Ice Hockey Oberliga (Austria)

Oberliga
sport	ice Hockey
Association	Austrian Ice Hockey Association
Country countries	Austria
	↑ Bundesliga national league; ↓ national leagues

The Oberliga was a national ice hockey league in Austria . It was the second or third highest and at the same time the lowest national league in Austrian ice hockey . It was played sporadically between 1968/69 and 2010/11 in different modes.

history

The history of the Oberliga is characterized by constant changes in the participating teams. By definition, it represents the third highest division in Austrian ice hockey, but it happened several times that it replaced the national league as the second level of performance. This happened in particular in those seasons in which the national league teams were used to increase the field of participants in the Bundesliga . The last time this happened was in 2000 and 1994 .

The name Oberliga was often used in the sixties and seventies for the actual second division, although at that time there was a third division only in the form of regional leagues that were run as amateur championships. The Oberliga has only been functioning as a third level and semi-professional league since 2003, which means that the actual goal has been at least partially achieved.

A long-term security of the league was not in sight. The continuation of the league was also questionable in the 2008/09 season when the EC Kitzbühel withdrew its nomination shortly before the start of the league . When EV Niederösterreich ended its participation after three rounds , a completely new schedule had to be created in order to be able to play the current season to the end. Despite the difficulties, the Austrian ice hockey association tried every year to keep the game going, as the league played an important role as a link between the professional and amateur leagues in Austria. In the 2009/10 season , due to the difficulties in the national league, eight teams took part in the championship and plans were made for future seasons in order to be able to secure the game in the long term.

Restructuring between 2008 and 2011

After the third-highest division in the 2008/09 season was played with only four teams, the field of participants should be expanded for the coming seasons. With the renewed inclusion of the two former teams EC Wels and hockey club “Die 48er” , as well as the newly added club EC Oilers Salzburg and the former national league teams KSV ice hockey club ( Kapfenberg Bulls ) and EV Zeltweg , nine teams should be back in the league after a long time participate, however, the EC Tarco Wölfe Klagenfurt withdrew its entry in mid-August due to financial reasons, so that in the end only eight teams remained. At the same time, the number of transfer card players was limited to one. In the future, the Oberliga is to be held as a purely Austrian championship.

However, the positive development was dampened again in spring 2010. With the promotion of ATSE Graz to the national league , the field of participants shrank again. However, the bankruptcy of EV Zeltweg caused much greater consternation . After the EC Wels and the hockey club “Die 48er” no longer wanted to take part in the league, a new solution had to be found. Over the summer of 2010, the league was radically restructured. The new field of participants mainly consisted of farm teams from Bundesliga teams who wanted to further improve the quality of youth education.

resolution

The league has not been played since 2011/12, as the farm teams of the Bundesliga clubs moved collectively to the second highest division, the national league. The few remaining clubs named for the Tyrolean Elite League, which together with the other first national leagues represents the third highest division.

Participant (incomplete)

Web links

Website of the Austrian Ice Hockey Association (ÖEHV)

Individual evidence

[1] Major league season is on track

[2] Tarco gets out of the league


sport	ice Hockey
Association	Austrian Ice Hockey Association
Country countries	Austria Austria
↑ Bundesliga national league ↓ national leagues