats/ mathieu_tschantre
- ^ NLA review 1975–1995, editorial supplement to Bieler Tagblatt No. 206; Biel 2008
- ↑ eurohockey.net
- ↑ bov.ch
- ↑ His jersey is now hanging under the stadium roof: EHC Biel honors its goalkeeper legend Olivier Anken. Retrieved March 4, 2017 .
- ↑ Information portal on Schweizer Eishockey.ch
- ↑ Eugen Künzle, Hans Küng: 40 years EHC Biel-Bienne. 1939–1979 , Verlag W. Gassmann AG, Biel, 1981
- ^ EHC Biel-Bienne Spirit AG
