Polar bears Berlin

Polar bears Berlin
Greatest successes
8 × German champions 2005 , 2006 , 2008 , 2009 , 2011 , 2012 , 2013 , 2021 German cup winner 2008 Winner of the European Trophy 2010 15-time GDR champion
Club information
history	SC Dynamo Berlin 1954–1990 EHC Dynamo Berlin 1990–1992 Eisbären Berlin since 1992
Parent club	Eisbären Juniors e. V.
Club colors	Blue White Red
league	German ice hockey league
Venue	Mercedes-Benz Arena
capacity	14,200 seats (of which 11,500 seats)
managing Director	Peter-John Lee
Head coach	Serge Aubin
captain	Frank Hoerdler
Season 2020/21	German champions

Eisbären Berlin game in the Mercedes-Benz Arena

The Eisbären Berlin are a Berlin ice hockey club that has been a founding member of the German Ice Hockey League since 1994 . The venue for the Eisbären home games is the Mercedes-Benz Arena . The professional team from EHC Eisbären Berlin was spun off into a GmbH in 1994 , owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group . The club Eisbären Juniors Berlin has been the parent club for the youth teams' play since 2000 . The club colors are dark blue, red and white.

Having won eight German championships from 2005 to 2021, Eisbären Berlin are one of the most successful clubs since the introduction of the DEL. At the European level, the club won the first established European Trophy competition in 2010 . The home games of the polar bears are among the most popular ice hockey events in Europe.

history

1950 to 1953 - The beginnings of ice hockey in Berlin

The first SV DVP game took place in the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle, which was newly built at the time.

The roots of the club go back to the German People's Police Sports Association, which was founded in 1950 . On the orders of the chief of the German People's Police, Karl Maron , an ice hockey section was set up in this sports association . The SV Deutsche Volkspolizei Berlin played their first ice hockey game on June 9, 1951 in the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle against the BSG Einheit Berliner Bär . In addition to the already established Berlin ice hockey club, the club subsequently managed to gain popularity and achieve the Berlin championship title. Since the qualifying round for promotion to the GDR Oberliga was canceled due to a lack of participation, SV DVP took part in the top division for the first time in the following year. After the sporting descent in 1952, the team was renamed SG Dynamo Berlin and had the right to play in the league again after an undefeated following season. However, this was prevented by an order "from above", the club had to disband and hand over the best players such as Hans Frenzel and Wolfgang Nickel to competitor BSG Chemie Weißwasser . By the decision of the German Sports Committee, through funding of farms or state carriers Sports clubs to found, was the year after the predecessor of today's polar bears, the SC Dynamo Berlin.

1954 to 1970 - The times in the GDR Oberliga

As of 1954, the GDR party leadership decided that there were no more so-called company and sports associations - BSG / SG for short - and so just one year after the SG Dynamo Berlin was dissolved, the Dynamo Berlin sports club, from which an ice hockey team was organized. Although the newly built sports forum was available to the club as a sports facility , the team still played and trained in the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle in Prenzlauer Berg . After a victory against SG Chemie Weißwasser and the following relay victory, the prerequisites for a game in the second highest GDR league were created. With that the SC Dynamo was athletically qualified for the GDR Oberliga , but the decision of the German Ice Skating Association of the GDR to only allow four teams in the Oberliga prevented promotion.

season	league	placement
1954/55	GDR League	1st place
1955/56	GDR League	3rd place
1956/57	GDR Oberliga	3rd place
1957/58	GDR Oberliga	4th Place
1958/59 - 1964/65	GDR Oberliga	2nd place
1965/66	GDR Oberliga	1st place
1966/67	GDR Oberliga	1st place
1967/68	GDR Oberliga	1st place
1968/69	GDR Oberliga	2nd place
1969/70	GDR Oberliga	3rd place

Due to the dissolution of the HSG Wissenschaft HU Berlin from the first GDR league, SC Dynamo was able to participate in the regular game operations of the GDR Oberliga from the 1956/57 season, but in the following years it had to face the superiority of SG Dynamo Weißwasser and the SC Einheit Berlin and SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt bow. In the 1957/58 season, the ice rink in the Sportforum was put into operation for the first time and the team now had its own home game and training facility.

The sports forum in 1960

The 1959/60 season was played in two seasons, each with four teams and a subsequent final round. Despite the storm series Ziesche –Klügel– Frenzel , which scored 72 of the total of 116 goals, in the end after the runner-up title of the previous year, the second place was again behind the rival Weißwasser. Various mode changes - always in the interests of international competitiveness - brought with them the coming seasons, in which the long-term competitor from Lusatia also always had the upper hand in the race for the championship. This changed for the first time in the 1965/66 season. The championship this season was played by four teams - participants were the ASK Vorwärts Crimmitschau , the TSC Berlin , the SG Dynamo Weißwasser and the SC Dynamo Berlin - in four tournaments. With a 2-1 win against SG Dynamo Weißwasser, the first German championship of the GDR was brought in on the last tournament weekend against the Lausitzers in the decisive game.

In the following year, for the first time in ten years, "all-German" teams played against each other, so a game was played against the reigning German champions EC Bad Tölz , from which the Dynamos emerged victorious and could informally call themselves "all-German champions". The regular championship was played in five tournaments in 1966/67 over a period of 31 days. After 15 games, SC Dynamo Berlin was at the top for the second time and successfully defended its title. As in the previous year, the lead over the pursuer from Weißwasser was only one point. In the 1967/68 season eight teams took part in the GDR championship. This was played in a single round. In addition to the four teams from the previous season, SC Karl-Marx-Stadt, TSC Berlin, Einheit Dresden and Turbine Erfurt took part. In the end, SC Dynamo Berlin won the GDR championship for the third time with a three-point lead over runner-up Weißwasser and achieved the title hat trick. In the following year, eight teams started again in the GDR Oberliga, after the single round the champions were to be played among the best four teams in four tournaments. After bad results in the third tournament in Weißwasser, the title had to be given back to Oberlausitz. The third place after the 1969/70 season meant the temporary low point from the club's point of view.

Placement in the European Cup
season	placement
1966/67	2nd round
1967/68	Semifinals
1968/69	Semifinals

The first European Cup participation succeeded the SC Dynamo 1966 due to the championship title won for the first time in the GDR league in the previous year. This was also the first participation of an ice hockey team from the GDR, as the opponent from Weißwasser lacked support from the national association the years before. On December 14, 1966 it came to the first game on the international stage against the Finnish champion Ilves Tampere . A game mode was decided, which should guarantee each club two home games. After these four games, in which the Hohenschönhausen only won a draw against the Finns, this European Cup season was over and the team from Tampere moved into the next round. In the following season, the Dynamos drew a walk-through - as they did a year before - and faced the Swedish champions Brynäs Gävle in round two . The favorite was defeated in the decisive game by penalty shoot-out and after Ässät Pori was eliminated in the subsequent quarter-finals , the next hurdle stood in the semifinals with the Czech representative Dukla Jihlava , but the Berliners failed.

As the semi-finalist of the previous year, the SC Dynamo was automatically set for the second round of the 1968/69 European Cup. There GKS Katowice was beaten and after last year's opponent Brynäs Gävle withdrew, the then Europe-wide dominating team CSKA Moscow was on the program in the semifinals . Against the Soviet "opponent", however, was after a 1:11 and a 0:13 after the round of the last four over.

1970 to 1990 - championships in the "smallest league in the world"

The logo of the SC Dynamo Berlin

In September 1970 the government of the GDR decided to dissolve all ice hockey clubs except for the teams from Weißwasser and Berlin. All teams previously participating in regular operations were demoted to hobby teams and were not allowed to participate in a league operation. In addition, all financial contributions were canceled. It was officially stated that ice hockey was too expensive and expensive in terms of foreign exchange and that the existing infrastructure was not sufficient for future top performances. After the decision of the GDR sports leadership, which had serious consequences for several sports, to only support medal-rich sports,  the GDR upper league was reduced to two teams at the endeavors of the head of the Ministry of State Security and fan of ice hockey, Erich Mielke . These teams were the SG Dynamo Weisswasser and the SC Dynamo Berlin. Furthermore, the Ministry gave the opportunity to continue the sport in Crimmitschau; However, this was rejected by the army as the carrier of the local ASK Vorwärts Crimmitschau. The two Dynamo teams from Berlin and White Water played the GDR - Championship until 1990 in the "smallest league in the world" out.

Here, the SC Dynamo Berlin won another twelve titles and brought numerous international and current members of the Hockey Hall of Fame Germany as Dietmar Peters , Rainer Patschinski or the IIHF - Referee forth Gerhard Müller. From this time the former ice hockey greats Dieter Frenzel , Guido Hiller and René Bielke also played their way into the public eye. Third place in the European Cup in 1984 can be seen as the greatest success of these years . Despite the victories, ice hockey was overshadowed by the football club BFC Dynamo, which was also located in the Sportforum and was very successful in the 1980s . In contrast to the competitor from Weißwasser with the ice rink that was sold out several times, only around 500 spectators came to the home games. With the 42nd GDR championship in November 1989, the last round in the "smallest league in the world" should be heralded and the two chairmen Dieter Waschitowitz and Rüdiger Noack made early contact with the superiors of the German ice hockey federation , about the future of the club to secure after the political change . With a 3: 5 defeat against Weißwasser on February 18, 1990 the decision about the last GDR champion was made. On March 21, 1990, the ice hockey department was separated from SC Dynamo and renamed EHC Dynamo Berlin e. V. - at that time the logo already contained the polar bear's head.

See also : Ice hockey in the GDR

In addition to the European Cup appearances, the so-called "International Summer Tournament" was on the program of the capital city from 1970. This served to prepare for the season and at the same time was the additional opportunity to compete with teams from abroad. Until 1976 only teams from the Eastern Bloc countries took part, only after that games were played against Swedish or Swiss clubs. The Berliners were only able to win this tournament in 1975, while between 1970 and 1990 eight second places and seven third places were achieved. The record winner was Dynamo Moscow , who won the tournament a total of 18 times.

Placement in the European Cup
season	placement
1976/77	1 round
1977/78	Semifinals
1978/79	1 round
1979/80	Quarter finals
1980/81	Quarter finals
1982/83	2nd round
1983/84	3rd place
1984/85	Semifinals
1985/86	2nd round
1986/87	2nd round
1987/88	1 round
1988/89	1 round

The SC Dynamo intervened again in international competition in 1976, after having achieved the national championship again after eight years and thus qualifying for the European Cup 1976/77. In the first round there was an encounter against the reigning champions of the Federal Republic, the Berlin ice skating club . The West Berliners won both games and the Hohenschönhausen team were eliminated from the competition. As the first round opponent of the following European Cup season 1977/78, the Polish champion Podhale Nowy Targ was drawn, which the team defeated. In the quarter-finals that followed, there was another duel between the two German champions, this time the opponent was the Cologne EC . After a 5: 1 in the Sportforum, the Dynamos achieved a 6: 2 win against the Rhinelander in the second leg and the entry into the semi-finals was perfect, from which the Czech representative Poldi Kladno emerged victorious. The Polish representative Podhale Nowy Targ, defeated in the previous year, was again opponent in the first round in 1978, but this time prevailed against the team around captain Dietmar Peters. For the 1979/80 European Cup season, the quarter-finals against MoDo AIK Alfredshem from Sweden ended after Vojens IK and SC Bern were defeated in the previous rounds. The team also had to admit defeat in the 1980/81 European Cup in the quarter-finals, this time against IFK Helsinki .

Since the rival from Weißwasser won the GDR championship in the following season, the Berliners did not intervene again in the events of the European championship competition until 1982. Despite a 9-5 win in the second leg, AIK Stockholm had to be granted a place in the semi-finals, as the first leg was lost by five goals. The following European Cup season 1983/84 was the most successful for the team around coach Joachim Ziesche . With a victory in the semi-finals against IFK Helsinki, SC Dynamo Berlin moved into the finals of the European Cup and met the top European teams CSKA Moscow , Dukla Jihlava and Djurgårdens IF Stockholm . In this round only one victory was achieved against the Swedish representative, which resulted in a third place in the end.

The greatest success in the club's history to date entitled the team to be seeded for the semi-finals in the upcoming elimination, where the round had to be prematurely ended against Polonia Bytom . In the following years the season ended in the second round when the series was not won against SB Rosenheim or HC Lugano . From the 1987/88 season, the European Cup was held in tournament form. A fourth place in 1988 followed in the last championship year - for the European Cup season 1988/89 - a second place in the final table.

1990 to 1994 - after reunification

season	league	Preliminary round	Finals
1990/91	BL	12th place	Playdown ↓
1991/92	2nd BL	04th Place	1st place ↑
1992/93	BL	12th place	Playdown
1993/94	BL	11th place	Playdown

↑ ↓ in the promotion / relegation round

Initially, the two GDR clubs Dynamo Weißwasser and SC Dynamo Berlin were supposed to integrate into the 2nd Bundesliga North, but the officials of the league representatives could not agree and admission was repeatedly postponed. At the decision of the representatives of the 1st Bundesliga, it was finally decided unanimously to allow the two clubs to compete in the top ice hockey class in the following season.

EHC Dynamo Berlin player, 1990

After just four months of preparation, the EHC Dynamo Berlin played its first games in the all-German league on September 14, 1990, including the first inner-city duel against the eternal rival from the western part of the city - the Prussian Berlin . Among other things, due to the unusual rhythm for the players of having to compete twice on a weekend, there were numerous defeats during the season, as a result of which the coach Hartmut Nickel handed over his position to Lorenz Funk senior in January 1991 . With the coaching legend Gerhard Kießling , a supervisor was hired towards the end of the season to ensure relegation, but in the end the relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga remained. Despite this, an increase of 200,000 D-Mark was achieved in the first season and a large number of the players remained in the club squad. Due to the contacts of Lorenz Funk sr. top-class players were committed to the 1991/92 season , who rose to the upper house after fourth place in the preliminary round, seventh place in the intermediate round and first place in the promotion round under the coach Hartmut Nickel. Concerned that the name “Dynamo”, which is closely related to the GDR, would scare off sponsors, the association officially called itself “EHC Eisbären Berlin e. V. ”- the“ Dynamo ”disappeared from all official things, but was still chanted by the fans.

In terms of sport, the 1992/93 season was moderate, which was reflected in a twelfth place after the preliminary round. Thanks to the commitment of a financially strong sponsor who, among other things, brought the former top scorer Mark Jooris back to the Spree, and Andy Murray's commitment, the class was held at the end of the season. The following season also led the Eisbären after an eleventh place in the relegation round, which they won with 4-0 victories against the Schwenninger ERC . Beyond the field of play, the main sponsor's withdrawal resulted in financial bottlenecks, which ended, among other things, in the termination of the contract with coach Andy Murray. A total of five coaches were behind the gang in the capital this season - Andy Murray, briefly Walter Köberle and Dietmar Peters, Marshall Kennedy and Jaroslav Walter .

1994 to 2004 - Admission to the DEL and first successes

Local derby between the polar bears and the Capitals

After the establishment of the German Ice Hockey League in 1994, the polar bears were looking for an upward trend. The regulation that there would be no relegation from the league benefited the Berliners, as in this way the previously successful youngsters - the juniors became German champions in 1992 and 1993 - could be integrated into the professional team. In addition, the liabilities piled up in the previous season were reduced through financial support from President Helmut Berg. In terms of sport, things went badly for the Hohenschönhausen team. After a sustained series of defeats, coach Jaroslav Walter had to leave and make room for Joachim Ziesche , who, however, did not reach the playoffs with his team. Due to the ongoing financial problems in the parent club, the professional department was outsourced to "EHC Management GmbH & Co. Sportwerbung und Profisport KG"; the offspring stayed in the club.

In the 1995/96 season , Bill Flynn, a sports director, made numerous signings and should lead the team into the playoff ranks. This goal was missed again with another 17th place.

season	league	Preliminary round	Finals
1994/95	DEL	17th place	no
1995/96	DEL	17th place	no
1996/97	DEL	04th Place	Semifinals
1997/98	DEL	06th place	Runner-up
1998/99	DEL	02nd place	Semifinals
1999/00	DEL	13th place	no
2000/01	DEL	13th place	no
2001/02	DEL	07th place	Quarter finals
2002/03	DEL	01st place	Semifinals
2003/04	DEL	01st place	Runner-up

As a result of the Bosman ruling , in which athletes from other European countries are allowed to change clubs free of charge and do not fall under the quota of foreigners, the polar bears swapped almost their entire squad and filled it with EU foreigners. The Hohenschönhausener reached the semi-finals in the 1996/97 league , beat local rivals Prussia Berlin and ended the season in third place. The successes in the national league as well as in international tournaments, however, also had the downside of financial difficulties. Numerous bankruptcy applications had to be fought off.

In 1999, the Anschutz Entertainment Group and its subsidiary United Sports Management AG joined the Eisbären Berlin as sole shareholder and initially had to repay accumulated debts totaling 16 million Deutschmarks. As a result, the club was excused, but could not set up a competitive squad for the season due to the consolidation measures and had to be satisfied with 13th place. The polar bears also missed the playoffs in the following season , but moved into the playoffs a year later after finishing seventh in the final ranking of the main round. In the quarterfinals, however, the team lost after 3-1 games against eventual runner-up Adler Mannheim .

In the 2002/03 season , offensive defenders Ricard Persson and John Gruden, two former NHL players who fit into the offensive concept of coach Pierre Pagé , were committed. The youngsters complemented the squad with numerous junior players and thus the polar bears took first place by a large margin after the preliminary round. The subsequent playoff quarter-finals had to be moved to the Deutschlandhalle because of the speed skating world championship , where the series was won against the Hamburg Freezers . In the semifinals, the future champions - the Krefeld Penguins  - had the upper hand and ended the season for the Berliners prematurely.

A year later, the starting position seemed the same as after the previous year's main round: The polar bears took first place and went into the playoffs as favorites. Despite two sweeps against the DEG Metro Stars and the ERC Ingolstadt , the team had to admit defeat to the Frankfurt Lions in the final and thus only ended the season with the runner-up championship.

Placement internationally
season	competition	placement
1997	CC	2nd place
1998/99	EHL	3rd place
1999	CC	2nd place

Since the polar bears were initially not successful after their integration into the all-German league, regular comparisons with international teams were only possible as part of the traditional "International Summer Tournament". This tournament was played until the 1996/97 season before the European Hockey League was founded. In addition to the championship title, the placement before the playoffs was decisive for participation. At the same time, another cup competition was created with the IIHF Continental Cup , in which the polar bears hosted the first semi-final tournament in the sports forum in November 1997. After a victory in their own group, the Berliners qualified for the final round in Tampere , where they finished second.

After the runner-up in the DEL in 1997/98 , the club was athletically qualified for the EHL and finished the preliminary round as first in the group. No other German team had qualified for the next round in the previous two years. After a victory over Färjestad BK , the semi-final tournament in Berlin came together with the other German representative Adler Mannheim and the former competitor from the summer tournaments, HK Dynamo Moscow . There the Spreestädter moved into the final tournament and after a victory in the "small final" against Ilves Tampere booked the third place in the tournament. The second place for the polar bears in the 1998/99 season was no longer enough in a European comparison to participate in the EHL again. Due to the good performance that the Berliners achieved through their performances on the European stage in the years before, the Continental Cup was held in the home ground in the 1999/2000 season and competed with HC Ambrì-Piotta , Ak Bars Kazan and the HKm Zvolen measured. From this tournament the team came second and goalkeeper Udo Döhler was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

2004 to the present day - promotion to DEL record champion and European Trophy winner

Game situation of the Eisbären Berlin in the white jersey (2006/07 season)

The 2004/05 season was marked by the failure of the NHL , when many teams strengthened with players from the North American ice hockey league. On the polar bears side, three players, Olaf Kölzig , Erik Cole and Nathan Dempsey , were signed to ensure they won the championship. After a second place after the preliminary round and the subsequent victories in the playoffs against the Augsburger Panther and the ERC Ingolstadt, the final encountered Adler Mannheim, who were beaten 3-0 in the best-of-five series . With this, the polar bears won the German championship for the first time in the history of the German Ice Hockey League.

In the following season, the team defended the title. As in the previous year, the Berlin team won the final series with a sweep . The DEG Metro Stars, who defeated their rivals from Cologne in the semifinals, were defeated 3-0.

season	league	Preliminary round	Finals
2004/05	DEL	2nd place	master
2005/06	DEL	1st place	master
2006/07	DEL	9th place	Playoff qualification
2007/08	DEL	2nd place	master
2008/09	DEL	1st place	master
2009/10	DEL	1st place	Quarter finals
2010/11	DEL	3rd place	master
2011/12	DEL	1st place	master
2012/13	DEL	4th Place	master
2013/14	DEL	8th place	Pre-playoffs
2014/15	DEL	9th place	Pre-playoffs
2015/16	DEL	2nd place	Quarter finals
2016/17	DEL	8th place	Semifinals
2017/18	DEL	2nd place	final
2018/19	DEL	9th place	Quarter finals
2019/20	DEL	End of the season
2020/21	DEL	1st place group north	master

The 2006/07 game year turned out to be more difficult than the previous two years. The capital city club, which started the season as favorite, finished ninth after the preliminary round and thus qualified for the playoff qualification, in which the season ended after a 2-1 draw against the Frankfurt Lions in the best-of-three series. Thereupon the contract with the long-time head coach Pierre Pagé was not extended due to the sporting failures. Pagé then signed a contract with the Austrian club EC Red Bull Salzburg .

The objective of the 2007/08 season was the final and the possible win of the German championship. The team was held together and strengthened selectively before the season. Right at the beginning of the season, the polar bears took their place at the top of the table and consolidated this position for a long time. At the end of the season after a series of defeats, the Sinupret Ice Tigers ousted the Berliners from the top of the table. The outstanding player in the main round was again the Canadian Steve Walker , who with 85 points in 53 games was the player with the highest points in his team and the second best scorer in the DEL. Furthermore, the Berliners had the best defender of the 2007/08 main round in their ranks with their US defensive player Deron Quint . In the subsequent playoffs, the Hamburg Freezers were initially defeated in the quarterfinals . The semi-final against the DEG Metro Stars was competitive, but with a victory in the decisive fifth game with the better end for the capital city club. The final against Cologne was decided in the fourth game in extra time. Florian Busch , who was controversial because of his refused doping control , scored the 2-1 winning goal for the polar bears, who won the German championship for the third time after 2005 and 2006.

According to a study by sports rights marketer Sportfive , the Berliners were the best-known German club apart from football clubs in 2008. The team achieved awareness of 61 percent among the target group of around 55 million citizens in Germany. In terms of sport, the 2008/09 season began with the early retirement after the preliminary round of the German Ice Hockey Cup . Despite two wins, the goal difference in favor of the Hanover Scorpions decided on progress in this competition. On September 14th, 2008 the Eisbären Berlin played their first league game in the newly built home arena O ₂ World Berlin ; the arena was sold out early with 14,000 tickets sold and the largest backdrop in front of which an ice hockey game has ever been played in Berlin. The Berlin team received the Augsburg Panthers, who had to return home with a historic 11-0 defeat. The victory was the highest of the polar bears in the DEL and the second highest in DEL history. After first place after the preliminary round, the Spreestädter defeated the Hamburg Freezers in the subsequent quarter-finals of the playoffs with a sweep and after a 3-1 series against the Adler Mannheim reached the final of the German championship against the DEG Metro Stars . The Rhinelander were also beaten after four games and thus the team defended the title from the previous year.

Placement internationally
season	competition	placement
2008/09	CHL	2nd place VR
2010	European Trophy	winner
2011	European Trophy	2nd place VR

The 2009/10 season ended with two DEL records after the preliminary round. With a total of 123 points and a margin of 25 points, the team easily took first place. In the quarter-finals, the Augsburg Panthers were the opponents, who beat the reigning champions with 3-2 victories. At the end of the preliminary round of the 2010/11 DEL season , the Eisbären took third place in the table and defeated ERC Ingolstadt first in the following playoffs and the DEG Metro Stars in the best-of-five series in the semi-finals . In the final, after three victories against Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg , they finally won their fifth championship title and were initially DEL record champions together with Adler Mannheim. In the 2011/12 season the Eisbären Berlin took first place in the DEL preliminary round just ahead of the ERC Ingolstadt. In the quarter-finals, the polar bears won 4-0 against the Kölner Haie in a best of 7 series . In the semifinals they beat the Straubing Tigers 3-1. In an exciting final series, the polar bears defeated the Adler Mannheim in 5 games. After winning the sixth title since the founding of the German Ice Hockey League, the Berliners surpassed their competitors from Mannheim in the 2011/12 season and have been the sole DEL record champions ever since.

By winning the final in 2008, the Eisbären Berlin were qualified as German champions for the newly founded Champions Hockey League , but were eliminated from the tournament despite three wins in the preliminary round. In addition, the team took part in two Spengler Cups and achieved third place there in 2005 , while a year later they only had to make do with fifth and thus last place.

After the renewed national championship in 2009, the polar bears would have been eligible to compete in the Champions Hockey League in the 2009/10 season . However, due to economic problems, this competition had to pause.

On September 5, 2010 the Eisbären Berlin won the first European Trophy and prevailed in the final in Salzburg with 5: 3 against the Swedish champions HV 71 Jönköping . This makes the polar bears the only German club that has won a European ice hockey cup.

With the win of the seventh German championship within nine years, the dominance of the polar bears ended for the time being in 2013. Successful coach Don Jackson left the club after the 2012/13 season after a six-year tenure, when the former polar bear striker and junior coach Jeff Tomlinson came.

In the 2013/14 season they lost in the playoff qualification against the eventual title winner ERC Ingolstadt , and in 2014/15 they missed the direct route to the championship round, again they had to play in the qualification, where they failed at Nuremberg. During the season, namely in December 2014, Tomlinson had to take his hat off and Uwe Krupp took over as head coach. In the 2015/16 season, the DEL main round was finished in second place in the table, but the Berliners had to bow to the Kölner Haien (3: 4 wins) in the playoff quarter-finals .

In 2016/17 the Eisbären fought their way through the playoff qualification to the semi-finals of the championship round, where they lost to Munich with 1: 4 wins. In the 2017/18 game year, the Berlin team reached the DEL final and lost again to Munich, which was looked after by the former polar bear coach Don Jackson. The series against Munich was decided in the seventh and last game. Krupp's successor was his former assistant Clément Jodoin . In December 2018, the club separated from Jodoin for sporting reasons, sports director Richer took over the coaching position in addition to his other tasks. Richer led the team into the DEL quarter-finals, where the polar bears again overtook the season against Munich.

The 2019/20 season ended prematurely on March 8, 2020 due to the corona pandemic. No German champion was determined. The Eisbären Berlin finished the main round in 4th place in the table.

The 2020/21 season was originally supposed to start in September 2020 as usual. Due to the ongoing corona pandemic, the season kicked off on December 17, 2020. The Eisbären Berlin were able to finish the main round as group winners of the group north. In the quarter-finals of the PlayOffs, which were played this season according to the "Best of 3" game mode, the Eisbären were able to prevail with 2: 1 won games against the Iserlohn Roosters, in the semi-finals also with 2: 1 against ERC Ingolstadt. In the final series, Eisbären Berlin secured their eighth championship title with a 2-1 series against Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg.

Club management

Managing Director Peter-John Lee

As a partner and sole owner, the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) has held the Eisbären license in the German Ice Hockey League since 1999. The parent club is entered in the register of associations at the Charlottenburg District Court and is a member of the German Ice Hockey Association , the German Speed ​​Skating Association , the Berlin Ice Sports Association and an indirect member of the Berlin State Sports Association. In addition, the club was a partner in the ice hockey game operating company when the Eisbären Juniors team took part in the Oberliga Nord organized by the ESBG .

At that time, Detlef Kornett was the European head of the Anschutz Entertainment Group and responsible for EHC Eisbären Management GmbH, who ran the professional club together with the managing directors Peter-John Lee and Bill Flynn . Cornet resigned in 2005. At the same time, Lee sat on the supervisory board together with the tax advisor Helge Rippel under the chairman Ralf Kieslich. The organizational fate of the parent club took over as managing director Andreas Hobuß and sports director Steffen Ziesche , who gave up his post in favor of an offer from the Dresdner Eislöwen after the 2008/09 season. The management of the association was incumbent on the chairman of the board Jürgen Kemkes and Georg Arndt as his representative.

During the 2008/09 season and the move to O ₂ World Berlin, the Eisbären Berlin's marketing concept won the “M in Gold”, an important marketing prize from the city of Berlin. The successful extensive advertising measures in the run-up to the season were given as the reason for the price. In addition, the increased number of viewers doubled sales in the merchandising area and thus strengthened the public image.

In May 2014, Stefan Ustorf was hired as sports director.

In 2015 Flynn resigned as managing director and from then on worked in an advisory capacity for the supervisory board. From this point on, the sole management of the GmbH was in the hands of Peter-John Lee. In addition, Heinz Anders from the Anschutz Group was henceforth responsible for the advertising area.

In February 2017, the former NHL star Luc Robitaille - now in a leading position at the polar bear owner Anschutz - took over the position of chairman of the supervisory board. The activities of the Eisbären management were thus placed directly under the control of the Anschutz Group. In addition, Kelly Cheeseman, another Anschutz officer, was appointed to the committee and joined the other members of the Supervisory Board (Jan Kienappel, Olaf Brüll, Alex Hill, Michael Hapka - all employees of the Anschutz Group).

In May 2017, the previous assistant coach Stephane Richer was transferred to the post of sports director, the Canadian once also held this post at the Hamburg Freezers . From then on, Ustorf was responsible for player development.

Sponsors

Main sponsors since 1990
sponsor	Period
VIC	1991-1993
DFO	1994/95
Gasag	since 1995/96

After reunification, the sporting goods supplier VIC became the first jersey and main sponsor for two seasons. In the 1994/95 season the German ferry company Ostsee supported the association, while a year later the Berlin energy supplier Gasag got into the sponsorship business with the polar bears and has held this role since then. Beginning with the 2004/05 season, the commitment was expanded to include the promotion of the entire child and youth area of ​​the EHC.

In addition to the league-wide sponsors such as the Yellow Pages , numerous companies support the club financially within the framework of sponsorship agreements. The majority of the annual budget is covered by donations from locally and nationally based companies that present themselves on the jersey or the gang .

At the beginning of the 2004/05 season , the polar bears started with a budget of 5.9 million euros, which was covered at the end of the season. The Hohenschönhausen company exceeded the calculated average attendance and also compensated for the temporary obligations from the National Hockey League - Olaf Kölzig, Erik Cole and Nathan Dempsey based on the income from sponsors . With an increased budget of 600,000 euros, the second German championship was celebrated despite a slight decrease in viewer income, which, however, could not be repeated due to the budget cut in 2006. Top performers such as defenders Derrick Walser or Micki DuPont left the club and there was an early elimination in the pre-playoffs. With a careful reinforcement of the squad - for example, striker Nathan Robinson and defender Brandon Smith from the American Hockey League moved from the reigning champions Adler Mannheim to the Spree - and the accompanying budget increase, the third championship was won.

With the move to the newly built O ₂ World Berlin and the previous record budget of 7.7 million euros, the Berliners started the 2008/09 season .

Trainer

In the more than 50-year history of the club, numerous game leaders have been behind the gang. The early years of SC Dynamo initially trained Hans Frenzel as a so-called player -coach and later Wolfgang Nickel as head coach. This was replaced for the 1972/73 season by the team Joachim Ziesche (head coach) and Bernd Hiller (coach). In 1974/75 Günther Schischewski took over the role of head coach and in 1976, together with Ziesche and Hartmut Nickel , stopped the supremacy of SG Dynamo Weißwasser after seven years and achieved the fourth championship title. The coaching team Ziesche / Nickel was to celebrate a total of twelve German championships from 1976 to 1989.

After the political change , Hartmut Nickel continued to stand behind the gang until February 1991 - this time with Lorenz Funk at his side. These were briefly replaced by Gerhard Kießling , who, however, was relegated to the 2nd division after two defeats in the play-downs and then had to take his hat off. For the 1991/92 season, Funk moved to the management of what was then EHC Dynamo Berlin and Nickel was again appointed head coach. In the course of the restructuring within the club and the newly created Germany-wide league, the capital city had to contend with some sporting failures, which was also reflected in the number of coaches deployed. For example, ten different coaches were deployed between the 1992/93 and 1995/96 seasons, none of which brought the desired success to the Spree. Andy Murray resigned from office in the summer of 1993 and returned to his home country Canada, his successor Walter Köberle had to resign due to health problems and only Jaroslav Walter / Klaus Schröder prevented with a 4-0 victory in the play-downs against the Schwenninger Wild Wings the descent. The former master coach from the GDR Oberliga - Joachim Ziesche - only finished 17th with the Eisbären in 1994/95 and had to vacate his place for Helmut Bauer after the season. However, the inglorious climax was the Canadian Cliff Stewart, who coached the polar bears for eight hours before he decided to return and left the club. In his place came as his successor Bill Flynn , who only reached the penultimate place in the 1995/96 season.

Uwe Krupp

With the Bosman ruling , success returned to Berlin. After Andy Murray - who trained the team from January to July 1993 - signed a contract with the Eisbären in May 1996, he accepted an offer from the Canadian Association for the national team and returned to his home country. The fate was then taken over by Ron Kennedy , who went straight to the semi-finals with the newly formed team. On December 17, 1997 he was replaced by Peter-John Lee and under his leadership the polar bears made second place twice at the IIHF Continental Cup ( 1997 and 1999 ) as well as the runner-up and the semi-finals of the German Ice Hockey League .

After a disappointing preliminary round, Kent Forsberg took over the sporting management on January 29, 2000, but did not convince after a 13th place after the main round and fifth in the relegation round and was replaced by Glen Williamson for the 2000/01 season . After 31 defeats in 60 games, he had to resign in November 2000 and leave the scepter to Uli Egen . Although this reached the playoff quarter-finals, but was replaced in January 2002 by Pierre Pagé , who should achieve the greatest successes for the polar bears so far.

As two-time German champions in 2005 and 2006 , Eisbären Berlin and Pagé announced in a joint press release on February 28, 2007 that the ice hockey instructor would end his job at the end of the 2006/07 season. Don Jackson was presented as his successor, building on Pagé's successes and becoming German champions and cup winners with the club in 2008 and German champions in 2009 , 2011 , 2012 and 2013 . Don Jackson left the club as a five-time master coach in June 2013. He was succeeded by Jeff Tomlinson in the 2013/14 season . In December 2014, the contract with Tomlinson was terminated and Uwe Krupp was then hired as the new head coach. After the end of the 2017/18 season, coach Krupp left Berlin at his own request. In May 2018, the previous assistant coach Clément Jodoin took over as head coach after Krupp moved to HC Sparta Prague . Steffen Ziesche remained assistant coach . Shortly before Christmas 2018, the polar bears parted ways with Jodoin, previously there had been four home defeats in a row under his leadership, the team was ninth in the table. Sports director Richer looked after the team from then on. At the beginning of May 2019, Serge Aubin was hired as the new head coach.

Parent club

Placement of the junior teams 2010/11
team	league	Preliminary round	Championship round
Eisbären Juniors Berlin	DNL	3rd place	Semifinals
student	BL North	2nd place	2nd place
Boys	LEV East League	2nd place	3rd place
Junior high school students	LEV East League	1st place	master

→ Main article : Eisbären Juniors Berlin

The parent club Eisbären Juniors e. V. is responsible for the club's junior teams and trains young players for use in the men's team. The Eisbären Juniors Berlin represent the amateur and junior division of the Eisbären Berlin and are considered to be economically independent. The close connection between the parent club and the professional team means that funding licenses are granted.

offspring

The Eisbären are successful in the junior division and have several German and regional champions in the junior divisions. The club owns youth teams in the German Youth League (DNL) and the youth leagues of the German Ice Hockey Federation . For a number of years, efforts have been made to include young, talented players. For this purpose, talents from all over Germany were tied to the organization in order to gain experience in the senior sector via the top division team of Eisbären Juniors and assignments in the DEL. Through this increased work and the better connection between the youth and senior areas, the club succeeded in introducing several players to the national team.

The so-called youth development fund of the German Ice Hockey Federation represents an indicator for the youth work of an ice hockey team in terms of quantity and quality. The DEB evaluates this work and rewards it financially. According to the evaluation of the results of the 2007/08 season, the polar bears were nationwide leaders in terms of subsidies at EUR 82,937.41 and, according to this instrument, had the best youth work. In the area of ​​effectiveness - corresponding to the change of the young players to the senior level - the club was in first place and in the criterion "evaluation according to young players international appearances" in second place. Since 2005, with the exception of second place from the 2006/07 season, the club has always been at the top of this ranking.

Venues

Corrugated iron palace

→ Main article : Corrugated iron palace

The Wellblechpalast, also known as Welli, has been the official name of Hall 1 of the artificial ice stadium in the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen since October 6, 2001 , where the polar bears played until the end of the 2007/08 season. In the stadium, which was completed in 1963 - which has a total of 4,695 spectators, including 1,600 seats - numerous successes such as three German championships were celebrated. The ice hockey teams of the SC Dynamo Berlin and later the Eisbären Berlin organized various tournaments with international participation in the Wellblechpalast. In addition, the IIHF -U18- European Championship took place here from April 9th ​​to 16th, 1995 , at which the German team surprisingly became vice-European champion. The Wellblechpalast continues to function as a training facility for the professional team and as a venue for the Eisbären Juniors Berlin . In the last season spent in the "Welli", a total of 168,680 tickets were sold at the Eisbären '36 home games, which corresponded to an average attendance of 4,686.

Mercedes-Benz Arena

→ Main article : Mercedes-Benz Arena (Berlin)

The Mercedes-Benz Arena, home of the polar bears

After the completion of the multifunctional hall at Berlin Ostbahnhof, the home games of the polar bears have been played there since the 2008/09 season. With 14,200 spectators, it is the second largest ice hockey stadium in Germany after the Lanxess Arena in Cologne . Deron Quint signed up as the first scorer in the opening game against the Augsburg Panthers.

In 2019 the Eisbären had an average attendance of 12,026 viewers per game (occupancy 84.69%), making them the team with the highest average attendance in the DEL and ranked third in Europe behind SKA Saint Petersburg (13,016 viewers per game) and SC Bern (16,290 spectators per game).

Spectator statistics in the Mercedes-Benz Arena
season	Home games	spectator	Spectators per game
2008/09	32    (26/6)	441,900    (357,400 / 84,500)	13,809    (13,746 / 14,083)
2009/10	31    (28/3)	435,900    (393,700 / 42,200)	14,061    (14,060 / 14,066)
2010/11	31    (26/5)	433,200    (362,600 / 70,600)	13,974    (13,946 / 14,120)
2011/12	33    (26/7)	465,000    (365,900 / 99,100)	14,091    (14,073 / 14,157)

(The total occupancy rate for the entire season is given. The main round / playoffs are listed separately in brackets.)

team

Squad of the 2020/21 season

Twelve foreign licenses are available to the teams in the top German league. Every player without German citizenship holds one of these licenses, ten of which may be used per competitive game. In addition, the association can issue funding licenses for players under the age of 25 so that they can gain gaming experience with the farm team , the Lausitzer Füchsen .

As of October 8, 2020

No.	Nat.	player	Item	Date of birth	in the team since	place of birth
45		Tobias Ancicka	G	February 27, 2001	2020	Heilbronn , Germany
35		Mathias Niederberger	G	November 26, 1992	2020	Dusseldorf , Germany
4th		Leon Gawanke	D.	May 31, 1999	2020	Berlin , Germany
7th		Frank Hoerdler	D.	January 26, 1985	2003	Bad Muskau , Germany
58		Ryan McKiernan	D.	July 27, 1989	2019	White Plains , New York , USA
12th		Eric Mik	D.	February 28, 2000	2018	Berlin , Germany
18th		Jonas Müller	D.	November 19, 1995	2013	Berlin , Germany
55		John Ramage	D.	February 7, 1991	2019	Mississauga , Ontario , Canada
6th		Kai Wissmann	D.	October 22, 1996	2014	Villingen-Schwenningen , Germany
61		Sean Backman	RW	April 29, 1986	2017	Cos Cob , Connecticut , USA
89		Zach Boychuk	C.	4th October 1989	2021	Airdrie , Alberta , Canada
87		Fabian Dietz	F.	November 29, 1998	2019	Weilheim in Upper Bavaria , Germany
98		Kris Foucault	LW	December 12, 1990	2020	Calgary , Alberta , Canada
8th		Nino children	LW	February 22, 2001	2020	Berlin , Germany
23		Pierre-Cédric Labrie	LW	June 12, 1986	2019	Baie-Comeau , Quebec , Canada
92		Marcel Noebels	LW	March 14, 1992	2014	Tönisvorst , Germany
91		Mark Olver	C.	January 1, 1988	2017	Burnaby , British Columbia , Canada
93		Leonhard Pföderl	W.	September 1, 1993	2019	Bad Toelz , Germany
44		Lukas Reichel	F.	May 17, 2002	2019	Nuremberg , Germany
22nd		Thomas Reichel	C.	April 21, 1999	2019	Nuremberg , Germany
81		Sebastian Streu	LW	November 22, 1999	2019	Neuwied , Germany
10		Parker Tuomie	RW	October 31, 1995	2020	Hassfurt , Germany
97		Matt White	W.	23rd August 1989	2020	Whittier , California , USA
9		Mark Zengerle	C.	May 12, 1989	2020	Rochester , New York , USA

• 

  André Rankel

• 

  Jens Baxmann

• 

  Florian Busch

• 

  Frank Hoerdler

Coaching staff

activity	Nat.	Surname	Date of birth	In the team since	place of birth
Trainer		Serge Aubin	15th February 1975	2019	Val-d'Or , Quebec , Canada
assistant		Gerry Fleming	October 16, 1967	2018	Montréal , Québec , Canada
assistant		Craig Streu	5th June 1968	2019	Biggar , Saskatchewan , Canada
Sports manager		Stéphane Richer	April 23, 1966	2017	Hull , Quebec , Canada

Jerseys and equipment

Home shirt	Away shirt

The polar bears traditionally play in the colors blue, white and red. The logo - a polar bear - adorns the jerseys in the chest area.

Like all other teams, two different shirt designs will be used for the games. Following the example of the National Hockey League , the darker jerseys are used for home and the lighter jerseys for away games. In the case of the polar bears, at home games this is a dark blue as the basic color, which is also found in the club colors. For the away games, the team competes in the lighter - predominantly white - sportswear. The forearms and sides are each set off in orange and dark blue, and the chest, loin and shoulder areas are equipped with the sponsors. A jersey designed as the basic color orange is available as a third jersey.

In addition, a separate dress is used for warming, which is mainly kept in white and is not based on the existing layout. The trousers of the players are traditionally dark blue, both for home and away games. The socks are kept in the basic color of the jersey worn.

Significant past teams

European Hockey League 1998/99

With third place in the European competition, the polar bears achieved the greatest success in the club's recent history. The first place was achieved in the group phase and after the semi-final defeat against the Russian representative HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk , the Spreestädter won the "small final" 4: 1 against Ilves Tampere . With Marc Fortier , the team also had the second best scorer in the intermediate and final round in their ranks.

position	Surname
Goal:	Mario Brunetta , Udo Döhler , Jason Muzzatti
Defense:	Greg Andrusak , Chad Biafore , Leif Carlsson , Rob Cowie , Darren Durdle , Rob Leask , Derek Mayer , Thomas Rhodin
Storm:	Andreas Brockmann , Mike Bullard , Mario Chitaroni , Yvon Corriveau , Sven Felski , Marc Fortier , Florian Funk , Lorenz Funk , Chris Govedaris , Niklas Hede , Andrew McKim , Thomas Steen , Pelle Svensson , Mikael Wahlberg
Trainer:	Peter-John Lee (Head Coach)

German champion 2004/05

The German championship 2004/05 was the first all-German championship title for the polar bears. At the end of the season they prevailed in the playoff final against Adler Mannheim . The top scorer this season was Steve Walker with 46 points.

Championship celebration 2005

position	Surname
Goal:	Oliver Jonas , Olaf Kölzig , Youri Ziffzer
Defense:	Jens Baxmann , Nathan Dempsey , Derek Dinger , Tobias Draxinger , Micki DuPont , Shawn Heins , Frank Hördler , Rob Leask , Norman Martens , Ricard Persson , Derrick Walser
Storm:	Alexander Barta , Mark Beaufait , Florian Busch , Erik Cole , Kelly Fairchild , Sven Felski , Christoph Gawlik , Florian Keller , Richard Mueller , Denis Pederson , André Rankel , Rob Shearer , Marcus Sommerfeld , Stefan Ustorf , Steve Walker
Trainer:	Pierre Pagé (head coach) , Hartmut Nickel (assistant coach)

German champion 2005/06

After last year's win and only one defeat in the playoffs, the Hohenschönhausen team defended the championship title in the 2005/06 season . The preliminary round was finished in first place and goalkeeper Tomáš Pöpperle was named the best goalie of the preliminary round. Defender Derrick Walser was honored as MVP of the playoffs , who decisively decided the final series against the DEG Metro Stars with four goals .

Celebration of the German championship 2006

position	Surname
Goal:	Daniar Dshunussow , Tomáš Pöpperle , Youri Ziffzer
Defense:	Jens Baxmann , Drake Berehowsky , Tobias Draxinger , Micki DuPont , Frank Hördler , Rob Leask , Norman Martens , Deron Quint , Derrick Walser
Storm:	Mark Beaufait , Constantin Braun , Florian Busch , Kelly Fairchild , Sven Felski , Sean Fischer , Christoph Gawlik , Patrick Jarrett , Jonathan Lehun , Richard Mueller , Marcel Müller , Denis Pederson , André Rankel , Stefan Ustorf , Steve Walker , Alexander Weiß
Trainer:	Pierre Pagé (head coach) , Hartmut Nickel (assistant coach)

German champion and cup winner 2007/08

With the most victories in one season, the polar bears achieved their third championship in the DEL in 2008 . The highest point defender Deron Quint , who scored 51 points in 56 games, played a decisive role in this success . Steve Walker was honored as the most valuable player in the playoff series . In addition, the "double" was achieved by winning the German ice hockey cup .

After winning the German Ice Hockey Cup in 2008

position	Surname
Goal:	Rob Zepp , Youri Ziffzer
Defense:	Jens Baxmann , Tobias Draxinger , Frank Hördler , René Kramer , Deron Quint , Andy Roach , Brandon Smith
Storm:	Mark Beaufait , Constantin Braun , Florian Busch , Sven Felski , Marius Garten , Christoph Gawlik , Richard Mueller , Tyson Mulock , Elia Ostwald , Denis Pederson , André Rankel , Nathan Robinson , Stefan Ustorf , Steve Walker , Alexander Weiß , Daniel Weiß
Trainer:	Don Jackson (head coach) , Hartmut Nickel (assistant trainer) , Jeff Tomlinson (assistant trainer)

German champion 2008/09

After the preliminary round with the second-best record in the history of the polar bear ended in first place, the fourth championship of the 2008/09 season was celebrated on April 15, 2009 after 3-1 victories against the DEG Metro Stars . With four championships in the last five years, the capital city club is the most successful team in recent DEL history. In addition, the team was the most efficient power play team in the league during the season and Deron Quint was once again the defender with the highest points in its own ranks.

Denis Pederson (front) and Richie Regehr with the 2009 championship trophy

position	Surname
Goal:	Markus Keller, Rob Zepp , Youri Ziffzer
Defense:	Jens Baxmann , Dominik Bielke , Frank Hördler , René Kramer , Deron Quint , Andy Roach , Richie Regehr , Brandon Smith
Storm:	Constantin Braun , Mark Beaufait , Florian Busch , Sven Felski (A) , Norman Martens , Matt McIlvane , Tyson Mulock , Denis Pederson , André Rankel , Patrick Pohl , Alexander Oblinger , Nathan Robinson , Christian Swärd , Stefan Ustorf (A) , Steve Walker (C) , Alexander White , Daniel White
Trainer:	Don Jackson (head coach) , Hartmut Nickel (assistant trainer) , Jeff Tomlinson (assistant trainer)

German champion 2010/11

Stefan Ustorf presents the 2011 championship trophy , followed by Alexander Weiß with the European Trophy

The polar bears finished the preliminary round in third place. In the final of the subsequent playoff round, the Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg were defeated with a sweep : The third and decisive victory in the best-of-five mode came on April 19 with a 5-4 victory. Constantin Braun scored the decisive goal . Exactly on the same day six years ago, the Berliners won their first all-German championship title. Stefan Ustorf , André Rankel and TJ Mulock distinguished themselves as the best scorers in the playoffs.

position	Surname
Goal:	Kevin Nastiuk , Rob Zepp
Defense:	Jens Baxmann , Dominik Bielke , Constantin Braun , Frank Hördler , Richie Regehr , Jim Sharrow , Derrick Walser
Storm:	Laurin Braun , Florian Busch , Mads Christensen , Chris Hahn , Sven Felski (A) , Jeff Friesen , Tyson Mulock , TJ Mulock , Denis Pederson , André Rankel (A) , Stefan Ustorf (C) , Steve Walker , Alexander Weiß , Daniel Weiß
Trainer:	Don Jackson (head coach) , Hartmut Nickel (assistant trainer) , Vince Malette (assistant trainer)

German champion 2011/12

The polar bears celebrate their sixth championship in the local O ₂ World Berlin

The polar bears finished the preliminary round in first place. In the subsequent playoff round, the Kölner Haie were defeated with a sweep and made the finals perfect with 3: 1 wins in the best-of-five series against the Straubing Tigers . There the previous record champions of the DEL faced each other with five title wins each. In a series that went over the full distance of five games, the Adler Mannheim were finally defeated 3-1 in the decisive game and the Eisbären reached their sixth DEL championship. Barry Tallackson was named the Playoffs MVP.

position	Surname
Goal:	Kevin Nastiuk , Rob Zepp
Defense:	Nicholas Angell , Jens Baxmann , Dominik Bielke , Constantin Braun , Frank Hördler , Richie Regehr , Jim Sharrow , Thomas Supis
Storm:	Laurin Braun , Florian Busch , Mads Christensen , Sven Felski (A) , Tyson Mulock , TJ Mulock , Darin Olver , Denis Pederson , André Rankel (A) , Vincent Schlenker , Jonathan Sim , Julian Talbot , Barry Tallackson , Stefan Ustorf (C) , Daniel White
Trainer:	Don Jackson (head coach) , Hartmut Nickel (assistant trainer) , Vince Malette (assistant trainer)

player

Honors

In the course of 50 years of ice hockey in Hohenschönhausen , the polar bears honored the outstanding sporting achievements of four players with a banner in the corrugated iron palace in 2004. In addition, the number 80 of the deceased goalkeeper Robert Müller is no longer used on a voluntary basis throughout the league. On January 2, 2011, Mark Beaufait's number 19 was officially banned as the first jersey number in the history of the polar bears and pulled under the roof of the hall as a tribute. In the following years further numbers were blocked, among others by Stefan Ustorf and Sven Felski .

René Bielke

Surname	#	position	Time at the club	Remarks
René Bielke	1	goalkeeper	1980-1992	Bielke played a total of twelve seasons in the goal of SC Dynamo and EHC Dynamo Berlin. His average of 1.17 goals conceded per game in 1982 is still the best value in the history of ice hockey in Hohenschönhausen.
Dieter Frenzel	5	defender	1972-1989	Dieter Frenzel played for SC Dynamo Berlin from 1972 to 1989 and was captain of the GDR national team for a total of ten years. In the all-time statistics, he is also the defender with the most goals for Berliners.
Dietmar Peters	14th	defender	1970-1986	With 315 official international matches and 16 World Cup and Olympic tournaments, Dietmar Peters is the player with the most national team appearances. He is currently working as a trainer in the polar bears' junior division.
Joachim Ziesche	6th	striker	1958-1970	Ziesche is the most successful goalscorer and scorer for the club. For his services in sport he was honored in 1990 with the admission into the Hall of Fame Germany and in 1999 with the admission into the IIHF Hall of Fame .
Blocked jersey numbers
Sven Felski	11	striker	1992-2012	Felski completed 1000 games in the polar bear jersey and was involved in 6 championships. It was also announced during the press conference at which he announced his resignation that his jersey number 11 will no longer be awarded.
Stefan Ustorf	14th	striker	2004–2012	Ustorf joined the Eisbären in 2004 and won 6 championships with them. In March 2013, Ustorf announced at a press conference that he would have to end his playing career due to an injury. His jersey number 14 is no longer awarded.
Mark Beaufait	19th	striker	2002-2009	Beaufait was involved in four Eisbären championship titles and ended his career in 2009 after 393 games in the jersey of the Berliners. His shirt number was the first that was pulled under the roof of the O 2 World Berlin and is no longer given.
Denis Pederson	20th	striker	2003-2012	Canadian striker Pederson was injured early in the 2012/13 season and ultimately ended his career. On December 26, 2015, Pedersond number 20 was pulled under the roof of the hall and is therefore no longer available.
André Rankel	24	striker	2003-2020	Rankel, who was born in Berlin, was involved in all the major titles of the 2000s and 2010s and led the polar bears onto the ice as captain for 8 years. With the announcement of the end of his career, his number was retired.
Steve Walker	27	striker	2000-2011	The long-time captain of the Berliners joined the polar bears in 2000. His number 27 has not been awarded since his retirement in 2011 and has been hung as a banner since 2014.
Robert Mueller	80	goalkeeper	-	In honor of the achievements of the goalkeeper who died in 2009, his shirt number is no longer given on a voluntary basis throughout the league since the 2009/10 season .

Members of the Hockey Hall of Fame Germany

Due to their achievements and merits in German ice hockey and within the club, numerous former players and officials of SC Dynamo and Eisbären Berlin have been accepted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Germany .

(Team membership and position in brackets)

René Bielke (1980–1992, goalkeeper) Bielke was the national goalkeeper of the GDR and later in the Federal Republic. For years he played for SC Berlin and EHC Dynamo Berlin. His jersey hangs in his honor in the corrugated iron palace under the ceiling of the hall and in 2001 he was also accepted into the HHOF Germany . Friedhelm Bögelsack (1970–1989, striker) Bögelsack played for SC Dynamo Berlin until 1989 and was GDR champion 14 times with the club. Reinhardt Fengler (1974–1989, defense lawyer) The 270-time GDR national ice hockey player played a total of 18 seasons at SC Dynamo Berlin, making him one of the club's longest-serving players. Dieter Frenzel (1972–1989, defense attorney) Frenzel played for SC Dynamo Berlin from 1972 to 1989, scoring 62 goals in 141 games. He completed 296 international games and took part in 13 world championships and the Olympic Games. Hans Frenzel (1958-1965, striker) "Hanne" Frenzel was both a player and a coach for the Berlin team and was on the ice in 61 games for the GDR national team. After his career, he was the hall speaker in the Corrugated Iron Palace for years. Lorenz Funk senior (1991-2000, manager) Manager at the Eisbären between 1991 and 2000 and thus jointly responsible for two second places at the IIHF Continental Cup . He is now a junior observer for the parent club Eisbären Juniors. Bernd Hiller (1960–1972, striker) Hiller was part of the GDR national team in the 1960s. The father of ice hockey legend Guido Hiller played 152 games for SC Dynamo and scored 113 goals. Bernd Karrenbauer (1962–1975, defender) Karrenbauer came to SC Dynamo at the age of 17 and completed 13 seasons there. After his career, he remained loyal to the club and initially worked as a manager, later as a youth coach and assistant coach for professionals. He has been material manager since 1991.

Gerhard Kießling (1991, trainer) Was the so-called "state coach " of the GDR national ice hockey team and in 1958 national coach. In 1991 he was briefly behind the gang at EHC Dynamo Berlin, but rose with the club in the 2nd division. Harald Kuhnke (1977-1994, striker) Kuhnke played a total of 17 seasons for the Berlin team. He is 9th in the all-time scorer list with 300 games and a total of 211 points with 202 penalty minutes. Peter-John Lee (1995–1997, striker) Former player, coach and current manager of the polar bears. Lee has been a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Germany since April 30, 2008. Joachim Lempio (1975–1990, defender) With 15 seasons in the SC Dynamo jersey and 220 international matches, Lempio was a key figure in Berlin ice hockey in the period before the fall of the century. Klaus Merk (2000-2003, goalkeeper) As a long-time goalkeeper at arch rivals BSC Preussen Berlin , Merk moved to Hohenschönhausen for three seasons in 2000. On July 9, 2004, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Germany. Gerhard Müller (1971–1983, striker) The striker won the championship seven times in his twelve years at SC Dynamo Berlin and was on the ice 192 times for the GDR national team. Hartmut Nickel (1963–1974, striker; 1976–1993, coach) The longest-serving employee of the Dynamo / Eisbären organization came to Berlin as a player from Weißwasser in 1963 and played a total of 113 games. After his career, he filled various coaching positions at the club and is now an assistant coach and sports coordinator. Rainer Patschinski (1970–1980, striker) Patschinski played a total of ten seasons for TSC Berlin and SC Dynamo, in which he won five championships. In addition, he was on the ice for 238 GDR international matches.

Dietmar Peters (1970–1986, defender; youth coach since 1986) Peters wore the jersey of the GDR national ice hockey team 315 times and is thus the only record national player in GDR ice hockey. In 1986 he moved to the junior division of SC Dynamo Berlin. In the 2001/02 season Dietmar Peters was German champion with the students of the Eisbären Juniors Berlin. Roland Peters (1970–1988, lawyer) Dietmar Peters' brother was in the Berlin squad for 18 seasons. He wore the jersey of the GDR national ice hockey team 279 times. Wolfgang Plotka (1958–1971, defense lawyer ) Plotka was one of the "early heroes" of Berlin ice hockey history and played for SC Dynamo for a total of 13 years. Frank Proske (1976-1992, striker) Proske was involved in eleven GDR championships before the number 12 ended his active career after the 1991/92 season. Peter Prusa (1962–1974, striker) Prusa was actively involved in building up Berlin ice hockey and wore the jersey of the GDR national team 157 times. Joachim Stasche (1970–1979, striker) The number 19 stormed nine seasons for the club in the GDR league and won four championships. For the national team, he completed 139 games. Dieter Voigt (1958–1968, defense lawyer) Dieter Voigt was part of the medal team of the GDR national team in 1966, which won the bronze medal at the European championship . The defender acted ten seasons for Berlin and celebrated three championships. Joachim Ziesche (1958–1970, striker) Most successful goalscorer and scorer for SC Dynamo Berlin. After his active career, he coached SC Dynamo Berlin from 1970 to 1989 and won 15 championships with his team. He was also the head coach of the GDR national team for 16 years. For his services in sport he was honored in 1990 with the admission into the Hall of Fame Germany and in 1999 with the admission into the IIHF Hall of Fame .

Internal records from 1958 to 1990

Dietmar Peters

At the time of the German Ice Skating Association of the GDR , numerous players stood on the ice for SC Dynamo Berlin and achieved notable team records.

Years of play place player Years of play 1. Reinhard Fengler 18th 1. Roland Peters 18th 2. Dieter Frenzel 17th

Record player place player Games 1. Joachim Ziesche 179 2. Wolfgang Plotka 177 3. Bernd Hiller 152

Gates place player Gates 1. Joachim Ziesche 284 2. Bernd Hiller 113 3. Werner artist 85

Club-internal records since 1990

Sven Felski, Eisbären Berlin record player

In addition to the national successes - including the four championships in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 - the players have also set internal team records. The outstanding actors include the Berlin veteran Sven Felski and the Canadian Steve Walker .

Record player place player Games 1. Sven Felski 1000 2. Rob Leask 531 3. Steve Walker 497 4th Mark Beaufait 389 5. Marc Fortier 313

Top scorer place player Points (T / A) 1. Steve Walker 565 (202/363) 2. Sven Felski 507 (201/306) 3. Mark Beaufait 373 (131/242)

Top goal scorers place player Gates 1. Steve Walker 202 2. Sven Felski 201 3. Mark Beaufait 131

Top template provider place player templates 1. Steve Walker 363 2. Sven Felski 306 3. Mark Beaufait 242

Penalty minutes place player Minutes 1. Sven Felski 1586 2. Rob Leask 928 3. Mario Chitaroni 656

goalkeeper place player Conceded goal 1. Richard Shulmistra 2.23 2. Rich parent 2.44 3. Oliver Jonas 2.49

(all statistics are current at the end of the 2009/10 season )

Significant former players

(Team membership and position in brackets)

Mike Bullard (1998-2000, Sturm) The former NHL player, among other things, he was active for the Calgary Flames and the St. Louis Blues , played a leading role in the then team of the polar bears. In 1998 and 1999 he was also appointed to the DEL All-Star Team. Erik Cole (2004-2005, Sturm) Cole played with the polar bears during the 2004 NHL lockout . Jiří Dopita (1992–1995, storm) Jiří Dopita joined the Eisbären team in 1992 and quickly developed into one of the team's top performers. In addition, he played a significant role in the prevented relegation in the 1993/94 season. Micki DuPont (2003-2006, since 2015, defense) The trained defender DuPont won two German championships with the Eisbären (2005, 2006). In addition, he played in his career for the Calgary Flames and the Pittsburgh Penguins, among others .

Jan Schertz (1990-2002, Sturm) Former national player Jan Schertz played for Eisbären Berlin for twelve years. In the meantime he helped out in the junior team, the Eisbären Juniors Berlin . Sven Felski (1992-2013, Sturm) The Berlin “veteran” Sven “Felle” Felski is one of the crowd's favorites and has been a long-time performer in the team. The 2007/08 championship season was Felski's best season in the Berlin jersey - he scored 55 points in 65 games. Marc Fortier (1996-2002, Sturm) Fortier was a longtime NHL player, including for the Ottawa Senators and the Los Angeles Kings . He ended his hockey career in 2005 when HC Ajoie in the National League B . Andrei Lomakin (1995–1997, Sturm) The former NHL player played for the polar bears for a total of two years. Before that he was active with the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League.

Richard Shulmistra (2001-2003, goal) Shulmistra played from 1997 to 2001 for the New Jersey Devils and the Florida Panthers in the NHL. In 2003 he switched from Eisbären to Adler Mannheim , where he completed his final year as a professional ice hockey player. Thomas Steen (1996-1999, Sturm) When the Swedish striker came to Berlin in 1996, he was celebrated as a transfer coup. However, he had already passed his zenith and could not build on old performances in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets . Stefan Ustorf (2004–2012, Sturm) Stefan Ustorf was selected by the Washington Capitals during the 1992 NHL Entry Draft , for which he played 54 NHL games between 1994 and 1997. He is a four-time German champion and cup winner in 2008 with the Eisbären Berlin. Steve Walker (since 2000, storm) Walker won the German championship four times as well as the German Cup victory in 2008 with the Eisbären Berlin. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Play-offs in the 2007/08 season .

Participant in the All-Star Game

All-Star-Game 2009 logo in Berlin

Some Eisbären Berlin players and coaches were nominated for the DEL All-Star Game while they were on the team . This is a friendly game that has been held annually since 1998 and in which the most outstanding players in the German Ice Hockey League compete against each other. In 2009 the polar bears hosted the All-Star Games themselves.

Participation in the All-Star Game while being a team member
Surname	position	Team membership	Participations	team
Alexander Barta	Storm	2001-2005	2005	Germany
Mike Bullard	Storm	1998-2000	1998	DEL all-stars
Florian Busch	Storm	since 2002	2006	Germany
David Cooper	defense	2001-2002	2002	DEL all-stars
Rob Cowie	defense	1997-2001	1998	DEL all-stars
Micki DuPont	defense	2003-2006	2005	DEL all-stars
Kelly Fairchild	Storm	2002-2007	2003, 2004 Best Puck Handler (2003)	DEL all-stars
Sven Felski	Storm	since 1990	2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 Best Sprinter (2003, 2005)	Germany
Frank Hoerdler	defense	since 2003	2006, 2009	Germany
Oliver Jonas	goal	2001-2005	2004	Germany
Olaf Koelzig	goal	2004-2005	2005	Germany
Rob Leask	defense	1996-2006	2004, 2005	Germany
Denis Pederson	Storm	since 2003	2009	North America team
Ricard Persson	defense	2002-2005	2004	DEL all-stars
Deron Quint	defense	2006-2009	2008, 2009	DEL all-stars
Richie Regehr	defense	since 2008	2009 Hardest slap shot (2009)	North America team
Andy Roach	defense	2006-2010	2007, 2008 Best Sprinter (2007, 2008)	DEL all-stars
Nathan Robinson	Storm	2007-2009	2008, 2009	DEL all-stars
Stefan Ustorf	Storm	since 2004	2005	Germany
Steve Walker	Storm	since 2000	2005, 2009	DEL all-stars
Rob Zepp	goal	since 2007	2009	Europe

Drafted players

In the history of the polar bears, four players have been selected from their own offspring in an NHL Entry Draft . Torsten Kienass who emerged from the squad of the EHC Dynamo, here was in 1991 the first Berlin player who was given this honor. The youngest player drafted in 2006 was striker Constantin Braun at the age of 18. Sebastian Stefaniszin is the earliest selected player. In the 2007 NHL Entry Draft , the Anaheim Ducks secured the rights to the goalkeeper in the fourth round in 98th place. In 2009, Dominik Bielke became the only German player to be drafted by the San Jose Sharks .

Club culture

The polar bear fan curve in the arena

The fans of the polar bears are organized in numerous fan clubs, which are networked by a general fan advisory board. He stands up for the needs of the fans and organizes trips away or choreographies, among other things. At the home games of the polar bears, a standing stand in the Mercedes-Benz-Arena offers space for around 2,000 fans.

Before the first home game in the new arena on September 14, 2008, some EHC fans organized a joint march from Alexanderplatz to O ₂ World Berlin. Several hundred fans and a moving van that presented the jerseys from the last few years said goodbye to their old home ground and took a step towards their “new home”.

Fan friendships and rivalries

The local derbies against the BSC Preussen and the Preussen Devils were always particularly explosive due to the geographical origin of the two teams and the "conflict" between East and West. However, due to the bankruptcy of the later Berlin Capitals and their remaining in lower-class leagues, this rivalry subsided and is now only shown in isolated fanfare. At the moment there are (peaceful) arguments with fans of the Augsburg Panthers , which are based on the traditional and not entirely serious north-south conflict between Berlin and Bavaria. Part of the fans of the EHC maintain a club and Fanfreundschaft with the HC Ambri-Piotta from the National League A . There are other good relationships with the fans of the Krefeld Penguins , the Grizzlys Wolfsburg and the ETC Crimmitschau .

Club anthems

The most catchy club anthem, which has existed since 1996, is called “Hey, we want to see the polar bears!” And is sung by the band “ Die Puhdys ”. This was only a short time in the 2000/01 season with the song "The EHC is back" by the artists Space Kelly feat. Tim & Spencer replaced.

Before that, the polar bears had had various club anthems since 1991:

• "Polar bear show the claw" (music: Michael Stappenbeck, text: Thomas Wardelmann)
• "Bärenstark" (music based on "Marble, Stone and Iron Breaks" by Drafi Deutscher , Bruhn, Loose, text: H.-W. Hase)
• only 1996/97, unofficial: "A polar bear in Berlin" (music and text by the polar bear player at the time, Kraig Nienhuis )

The official anthem for goals of the polar bears at home games consists of four elements. First, the sung line of text “Berlin, Halleluja Berlin” from the song “Brandenburg” by Rainald Grebe is played, followed by the actual hymn, Jacques Offenbach's “ Cancan ” from Orpheus in the Underworld , which goes with the saying “Oh, you my nose” TV doll figure Pittiplatsch follows. The counting rhyme “Ene mene miste” from the German children's television series Rappelkiste concludes the sequence.

mascot

Mascot Bully Bambini and stadium announcer Uwe Schumann during a break.

Since the EHC Dynamo Berlin was founded in 1990, a polar bear has graced the logo of the Eisbären Berlin. In addition to the naming, two mascots named Bully and Bully Bambini have been presenting the club to the outside world since 2001 . They are two polar bears donated by a sponsor. Both step on the ice before the home games and during the third breaks and, together with stadium announcer Uwe Schumann, get the fans in the mood for the game. In addition, they act as an advertising medium for the association at trade fairs and events.

Partnerships and social engagement

In order to introduce talented players to the professional squad and to be able to train them optimally, the Eisbären maintain partnerships with other lower-class clubs in addition to their own youth center and the DNL team. For the 2009/10 season these were, on the one hand, the Dresdner Eislöwen from the 2nd Bundesliga , which had sports manager Steffen Ziesche, the former sports director of the Eisbären Juniors, in their ranks. On the other hand, the polar bears provide the FASS Berlin regional league team with additional young players. The polar bears have been cooperating with the Crimmitschau ice pirates since the 2010/11 season .

In June 2018, the Lausitzer Füchse and Berliner Eisbären announced that they would extend and at the same time deepen the cooperation that had existed since 2016 for at least three years, following the example of the NHL team Los Angeles Kings and their farm team Ontario Reign (AHL) . In the sporting area, the personnel decisions are made by the managing director of Lausitzer Füchsen together with the sports director of the Berlin polar bears. The polar bears 'fitness trainer will also accompany the foxes' strength and endurance training in order to create the same conditions in both teams. The goalkeeping coach Sebastian Elwing is still responsible for the goalkeepers of both professional teams as well as the organization of the promotional license players in Lusatia. The sporting decisions are made by the Füchse head coach, his assistant and the polar bear assistant. The collaboration should not only relate to sporting issues, but also to other areas, such as B. the marketing of the clubs.

The association showed social commitment by supporting the KICK ON ICE project , which offers ice hockey training and tournaments for young people as a preventive measure against violence, as well as organizing sports and educational trips and holiday camps.

Media presence

The internet platform www.telekomsport.de will broadcast all Eisbären games in the DEL from the 2017/18 season. Local TV channels such as TV Berlin or Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg also report on events surrounding the association. An in-house media department produces podcasts with interviews with the players or puts key scenes from some games on the Internet. Two moderators also comment on the team's away games on a web radio and the Eisbären have a partner in Berliner Rundfunk 91.4 , who participates in the radio program with reports and broadcasts important games live.

In the print area, regional newspapers, city magazines and the bimonthly stadium magazine Eisbären Live provide information on current events. At the beginning of the season, a polar bear guide is published, which gives an overview of the team and the organization of the respective season. In addition, there is an update booklet on match days and a special for special games or occasions - such as participation in the Champions Hockey League.

The documentary Heimspiel about the polar bears by Oscar winner Pepe Danquart became famous . The film premiered at the Berlinale in 1999 and portrays the capital city club in its eventful history through the various political systems. It was shot from November 1998 to April 1999 in Berlin and Moscow , and it was released on February 17, 2000. The actors at the time were functionaries and fans who gave an insight into their “ rituals ”.

literature

• André Haase, Michael Lachmann, Matthias Mader et al .: Wellblechpalastgeschichte (s): the slightly different chronicle of the EHC Eisbären Berlin . IP Verlag, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-931624-06-4 .
• André Haase, Michael Lachmann, Matthias Mader et al .: The best second of all time - Yearbook of the EHC Eisbären Berlin 1998/99 . IP Verlag, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-931624-09-9 .
• Michael Lachmann, Matthias Mader, Sven Wreh et al .: More corrugated iron palace stories : the slightly different chronicle of the EHC Eisbären Berlin . IP Verlag, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-931624-24-2 .
• Steffen Karas: 100 years of ice hockey in Berlin: Fascination through tradition . IP Verlag Jeske / Mader, Berlin 2008, ISBN 3-931624-57-9 .

Web links

Commons : Eisbären Berlin  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• official homepage

Individual evidence

1. ^ Viewers (Europe) on hockeyarenas.net; Retrieved April 8, 2010.
2. ^ Stephan Müller: German Ice Hockey Championships . Norderstedt . BoD - Books on Demand, Berlin 2000, ISBN 978-3-8311-0997-5 , pp. 137 .
3. ↑ Lachmann, Mader, Wreh et al .: More Wellblechpalastgeschichte (s). P. 150.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d} Haase, Lachmann, Mader et al .: Wellblechpalastgeschichte (n). P. 7 ff.
5. ^ The winning team of the first GDR championship. ( Memento from February 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) eisbaeren.de; Retrieved August 7, 2009.
6. ^ GDR: The smallest league in the world. ( Memento from May 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) hockeyweb.de
7. ^ Christoph Farkas: Ice hockey in the GDR: The smallest league in the world. In: zeit.de . December 29, 2015, accessed July 7, 2017 . 
8. ↑ GDR championship - not a single thing on lotok.de until 1970 ; Retrieved August 7, 2009.
9. ↑ History ES Weißwasser on fuechse-fans-franken.beepworld.de; Retrieved August 30, 2009.
10. ↑ Lachmann, Mader, Wreh et al .: More Wellblechpalastgeschichte (s). P. 19.
11. ^ ^{A b c d} Steffen Karas: 100 years of ice hockey in Berlin . 2008.
12. ↑ Timetable  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on eisbaeren.de; Retrieved May 12, 2010.  
13. ↑ Lachmann, Mader, Wreh et al .: More Wellblechpalastgeschichte (s). P. 95.
14. ↑ Klaus Wolf: HC Ambri Piotta wins the third international title in a row: A village club dominates Europe. In: berliner-zeitung.de. June 23, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017 . 
15. ↑ Udo Döhler would like to dance more often in the future . In: Berliner Zeitung . August 25, 1997.
16. ↑ The polar bears are better known than Bionade and Ryanair . In: Berliner Morgenpost ; Retrieved August 7, 2009.
17. ↑ Eisbären after 11: 0 against Augsburg table leaders . In: Tagesspiegel ; Retrieved August 7, 2009.
18. ↑ Hangover in Berlin ( Memento from March 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) on del.org; Retrieved April 8, 2010.
19. ↑ Eisbären put another scent brand in the CHL on eishockey.info; Retrieved August 7, 2009.
20. ↑ focus.de, June 16, 2009: "Cancellation of the Champions Hockey League causes trouble" (accessed online on May 26, 2013)
21. ↑ Benedict Paetzholdt: coaching change: why had to go Jeff Tomlinson . In: Berliner Zeitung . ( berliner-zeitung.de [accessed on March 25, 2017]).
22. ↑ 1-4 = end of season. Retrieved April 3, 2017 . 
23. ↑ RP ONLINE: 6: 3 against Eisbären Berlin: Red Bull Munich creates title hat trick in DEL. Retrieved May 3, 2019 . 
24. ↑ Clément Jodoin becomes the new polar bear head coach. In: Tagesspiegel. Retrieved May 3, 2019 . 
25. ↑ Eisbären Berlin: Stéphane Richer takes over the post of head coach from Clément Jodoin | Polar bears Berlin. Retrieved May 3, 2019 . 
26. ↑ Sport1.de: DEL Playoffs: EHC Red Bull Munich after victory at Eisbären Berlin in the semifinals. Retrieved May 3, 2019 . 
27. Jump up ↑ Oberliga: Eisbären Juniors: Ready for the Oberliga - the squad is ready. In: hockeyweb.de. August 25, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2017 . 
28. ^ Employees of the Eisbären Berlin ( Memento from May 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) on eisbaeren.de; Retrieved May 10, 2009.
29. ↑ Eisbären Berlin: Detlef Kornett is relinquishing the management of Eisbären - Lee and Flynn will be the "strong men" in the future . ( eishockey.info [accessed March 25, 2017]).
30. ↑ hockeyweb.de, February 17, 2009: "Steffen Ziesche new sports manager in Dresden" (accessed online on May 26, 2013)
31. ↑ Gold for the polar bears  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on stroeer.de; Retrieved May 12, 2009.  
32. ↑ Lothar Radü from the Eisbären Berlin in a video interview on berlin.business-on.de; Retrieved May 12, 2009.
33. ↑ Eisbären Berlin are the new German super club . In: Welt Online ; Retrieved May 12, 2009.
34. ↑ Stefan Ustorf is back . In: Hockeyweb . ( hockeyweb.de [accessed on March 25, 2017]).
35. ↑ Managing Director Billy Flynn demoted . ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed on March 25, 2017]).
36. ^ Robitaille: "The polar bears remain Peter John Lee's team" . In: Berliner Zeitung . ( berliner-zeitung.de [accessed on March 25, 2017]).
37. ↑ Luc Robitaille becomes the supervisory board chairman of the DEL record champions. Retrieved March 25, 2017 . 
38. ↑ Stéphane Richer becomes sports director. Retrieved May 5, 2017 . 
39. ↑ Sports sponsorship EHC Eisbären Berlin ( memento of February 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) on gasag.de; Retrieved May 11, 2009.
40. ↑ Polar bears: Their power play is feared . In: Hamburger Abendblatt . April 3, 2004; Retrieved April 24, 2009.
41. ↑ Estimated; according to ice hockey NEWS - special issue DEL 2005/2006. P. 8.
42. ↑ Industry leader Mannheim starts the DEL season with a budget of 8 million ( Memento from April 26, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) on rp-online.de; Retrieved April 24, 2009.
43. ↑ Ice Hockey News from August 2007.
44. ^ The budgets of the DEL clubs ( memento of March 18, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) on rp-online.de; Retrieved April 24, 2009.
45. ↑ June 13, 2007: Don Jackson new polar bear coach - Ex-DEG trainer is coming for two years . reviersport.de; Retrieved May 26, 2013.
46. ↑ Trainer Don Jackson leaves Master Eisbären Berlin. In: sport.de. June 2, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2017 . 
47. ^ Friedhard Teuffel: German Ice Hockey League: Eisbären Berlin: Jeff Tomlinson new coach. In: tagesspiegel.de . July 4, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2017 . 
48. ↑ Ice hockey: Eisbären Berlin: Krupp replaces Tomlinson. In: zeit.de . December 16, 2014, accessed June 23, 2017 . 
49. ↑ Sport1.de: DEL: Trainer Uwe Krupp leaves Eisbären Berlin. Retrieved May 3, 2019 . 
50. ↑ Claus Vetter: Eisbären Berlin: Clément Jodoin is the new Eisbären head coach. In: tagesspiegel.de . May 6, 2018, accessed May 6, 2018 . 
51. ↑ kicker.de
52. ↑ Serge Aubin new head coach of the Eisbären Berlin. Eisbären Berlin, accessed on May 3, 2019 . 
53. ↑ ^{a b Promotion of} young talent - payment of the grant and evaluation of the 2007/2008 results ( memento of March 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) on deb-online.de; Retrieved August 7, 2009.
54. ↑ DEB young talent promotion: Evaluation of young talent fund 2003/2004 on hockeyweb.de; Retrieved August 7, 2009.
55. ^ DEL audience statistics from 1998/99 ; Retrieved May 27, 2013.
56. ↑ Ice Hockey News from March 19, 2019, p. 4.
57. ↑ DEL statistics on pointstreak.com; Retrieved August 7, 2009.
58. ↑ "Eisbär" Walser awarded as "MVP" . In: Handelsblatt ; Retrieved August 7, 2009.
59. ↑ DEL table pointstreak.com; Retrieved April 19, 2011.
60. ↑ Three to zero = polar bear Meista !!!  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. eisbaeren.de; Retrieved April 19, 2011.  
61. ↑ DEL table pointstreak.com; Retrieved April 19, 2011.
62. ↑ Polar bears pay tribute to Ziesche, Peters, Frenzel and Bielke  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on eisbaeren.de; Retrieved August 7, 2009.  
63. ↑ Honor for Robert Müller ( Memento from March 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) on del.org; Retrieved September 2, 2009.
64. ↑ Beaufaits jersey is hung under the hall roof on morgenpost.de; Retrieved January 2, 2011.
65. ↑ Eisbären Berlin: History of the back numbers - Eisbären Berlin. In: eisbaeren.de. January 31, 2020, accessed February 11, 2020 . 
66. ↑ Christian Kattner: Emotional farewell from the cabin: André Rankel ends his career. In: berliner-zeitung.de . November 30, 2020, accessed January 21, 2021 . 
67. ↑ Jörg Leopold: Eisbären Berlin EHC Wolfsburg 3: 1: Seventh win in a row for Eisbären. In: tagesspiegel.de . December 26, 2014, accessed February 11, 2020 . 
68. ↑ eishockeymuseum.de, Hall of Fame Germany, area of ​​honor in the ice hockey museum (accessed online on May 26, 2013)
69. ↑ ^{a b} Lachmann, Mader, Wreh et al .: More corrugated iron palace history (s). P. 149 ff.
70. ↑ Season statistics ( Memento from April 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) on eisbaeren.de; Retrieved May 10, 2009.
71. ↑ news hockeyweb.de; Retrieved April 25, 2012.
72. ^ 10 September 2008 dpa: O ₂ World Berlin as a new dimension for top teams . ( Memento from April 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Südkurier.de; Retrieved May 26, 2013.
73. ↑ Eisbären fans have moved to hockeyweb.de; Retrieved August 7, 2009.
74. ↑ Michael Ryberg: Düsseldorf needs a home win against Eisbären Berlin on derwesten.de; Retrieved May 14, 2009.
75. ↑ Further development of the young talent concept. (No longer available online.) In: fass-berlin.de. May 28, 2009, formerly in the original ; accessed on June 23, 2017 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
76. ↑ Eisbären Berlin and Eispiraten Crimmitschau cooperate ( Memento from July 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) eispiraten-crimmitschau.de; Retrieved July 26, 2010.
77. ↑ eisbaeren.de
78. ↑ lausitzer-fuechse.de
79. ↑ Derk Hoberg: Valuable - team spirit at KICK on Ice. In: netzathleten.de. August 26, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2017 . 
80. ↑ The formats of "Eisbären Live" published in the 2008/09 season  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on eisbaeren.de; Retrieved August 7, 2009.  
81. ↑ Heimspiel - Film-Lexikon on film-lexikon.de; Retrieved August 7, 2009.

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on May 12, 2009 .