Kassel Huskies

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Kassel Huskies
Greatest successes
  • DEL2 champion 2016
  • German runner-up in 1997
  • German youth champion 2004
Club information
history ESG Kassel (1977–1987)
EC Kassel (1987–1994)
Kassel Huskies (1994–2010)
EC Kassel Huskies (since 2010)
Nickname The sled dogs
Parent club Ice Hockey Youth Kassel e. V.
Club colors blue White
league DEL2
Venue Ice rink Kassel
capacity 6100 seats (of which 2720 seats)
executive Director Joe Gibbs
Head coach Tim Kehler
captain Alexander Heinrich
Season 2019/20 2nd place / main round

The Kassel Huskies are the ice hockey team from Kassel playing in the DEL2 , which due to their outsourcing to a GmbH with the ice hockey club ice hockey youth Kassel e. V. participates in gaming operations. You are the successor to the Eissport-Gemeinschaft Kassel eV , which was founded on August 14, 1967 and went bankrupt in 1987 . V. (ESG) and the successor club Eissport-Club Kassel e. V. (EC). Between 1994 and 2010, the club's professional team was outsourced to EC Kassel Huskies Sportmanagement GmbH , which as such was one of the founding members of the German Ice Hockey League in 1994 . The club celebrated its greatest successes in 1997 as German runner-up and in 2004 as German runner-up cup winner.

For the 2010/11 season, professional sport was discontinued as a result of an application for bankruptcy and a license withdrawal. The amateur team of the home club ice hockey youth Kassel e. V. then played under the name Kassel Huskies in the Hessen League, in which she was champion in 2011 and rose to the Oberliga West for the 2011/12 season . The parent club also looks after the young players of the Kassel Young Huskies as well as the women's team of the Ice Cats Kassel .

history

Ice hockey in Kassel before and after the club was founded (until 1980)

Ice skating on the castle pond, winter 1900–1901
Karlsaue

The Karlsaue was already a popular place for ice skating in winter in the 19th century. Ice skating was called "step skating" in Kassel. A photo from 1926 by court photographer Carl Eberth shows young people playing ice hockey on the frozen Fulda. In 1966 Helmut Spohr (a former soccer player of KSV Hessen Kassel ) had the idea of ​​introducing ice hockey in Kassel, this idea arose while skating on the frozen pond in the Karlsaue .

Spohr then, together with Viktor Klement, provided the tennis grounds of ESV Jahn Kassel in Aschrottpark, on which the appropriate ice surface was then provided with water hoses in winter. However, the irregular weather conditions made this project more difficult and only made possible on winter days.

The ice hockey games played in the free time generated great interest, so that the history of the first ice hockey club from Kassel does not go back long. The ice sports community, then still known as ESG Kassel , was founded on February 19, 1977, when the Kassel ice rink was put into operation by Edith and Simon Kimm, the managing directors at the time. With the opening of the ice rink, a covered arena for ice hockey was created.

A sport on the ice in a covered hall was something completely new in Kassel in 1977. In the year it opened, ESG Kassel started its first season in the Regionalliga , the fourth-highest division at the time, in the 1977/78 season , and played its first official home game on October 30, 1977 under Canadian coach Danny Coutu. In front of a respectable 900 spectators, the ice sports community from Kassel lost this game 2: 5 against SV Brackwede . Since the interest in this new sport in North Hesse was obviously great, up to 3,000 spectators came despite initial defeats and Kassel established itself in the midfield of the league despite the first club season.

season league Preliminary round Finals
1977/78 RL 5th place no
1978/79 RL 5th place no
1979/80 RL 1st place 3rd place

In order to be able to set up an ice hockey team at all, players who had previously been active in other sports also appeared for the team. Regardless of this, the club mostly only played with twelve or 13 players in its early stages. One example is the then striker Willy Kurrat, who at the age of 52 had previously coached the KSV Hessen Kassel soccer team . With him, the club finished fifth in the preliminary round in its first two seasons.

The first sporting success was achieved by ESG Kassel together with Gerry Hoag and Eric Wolf, who both formed the first Canadian assault row in the club's history in the 1979/80 regional league season . Before the VERC Lauterbach and the EC Nordhorn , the ice sports community became champions of the Regionalliga Süd-West in 1980 and rose to the league three years after the club was founded when they successfully completed the promotion round with 3rd place.

Promotion to the 2nd ice hockey Bundesliga and bankruptcy of ESG (1980–1987)

The promoted team quickly established itself in the third highest division. With Herbert Heinrich and Shane Tarves - the only players to date whose jersey numbers have been blocked in Kassel - they also recorded their first successes in the major league. Already in the first two years the club played as one of the best three teams in the preliminary round for promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga .

season league Preliminary round Finals
1980/81 OIL 3rd place 4th place ↑
1981/82 OIL 2nd place 2nd place ↑
1982/83 OIL 1st place 5th place ↑
1983/84 2nd BL 7th place 1st place ↓
1984/85 2nd BL 6th place 1st place ↓
1985/86 2nd BL 3rd place 5th place ↑
1986/87 2nd BL 2nd place 7th place ↑

↑ ↓ Promotion / relegation round of the respective league

The promotion was just missed in the 1980/81 finals . In the following season Kassel was promoted from a sporting point of view, but due to the lack of financial means, the move into the 2nd Bundesliga could not take place. With financial support from the city of Kassel, the team achieved the league championship title in the 1982/83 season under Jorma Siitarinen, the coach at the time, after three years of membership in the third division and rose to the 2nd Bundesliga.

The "ESG" successfully recorded relegation in the first two years with first place in the relegation rounds of the 1983/84 and 1984/85 seasons and established themselves in the second division. In the third season after promotion, "ESG" was able to play for qualification for the first Bundesliga in the 1985/86 season .

The team's rapid ascent was not financially managed in the first few years of the second division, because despite the sporting success of the Kassel ice hockey club, there was a lack of financial background. Although the club invested in many newcomers such as Dave O'Brien and Miroslav Dvořák - the entry from the Philadelphia Flyers from the NHL - but then lacked two points and three goals for promotion to the first national ice hockey league in the 1985/86 relegation round . A decisive clash this season was the game against Eintracht Frankfurt - today's Löwen Frankfurt and arch rivals of the "Huskies" - during which a 3-0 lead turned into a 3-4 defeat.

In the following 1986/87 season, the club missed promotion to the 1st ice hockey Bundesliga despite its cost-intensive players in the relegation round , which meant a financial crisis. Because of the high costs of the team, the club had to file for bankruptcy in 1987.

From the new beginning as EC Kassel to the founding member of the DEL (1987-1994)

On May 16, 1987, the ice hockey club made a new economic start. As the successor to the bankrupt "ESG", the Eissport-Club Kassel e. V. , or EC Kassel (ECK) for short. Due to the high costs in the 2nd Bundesliga, the club decided to withdraw from the second division at the end of the 1987/88 season and voluntarily relegated to the top division. In addition, many newcomers from recent years had to leave the club. Richard Piechutta , the new coach of the "ECK", therefore tried to set up a new team with Shane Tarves and twelve players from the youth department for the new season . The coach succeeded in doing this unexpectedly and in the 1988/89 season the club managed to play again for the qualification for the 2nd Bundesliga.

season league Preliminary round Finals
1987/88 2nd BL 3rd place 6th place ↑
1988/89 OIL 4th Place 9th place ↑
1989/90 OIL 3rd place 6th place ↑
1990/91 2nd BL 6th place 1st place ↓
1991/92 2nd BL 1st place 7th place ↑
1992/93 2nd BL 5th place Quarter finals
1993/94 2nd BL 2nd place Runner-up

With the help of Martin Lepper, the appointed bankruptcy administrator, the Kassel ice hockey club was back in the black and was able to continue to concentrate on sporting success without any financial worries. With a ninth place in the qualification, they missed the direct return to the second division in 1989, after which they managed to return to the second division in the 1989/90 season . The club thus played again in the league in which it had participated three years earlier to qualify for the highest German ice hockey league.

During the second division again had the club in the first year still around the league play, shut the qualification to the 2nd Bundesliga regardless of with a first place, and thus secured the stay in this league. The following three seasons, the team worked in the upper half of the table, which at the beginning of the 1990s was again the opportunity to participate in the qualifying round for the 1st Bundesliga. In the final round of 1992/93 , the team failed in the quarter-finals of the newly introduced play-offs against ES Weißwasser just 3-2 and had to play 6-7 in the last game of the best-of-five series after extra time give up.

After Kassel qualified for the play-offs again in the 1993/94 season , they reached the final round with victories against ES Weißwasser and EHC 80 Nuremberg and played for the championship of the 2nd Bundesliga. In the final of the play-offs, the North Hesse had to admit defeat against Augsburg EV with 1: 2 games, despite the defeat with the then coach Ross Yates, they ultimately won the second division title. With this up to then greatest success for the club, the team managed to become one of the founding members of the new German ice hockey league in the 1994/95 season .

Decisive for the establishment of the new ice hockey league were the many bankruptcies of the second Bundesliga, which resulted in the independent German ice hockey league from a total of 18 teams in the first and second leagues. Most of the clubs then renamed themselves for marketing purposes and used pseudonyms from the animal world. The National Hockey League from North America partially served as a model.

The namesake of the Kassel Huskies: The Siberian Husky

For the first time in the club's history, the club from Kassel reached the highest German league in ice hockey and then renamed itself Kassel Huskies to start a new chapter in history . The Siberian husky served as a model for the naming , which is why the "huskies" are often also called "the sled dogs".

With the introduction of the DEL, the professional team was outsourced to EC Kassel Huskies Sportmanagement GmbH . The parent club of the GmbH , the Eishockey Jugend Kassel e. V. , now acts as a cooperation partner and is responsible for the next generation of ice hockey players and the women's team .

Successful years in the German Ice Hockey League (1994–1998)

The first years in the German Ice Hockey League were surprisingly successful for the "Huskies" from Kassel. Although the team was only in the midfield of the league in the preliminary round of the 1994/95 season , beaten by the favored teams, it still ended the season as the best team to move into the DEL from the second division. In addition, in the first two years they made the leap into the play-offs, in which they played the round of 16 against the Frankfurt Lions for two seasons in a row . The arch rival from southern Hesse was clearly defeated both in 1994/95 with 4-1 games and in 1995/96 with 3-0 games and thus reached the quarter-finals. These seasons were of great importance for the rivalry between the two clubs, which continues to this day .

At the management level, Gerhard Swoboda and Uli Egen took over the offices of club president and manager in 1995. Martin Lepper, the bankruptcy administrator who had been active up until then and who helped the Kassel Huskies out of the financial crisis in 1990, ended his term in Kassel due to the stable economic situation of the "Huskies".

season league Preliminary round Play-offs
1994/95 DEL 7th place Quarter finals
1995/96 DEL 9th place Quarter finals
1996/97 DEL 3rd place Runner-up
1997/98 DEL 11th place no

In the same year, the “ Bosman judgment ” became legally binding, which among other things regulates that professional players in the European Union may switch to another club free of charge after the end of the contract. This decision opened up the European market, whereby Gerhard Brunner , the coach of the Kassel ice hockey club at the time, brought so many foreign professionals to Kassel as no coach before him had done. For example, the reigning Olympic champion Roger Hansson came to Kassel, who won the gold medal with the Swedish national team at the 1994 Winter Olympics .

The so far greatest success in the club's history was achieved by the “sled dogs” in the 1996/97 season as German runner-up. After the team had finished the preliminary round in third place, they qualified directly for participation in the play-offs. There they defeated Starbulls Rosenheim after 3-0 games and then the Eisbären Berlin after 3-1 games. For the first time, the club managed to take part in the final of the highest German ice hockey league and thus competed against the Adler Mannheim , which were among the two best teams in the preliminary round. In the last duels of the final round, the North Hessians were considered to be underdogs in the play-off finals, regardless of this, the team tried until the last minute to be equal to the Mannheimer Adler and to win the championship.

The interest in ice hockey in Kassel became so great that an estimated 20,000 tickets could be sold for the only final home game. 3,500 viewers came to the live broadcast in the Kassel exhibition halls . The disappointment of the fans was deep when the play-off final was lost 3-0, but on April 16, 1997 over 10,000 people celebrated this success of their club on the Rathausplatz in Kassel. While the "Huskies" had played in the 2nd Bundesliga three years earlier, this year they were able to enjoy the triumph of the second best German ice hockey team with the then Mayor Georg Lewandowski .

With the German runner-up title, Kassel also qualified for the European Hockey League and competed internationally for the first time in the 1997/98 season . Except for a 5: 0 in the first leg and a 4: 3 in the second leg against HC Vítkovice , the Kassel Huskies had to admit defeat to Färjestad BK and Jokerit Helsinki and were eliminated in the preliminary round. The most successful player in the "Huskies" squad was former Stanley Cup winner Paul DiPietro , who was signed for this season.

The Kassel Huskies were unable to build on this successful season. Both in the next year, in which the Kassel team failed in the play-off qualification, and in the following season, in which a single point was missing for the finals, the team had to end the season after the preliminary round. Although the Kassel Huskies did not reach the play-offs in these two seasons, the club rose to a nationally important ice hockey club with the returning coach Hans Zach .

During and after the era of Hans Zach (1998-2004)

Face off in a duel against Adler Mannheim in the SAP Arena

For the 1998/99 season , Hans Zach returned to coaching the "Huskies", which he had already looked after in the 1995/96 season . He played a major role in the success of the Kassel ice hockey club. With him, the team moved into the semi-finals of the play-offs three times in a row from the 1999/2000 season onwards as one of the top five teams in the preliminary round and became known nationwide.

In the first two years of this series, the Kassel Huskies lost the play-off semi-finals both times against the Munich Barons . The club had to admit defeat on the one hand with 0: 3 and on the other hand in the following year with 1: 3 games against Munich , after the team won all three victories in the quarterfinals only after extra time or in the penalty shootout . There were also special duels against the final opponent from 1997, the Adler Mannheim . While the Baden-Württemberger were defeated in the quarter-finals of the 1999/2000 season after five games, the team from Kassel lost in the semifinals of the 2001/02 season against the "Adler" after 3-0 games.

Zach made Kassel ice hockey the most successful sport in town, introduced defensive tactics and brought many German players to Kassel, some of whom - like Daniel Kreutzer - became key players in the national team . With him, the team made it to first place in the German ice hockey league on September 25, 2002 after a 3-0 win against the Nürnberg Ice Tigers . So far it was the first and only time that the Kassel team made it to the top of the table.

At the latest during the time with Hans Zach, the "Huskies" became a figurehead in the North Hesse region . In addition to the Kassel players, he also trained the German national ice hockey team, with which he won the B-World Cup in 2000 and thereby brought German ice hockey back to the top league. Not only through his success in Kassel, but also as a national coach, Hans Zach drew national attention and was ultimately lured away by the Kölner Haien . Zach justified his move with the fact that the good players he trained too often move to more prestigious clubs afterwards.

season league Preliminary round Play-offs
1998/99 DEL 9th place no
1999/00 DEL 4th Place Semifinals
2000/01 DEL 5th place Semifinals
2001/02 DEL 5th place Semifinals
2002/03 DEL 7th place Quarter finals
2003/04 DEL 11th place no

The Kasseler shareholder, Simon Kimm, was impressed by the sporting achievements of the past few years and supported the ice hockey club with another 15 million D-Marks (around 7.5 million euros). He thus secured ice hockey in North Hesse and planned further investment in the Kassel ice rink in order to expand it into a multifunctional complex.

After Zach had switched to the Kölner Haien for the 2002/03 season , the "Huskies" suffered from sporting failure. Although the direct jump to the play-offs succeeded in 2003, the Kassel team met the new club of their previous coach, Hans Zach, in the quarter-finals. In the last game of the best-of-seven, the North Hessians had to admit defeat to the "Haien" 3: 4 games.

This was also the last play-off participation in the German Ice Hockey League for Kassel. The high standards that Zach had set were no longer met by his successors, with a few exceptions. This was reflected, among other things, in the many dismissals of coaches, as neither Mike McParland with offensive ice hockey nor Milan Mokroš with a defensive attitude to play could long assert himself as a coach.

Reaching the final of the German Ice Hockey Cup in the 2003/04 season was the last success of the "sled dogs" for the time being, with which they distinguished themselves on a first-class level. Again, the North Hesse faced the team of their former coach, who had once reached the play-off semi-finals with them three times in a row. The "Haie" under Hans Zach defeated Kassel 3-1 in the Kölnarena and won the cup. As the runner-up in the cup, Kassel once again only had the title of runner-up.

Sporty descents with considerable recovery (2004–2008)

The crisis in Kassel ice hockey only began in the 2004/05 season after a total of eleven years of membership in the first division. The team’s sporting achievements put them in last place with 35 defeats from 52 games, making them into the play-downs for the first time in the history of the Kassel DEL period .

season league Preliminary round Play-downs
2004/05 DEL 14th place Descent GT    
2005/06 DEL 13th place descent

GT relegation at the green table

In the relegation battle, the "Huskies" were then defeated by Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg 3: 4 games and were relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga, but still remained in the DEL. The reason for this was that the "Grizzlies" did not receive a license for the next season, which means that Kassel was allowed to continue to compete in the top division of German ice hockey by being relegated to the Green Table . Shortly after this decision there was another crisis when the shareholder Simon Kimm announced his resignation and the Kassel ice sports club threatened to go bankrupt again. With the direct entry of Rainer Lippe as managing director and shareholder, a new main responsible person was found who secured the receipt of the license and thus the retention of the Kassel ice hockey in the DEL.

In terms of sport, the performance of Kassel did not improve in the following season, because on the 39th day of the 2005/06 season the team was still on a relegation zone. The club then announced the new signing of the former Mannheim player and coach Stéphane Richer , who did not prevent the return to the play-downs. Opponents were the bottom of the table Füchse Duisburg , who won the relegation games with 4-1 victories and, after some negotiations, were granted the DEL license for the following season. The "Huskies" had to relegate to the 2nd Bundesliga after twelve years of first class .

The greatest sporting low point of the "sled dogs" reached a further setback at the marketing level . The reason for this was the logo of the Kassel Huskies that had been used until then, which was not registered as a trademark and was therefore not legally protected. Because a Scottish manufacturer has now also used and claimed this logo, the traditional distinguishing feature of the “sled dog” had to be redesigned. Since the “Huskies” fan base did not make friends with the distinguishing feature designed in 2005, the marketing agency reacted to the negative criticism and designed another logo after just one year. Apart from a few minor changes, the Kassel Huskies have retained the new logo to this day.

season league Preliminary round Play-offs
2006/07 2nd BL 1st place Runner-up
2007/08 2nd BL 1st place master

In the second division, the Kassel Huskies made their announced goal of play-off participation and immediate promotion clear. After finishing the first round of the 2006/07 season in the 2nd Bundesliga with 41 wins from 52 games, they moved into the play-offs with a 13-point lead and the fewest goals conceded. In the final round, Kassel won both the quarter-finals and the semi-finals with a sweep , without losing a single game in the best-of series , until they beat the former play-down opponent of the 2004/05 DEL season in the final and at the same time runner-up in the preliminary round, the Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg started .

Both teams played for the return to the German Ice Hockey League. Despite the considerable preliminary round and the play-off games that had not been defeated until then, the team from Hessen had to admit defeat to the "Grizzly Adams". The Kassel team didn't record a single victory in the final series and ultimately lost after 3-0 games. In contrast to the 2004/05 season, the Lower Saxony received the license for the DEL this year and rose again to the top division. The Kassel team, however, did not achieve the goal of promotion and remained in the second Bundesliga.

The "Happy Train" for the 2007/08 play-off final against Landshut

Another year of the second division followed, in which the Kassel team dominated the league. As again first place with 122 points this time in the preliminary round and at the same time a record advantage of 27 points, the "Huskies" lived up to their role as favorites in the 2007/08 season . They didn’t manage to win the undefeated play-off series like last year, but despite this they made it to the final against the Landshut Cannibals and thus had the opportunity to move up to the DEL again.

For certain away games of the Kassel Huskies, a special train - the so-called "Happy Train" - has been provided for some time . In order to be able to hope for every support of the fans in the final, the train was also available for the games in Landshut . In the end, the "Huskies" achieved the decisive victory in extra time of the last best-of-five game with 3-2 wins in the final series. Drew Bannister scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute and decided the final in favor of Kassel, who became first class again after two years and managed to return to the DEL.

First class with subsequent bankruptcy (2008-2010)

With the championship title of the 2nd Bundesliga, Kassel achieved the athletic qualification for the DEL. After all the requirements for the league license were met without any conditions, the DEL shareholders' meeting took the "Huskies" back into the DEL on July 4, 2008; Kassel returned to the top German division for the 2008/09 season after two years. The prerequisites sometimes included fulfilling the 9,000-point plan for the stadium. In addition, a license fee of 800,000 euros had to be made available to the DEL. The "sled dogs" were financially supported by a guarantee of 2.1 million euros from the state of Hesse , which strengthened the economic stability of the association.

season league Preliminary round Play-offs
2008/09 DEL 14th place no
2009/10 DEL 15th place no

The “Huskies” started the new season successfully. They finished the first round of the German Ice Hockey Cup in the game of 2008/09 in the first place and made it to the semi-finals until there against Hannover Scorpions with 1: 2 were eliminated after extra time. In the German Ice Hockey League, the Kassel team started as one of 16 teams and won three of the first four games, including 5-1 against last season's runner-up, the Kölner Haie . Dominic Auger was the first DEL goalscorer for the "sled dogs" after two years. The sporting success did not last long, however, so that Kassel finished the preliminary round in 14th place.

Demonstration of own fans about the economic crisis

During the summer break of 2009 - with the exception of the previous main sponsor Volkswagen Genuine Parts  - none of the sponsors of the automotive industry extended their contracts with the "sled dogs". Since the license would be withdrawn if the financial plan was not covered, Rainer Lippe considered selling the license and resigning as manager in order to ensure that the Kassel Huskies would remain in the highest German ice hockey league.

In the course of a demonstration on May 9, 2009, around 1,000 fans marched through the center of Kassel, at which Bertram Hilgen - Kassel's Lord Mayor - also announced his support. The license application was financially covered by donations and additional sponsorship funds. In July 2009, the club received an unconditional license.

In the 2009/10 season the Kassel Huskies started then as successful as last year. They recorded their first two victories against the reigning German champions from Berlin and the runner-up from Düsseldorf . For a long time, the team from Kassel was able to stay in the table positions of the pre-play-offs, until a negative series against the arch-rivals from Frankfurt began at the end of November . The "sled dogs" lost eleven of the following twelve games and slipped again into the bottom third of the table. In the last quarter of the preliminary round, the "Huskies" stayed in last place in the table and ended the season with nine points less than last year.

Due to the financial crisis and the resulting low perspective in personnel planning, Stéphane Richer did not extend his expiring contract as head coach at the end of the season and moved to the Hamburg Freezers . With Dean Fedorchuk , the club agreed on Richer's successor, but many contracts were also uncertain at team level; so the “Huskies” could at least  keep their young Kassel players - including the German national player Manuel Klinge - still to themselves. Klinge also managed to take part in the ice hockey tournament at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

A change also happened in January 2010 at the management level. Dennis Rossing, the owner of the Rosco Group, which is acting as an investor in the construction of the North Hesse Arena, took over the office from Rainer Lippe . After the economic uncertainties in Kassel ice hockey, Rossing tried a new financial start. While the club for economic restructuring filed for bankruptcy , the shareholders of the German ice hockey league announced consequences. Ultimately, the "sled dogs" were excluded from the DEL by the DEL shareholders' meeting on May 27, 2010 due to the insolvency proceedings . Although this exclusion was lifted a day later by court order on the basis of an interim order and discussed for months, the "sled dogs" - as well as their arch rivals from Frankfurt  - were denied the license for the coming DEL season. The professional sport in ice hockey was discontinued as a result of the bankruptcy and the withdrawal from the German Ice Hockey League, as the 2nd Bundesliga also refused to accept the "Huskies".

Relegation, license withdrawal, amateur league and renewed bankruptcy (2010-2014)

After relegation and the associated license withdrawal, the game operation was then taken up under the same name by the youth department and continued in the Hessenliga. The promotion to the regional league succeeded in the first year. However, a license to play in the next higher Oberliga West was successfully applied for. In the following season 2011/12 the Huskies finished third in the final group B and did not qualify for the playoffs.

season league Preliminary round Finals Play-offs
2010/11 HL 1st place - -
2011/12 OIL 3rd place 3rd place no
2012/13 OIL 1st place 1st place Runner-up
2013/14 OIL 2nd place 2nd place 2. QR

QR qualification round for DEL2

In the 2012/13 season , the Huskies reached the playoffs. After victories against the Blue Devils Weiden in the quarter-finals and the Löwen Frankfurt in the semifinals, the huskies failed in the final against the Rote Teufel Bad Nauheim . The team lost the decisive fifth game at home in overtime with 2: 3.

Shortly before the start of the 2013/2014 season , coach Egen was dismissed with immediate effect due to internal disagreements. After an interim solution , Jürgen Rumrich became head coach in December 2013. On February 6, 2014, the Kasseler Eissporthallen-Betriebsgesellschaft (KEBG), the operating company of the Kassel Huskies, filed for bankruptcy. The eligibility to play for the team at the parent club EJ Kassel was not affected by the bankruptcy.

In the 2013/2014 season, the Kassel Huskies qualified in the qualifying round for promotion to the DEL2 2014/15 . The license for the professional league was granted in August 2014.

Return to professional ice hockey (since 2014)

season league Preliminary round Play-offs
2014/15 DEL2 3rd place Quarter finals
2015/16 DEL2 4th Place master
2016/17 DEL2 3rd place Semifinals
2017/18 DEL2 6th place Quarter finals
2018/19 DEL2 7th place Pre-PO
2019/20 DEL2 2nd place -
2020/21 DEL2

With the receipt of the license, Kassel managed to return to professional operation after four years and has been participating in the DEL2 game since the 2014/15 season . Rico Rossi was introduced as coach in June 2014, Rob Leask was assistant coach. The Huskies finished the main round in third place and failed in the quarterfinals of the playoffs at EV Landshut. A year later they won the DEL2 championship against defending champion Bietigheim.

Teams

Current squad for the 2019/20 season

As of September 10, 2019

No. Nat. player Item Date of birth in the team since place of birth
31 GermanyGermany Leon Hungerecker G 0April 3, 1998 2017 Lueneburg , Germany
35 Flag of the United States and Germany.svg Gerald Kuhn G March 20, 1986 2019 Southgate , Michigan , USA
10 GermanyGermany Maximilian Adam ( FL ) D. February 22, 1998 2019 Goerlitz , Germany
47 GermanyGermany Derek things D. March 28, 1987 2018 Kassel , Germany
78 GermanyGermany Alexander Heinrich -  C. D. October 30, 1987 2011 Kassel , Germany
53 CanadaCanada Spencer Humphries D. April 30, 1992 2019 Delta (British Columbia) , Canada
22nd GermanyGermany Marco Müller D. November 22, 1990 2014 Heilbronn , Germany
15th GermanyGermany Denis Shevyrin D. March 29, 1995 2019 Saint Petersburg , Russia
70 GermanyGermany Stephan Tramm D. 0May 5, 1998 2019 Hamburg , Germany
25th Flag of Canada and Germany.svg Nick Walters D. April 11, 1994 2018 St. Albert , Alberta , Canada
94 Flag of Poland and Germany.svg Noureddine Bettahar RW 17th December 1994 2019 Trier , Germany
Flag of Canada and Germany.svg Clarke Breitkreuz RW November 28, 1991 2020 Springside , Saskatchewan , Canada
8th Flag of Canada and Germany.svg Nathan Burns LW July 15, 1993 2019 Edmonton , Alberta , Canada
12 GermanyGermany Valentin Busch ( FL ) F. 0January 8, 1998 2018 Erding , Germany
71 GermanyGermany Leave Bödefeld F. 0January 2, 1999 2018 Hann. Münden , Germany
17th Flags of Canada and the United States.svg Austin Carroll RW March 26, 1994 2019 Phoenix, Arizona , USA
13 GermanyGermany Michael Christ -  A LW March 26, 1989 2011 Kassel , Germany
16 CanadaCanada Ben Duffy C. 0March 3, 1992 2019 Lower Sackville , Nova Scotia , Canada
24 BelarusBelarus GermanyGermany Alexander Karachun F. 0March 3, 1995 2018 Gdansk , Poland
12 Flag of Canada and Germany.svg Justin Kirsch LW April 11, 1992 2019 Chilliwack , British Columbia , Canada
9 GermanyGermany Manuel blade RW 05th September 1984 2011 Kassel , Germany
7th GermanyGermany Patrick Klöpper C. March 12, 1994 2019 Duisburg , Germany
21st Flag of Canada and Germany.svg Ryon Moser LW 0May 9, 1992 2019 Alliston , Ontario , Canada
61 Flag of Canada and Germany.svg Richard Mueller -  A. W. 0May 6, 1982 2018 Richmond , British Columbia , Canada
90 GermanyGermany NetherlandsNetherlands Jan Nijenhuis ( FL ) F. 0August 4, 2001 2019 Munich , Germany
38 GermanyGermany Bastian Schirmacher F. February 20, 1998 2017 Hanover , Germany
18th GermanyGermany Lois Spitzner ( FL ) LW June 12, 1997 2019 Chemnitz , Germany
68 CanadaCanada Corey Trivino C. January 12, 1990 2018 Toronto , Ontario , Canada
27 GermanyGermany Eric Valentin ( FL ) F. February 12, 1997 2018 Donaueschingen , Germany

Significant former teams

Second division championship team 2007/08

The team of the Kassel Huskies from the 2007/08 season achieved a remarkable record in the 2nd Bundesliga with 122 points in the preliminary round and a record 27 points ahead of the runner-up. At the end of the season they prevailed in the play-offs, won the second division championship and made it back to the German ice hockey league . In addition, Drew Bannister was named the best defender in the league. Shawn McNeil was the best scorer this year with a total of 70 scorer points.

goalkeeper
Canada-Germany # 1 Boris Rousson Canada # 25 Sebastian Elwing Czechoslovakia Germany # 29 Adam Ondraschek Slovakia # 53  Marek Mastič
defender
United States # 2 Vince Macri Belgium-Germany # 6 Mike Pellegrims Canada # 7 Drew Bannister (A) Germany # 8 René Kramer
Canada-Germany # 11 Guy Lehoux Canada-Germany # 22 Brad Burym Germany # 39 Daniel Rau Russia-Germany # 65 Semen Glusanok
striker
Germany # 9 Manuel blade Canada # 12 Hugo Boisvert (C) Germany # 13 Tobias Schwab Canada-Germany # 14 Mark Kosick
Canada # 15 Dylan Gyori United States # 17 Ryan Kraft Germany # 19 Thorben Saggau Poland Germany # 20 Jacek Płachta (A)
Canada # 21 Shawn McNeil Canada-Germany # 26 Steve Palmer England # 28 Dominik Walsh Canada-Germany # 34 Daniel Del Monte
Germany # 37 Christian Kohmann Germany # 51 Thomas Pielmeier Germany # 81 Sven Gerbig Germany # 89 Michael Christ
Official
Canada Stéphane Richer (head trainer) Germany Fabian Dahlem (Assistant Trainer)

(C) = team captain , (A) = assistant to the captain

Vice championship team 1996/97

With the team from the 1996/97 season , the Kassel Huskies celebrated their greatest success so far as German runner-up. Despite the clear defeat in the play-off final, more than 10,000 fans cheered in front of the town hall in Kassel on April 16, 1997. There were nine Scandinavian players in the squad that year , including Roger Hansson, a reigning Olympic champion who won the gold medal with the Swedish national team at the 1994 Winter Olympics .

The most goals for Kassel were scored - with 23 goals each - on the one hand by Mike Millar and on the other by Roger Öhman , who was also the best scorer in the team with 61 points this season. Gerhard Brunner made his debut in the German ice hockey league this season and, in addition to being runner-up with the “sled dogs”, was also named “ Trainer of the Year ”.

goalkeeper
Germany # 1 Josef Kontny Czech Republic # 29 Pavel Cagaš Sweden # 70 Jonas Eriksson
defender
Canada # 2 Milan Mokroš United States # 4 Venci Sebek Finland # 5 Marko Sten Germany # 6 Alexander Engel
Canada # 7 Greg Johnston Germany # 8 Alexander Wedl Finland # 66 Jouni Vento Sweden # 67 Roger Öhman
striker
Canada # 10 Dave Morrison Finland # 11 Pekka Peltola Canada # 12 Bruce Eakin (C) Canada # 13 Mike Millar
Sweden # 14 Roger Hansson Poland Germany # 19 Piotr Kwasigroch Czechoslovakia Germany # 20 Branjo Heisig Sweden # 21 Jukka-Pekka Seppo
Canada # 22 Greg Evtushevski Germany # 26 Falk Ozellis Canada # 27 Daniel Larin Germany # 28 Eduard Zam
Germany # 37 Tino Boos Germany # 46 Anton Krinner Sweden # 91 Morgan Samuelsson Sweden # 97 Robert Burakovsky
Official
Germany Gerhard Brunner (head trainer)

(C) = team captain

DEL2 championship team 2015/16

Goalkeepers: Jimmy Hertel , Markus Keller , Florian Proske

Defenders: Alexander Heinrich , Mike Little , Kevin Maginot , Marco Müller , Mathias Müller , Dorian Saeftel , Eric Stephan , Sören Sturm , Sven Valenti

Attackers: Adriano Carciola , Taylor Carnevale , Michael Christ , Jean-Michel Daoust , Justin Kirsch , Manuel Klinge , Jamie MacQueen , Jens Meilleur , Thomas Merl , Lennart Palausch , Braden Pimm , Carter Proft , Austin Wycisk

Coaching staff: Rico Rossi , Hugo Boisvert

player

Blocked jersey numbers

The blocked jersey numbers under the roof of the ice rink

Four of the shirt numbers that have been assigned so far in the more than 30-year history of the club were blocked in honor of the players and have not been assigned in Kassel since then. The jerseys of the former players hang under the roof of the Kassel ice rink .

(Team membership and position in brackets)

Milan Mokroš joined EC Kassel as a player in 1991, for whom he tied the skates for a total of six seasons. Even after that, Mokroš remained connected to the region, stepping in on an interim basis both in 1997 and 2005 as a coach of the huskies. Mokroš takes care of the EJK offspring full-time. In 2010/11 he took over the role of head coach again after the DEL license was withdrawn and led his team through the Hessenliga without defeat.
Known as Shane “The Train” , the player was active in Kassel for ten years and scored a total of over 300 goals in 300 games. In the 1982/83 season alone, he convinced with 102 goals and 54 assists in 36 games and about 4.3 points per game. He was the only player to wear his shirt number # 3 in Kassel and will no longer be given in his honor.
Heinrich managed to convince with his performances in Kassel and got a place with his jersey under the stadium roof of the ice rink when he ended his career in 1987. Heinrich's worn jersey number # 5 is no longer awarded. Only his son Alexander had the honor of wearing his shirt number again for Kassel in the 2006/07 season.
Kolodziejczak came to ESG Kassel from Nuremberg in 1985 and became a crowd favorite. The tireless worker from Braunlage completed a total of 291 games for Kassel teams, was captain of the legendary "Eighty-Niners" and, after the DEL license was withdrawn in 2010/11, led the team supervised by Milan Mokroš as captain in the Hessen League.

Members of the Hockey Hall of Fame Germany

Part of the exhibition in the German Ice Hockey Museum

In the German ice hockey museum - the Hockey Hall of Fame Germany  - personalities who have made an outstanding contribution to ice hockey in Germany are admitted. Four of the recorded actors worked in Kassel during their playing or coaching careers.

(Team membership and activity / position in brackets)

  • Germany Axel Kammerer
    (2000–2002, assistant trainer and 2003/04, head trainer)
Before his work as head trainer at the "Huskies", Kammerer was active as an assistant trainer under Hans Zach from 2000 to 2002 and made it to the play-off semi-finals with him twice. Although he wasn't particularly successful as head coach in Kassel, his success as a national player ultimately made it to the German ice hockey museum.
For the then EC Kassel , Moeser recorded a total of 29 scorer points in his only 19 games during the 1992/93 season . During his career, he achieved over 1,100 scorer points in around 950 games - including 550 goals - and was thus entered into the Hockey Hall of Fame Germany in 2006.
Rumrich managed to move into the play-off semi-finals of the 1999/2000 season as a striker under Hans Zach with the "sled dogs" and received the " Hockey Player Award" from the magazine Eishockey News in the same season . In addition, Rumrich recorded 182 international matches for the German national team during his career .
  • Germany Hans Zach
    (1995/96 and 1998–2002, head trainer)
With Hans Zach, the "sled dogs" moved into the semi-finals of the play-offs three times in a row from the 1999/2000 season, always as one of the top five teams in the preliminary round. Through his successful work as a club and national coach and almost 20 years of sporting activity as a professional player, Zach made it into the Hockey Hall of Fame Germany.

Club-internal records in the DEL

The most outstanding players of the Kassel Huskies in the German Ice Hockey League were Tobias Abstreiter , Mike Millar and Greg Johnston , who have so far been at the top of the club's internal statistics.

Best statistics during team membership
category Surname number
Most games Tobias Abstreiter 400 (in eight seasons)
Most goals Mike Millar 94 (in four seasons)
Most templates Tobias Abstreiter 156
Most of the points Tobias Abstreiter 221 (65 goals and 156 assists)
Most penalty minutes Tobias Abstreiter 493
Best statistics during a season
category Surname number season
Most goals Mike Millar 39 1994/95
Most templates Josh Soares 40 2009/10
Most of the points Mike Millar 60 (39 goals and 21 assists) 1994/95
Most penalty minutes Pierre-Luc Sleigher 187 2009/10
Most scorer points during team membership
Surname Item Playtime Games Gates Assists Points Pt / col
Tobias Abstreiter C. 1998-2006 400 65 156 221 0.55
Greg Johnston RW 1994-1999 235 72 116 188 0.80
Mike Millar RW 1994-1998 141 94 82 176 1.25
Greg Evtushevski RW 1995-2000 208 51 99 150 0.77
Stéphane Robitaille D. 1997-2004 330 51 97 148 0.45
Daniel Kreutzer RW 1998-2002 221 43 87 130 0.59
Roger Hansson RW 1996-2001 235 52 71 123 0.52
Bruce Eakin C. 1995-1998 135 39 77 116 0.86
Pat Mikesch C. 2000-2003 171 38 67 105 0.61
Sylvain Turgeon LW 1998-2001 141 67 31 98 0.70

Pos. = Position of the player, D = defense , C = center , RW = right wing , LW = left wing
Pkt / Sp = average number of scorer points per game

(Status of all statistics: playing times in the German Ice Hockey League up to the 2009/10 regular season .)

Other major former players

(Team membership and position in brackets)

With his 215 goals from 458 scorer points , 530 penalty minutes and a total of 196 games in four years of active sport in Kassel, O'Brien was one of the most conspicuous players to have played in North Hesse.
The “Sepp the Witcher” titled Kontny was voted the team's best player in both 1990 and 1991. He has not played since 1996 due to many injuries, but officially only ended his career in 1999.
For three years Hills scored almost three points per game and is one of the most successful goal scorers in Kassel. Due to the regulation of the maximum number of non- EU foreigners, he left the Kassel ice hockey club in 1994 due to his age.
Mokroš defended the Kasseler Tor for six years until he had to end the active sporting period in 1996 due to many injuries. He was later active as a coach in Kassel in 1998 and in the 2004/05 season .
Morrison was initially active in Kassel from 1991 to 1993 and achieved 170 points scorer. At the start of the DEL, Morrison returned in 1994 and won the German runner-up in 1997 with the "Huskies".
Millar leads the team-internal scoring tables and is so far the Kassel player with the most goals in the DEL. His hard shot gave him the nickname "Mortar Mike" by the fans .
Engel was the first Kassel player to appear for a national team and to be active in sports at the Germany Cup in 1994 . In 1997 he won the runner-up with the "Huskies".
To this day, among other things, he heads the team's internal scoring tables and was employed as an all-rounder under Hans Zach . He was nicknamed "Magic" Johnston for his goals and assists .
When the DEL was founded, Boos moved to Kassel and after a few seasons became the 85-time German national player. Of his more than 700 DEL games to date, he has recorded more than the first 250 for the Kassel Huskies.
The former player of the National Hockey League , drafted in 1981, was active as captain during his time in Kassel and was also runner-up in 1997. He was particularly known for his good face-off game and his provocative style of play.
The 1983 they drafted Evtushevski was known in Kassel for his fighting spirit. "Shevi" , as he was called because of his surname, recorded 150 points and almost 400 penalty minutes in 208 games for North Hesse.
The youngster, who was brought to Kassel by Hans Zach at the time, played more than 220 DEL games for the "Huskies" and developed into a German national player . He was nicknamed "Schnitzel" by the fans.
In his eight years of active sporting activity, the former national player played over 400 DEL games with the "Huskies" and was a team captain for some time . With 221 points, he leads the team-internal DEL scorer list.
The NHL Entry Draft of 1989 recorded over 400 NHL games before its time in Kassel and was active in sports for the then Mighty Ducks of Anaheim , among others . For the 2003/04 season he was the second best scorer in Kassel.
The former NHL player, who already played for Anaheim and Edmonton , was elected the best defender in the league in both second division seasons and, as a goalscorer, ensured the sporting resurgence of Kassel.
With more than 120 scorer points in both years of the second division, the Canadian striker, drafted in 1996, was one of the team's best players in the “sled dogs” and dominated the second division with them .
Daniel Kreutzer , 2002
Martin Bartek , 2009

Participation of players in the All-Star-Game

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

Participation in the All-Star-Game while being part of the team
Surname position Team membership Participation team
Germany Tobias Abstreiter center 1998-2006 2002 and 2004 Germany Germany
Slovakia Martin Bartek striker 2008-2009 2009 Europe Europe
Germany Tino Boos center 1994-2000 1999 Germany Germany
Czechoslovakia Germany Thomas Dolak Storm 1998-2000 1999 Germany Germany
United States Ted Drury Storm 2003-2005 2004 DEL All-Star Team DEL all-stars
Slovakia Martin Hlinka Storm 2005-2006 2006 DEL All-Star Team DEL all-stars
Germany Klaus Kathan Storm 2000-2002 2000 u. 2002 Germany Germany
Germany Daniel Kreutzer center 1998-2002 2002 Germany Germany
Germany Andreas Loth Storm 1999-2004 1999 and 2002 Germany Germany
Germany Nikolaus Mondt center 1998-2000 1999 Germany Germany
Germany Stephan Retzer defense 2001-2005 2004 and 2005 German Germany
Canadian Jeff Tory defense 2001-2002 2002 DEL All-Star Team DEL all-stars
Germany Hans Zach Trainer 1995/96 a. 1998-2002 2002 German Germany

Trainer

In the first few years after the club was founded, the Canadian Danny Coutu was active as a coach for the Kassel ice sports community. With him as an equally active player , the team made their first ascent. After ESG Kassel qualified for the league three seasons after the club was founded, it was then trained by the Czech Jaromír Hudek and a year later by Anton Waldmann. "ESG" played with him in the second league year for promotion, which could not be noticed due to financial deficits. Only in the following year did this succeed with coach Jorma Siitarinen. The Finn managed in his first coaching season 1982/83 promotion to the second Bundesliga hockey .

Previous coach of the Kassel Huskies
season Trainer
1994/95 CanadaCanada Ross Yates
1995/96 GermanyGermany Hans Zach
1996–1997 * GermanyGermany Gerhard Brunner
1997/98 * CanadaCanada Bill Lochead
1998 Czech RepublicCzech Republic Milan Mokroš
1998-2002 GermanyGermany Hans Zach
2002/03 SwedenSweden Gunnar Leidborg
2003/04 * GermanyGermany Axel Kammerer
2004 * CanadaCanada Mike McParland
2004/05 Czech RepublicCzech Republic Milan Mokroš
2005/06 * GermanyGermany Bernhard Englbrecht
2006-2010 CanadaCanada Stéphane Richer
2010 CanadaCanada Dean Fedorchuk
2010/11 Czech RepublicCzech Republic Milan Mokroš
2011/12 CanadaCanada Jamie Bartman
2012–2013 * GermanyGermany Ulrich Egen
2013 * PolandPoland Czesław Panek
2013-2014 GermanyGermany Jürgen Rumrich
2014-2018 CanadaCanada Rico Rossi *
2018 United StatesUnited States Bobby Carpenter *
since 2018 CanadaCanada Tim Kehler

* Dismissed during the current season

Stéphane Richer (back) with the former sports director Fabian Dahlem

Despite the success, the Czechoslovak Jaromír Fryčer took over as coach of the club for the first season of the second division . Fryčer established himself with Kassel in the second division and managed to stay up for two years in a row until he was replaced by Tore Hedwall in the 1985/86 season . The coach from Sweden then managed to play for qualification for the 1st Bundesliga twice with the "ESG" . With the missed promotions and the high investment in the ESG Kassel team, the club then had to file for bankruptcy.

With the re-establishment of the club, Richard Piechutta took over EC Kassel in the following season . Piechutta restructured the club and reached in its first and only season, the renewed qualification for the 2nd Bundesliga in the game year 1988/89 . The renewed rise only managed the player-coach Peter Roedger in the 1989/90 season . Both he and his successor, Sergei Nikolajew from Russia , with whom Kassel celebrated relegation in the second division, also trained the club for only one year.

With Jerzy Potz from Poland, a coach then worked for the club for the first time three years in a row. Potz achieved during his activity from 1991 to 1994 the renewed qualification for the first Bundesliga and also established himself with the Huskies in the newly founded play-offs when he celebrated the second division runner-up with the "ECK" in 1993/94 . With this success Kassel qualified for the German Ice Hockey League , founded in 1994 , the new top German ice hockey league .

With the subsequent outsourcing of the professional team and renaming to Kassel Huskies , the club had a North American coach for the first time . The Canadian Ross Yates reached the play-off quarter-finals with the "Huskies" in the first DEL season. The same triumph was recorded the following year by Hans Zach , who - like his predecessor - only coached the Kassel team for one year.

For the 1996/97 season , Gerhard Brunner switched to the Kassel Huskies. Brunner achieved the greatest sporting success to date with the "sled dogs" and won the German runner-up championship. In addition, he was voted “ Trainer of the Year ” in his first season for Kassel . Despite the great success, the following season was less successful for Kassel and Brunner and his short-term Canadian successor Bill Lochead had to leave the club during the current season. A former player for the "Huskies", the Czechoslovak Milan Mokroš , then took over the team until the end of the season.

With the beginning of the 1998/99 playing year , Hans Zach returned to Kassel. Although he also did not qualify for the play-offs in his first season, he established himself in the DEL finals in the next season and then reached the play-off semi-finals three years in a row. Due to the great success as a trainer, he was lured away by the Kölner Haien and left the club in 2002.

In the following years, neither the Swede Gunnar Leidborg in the 2002/03 season nor Axel Kammerer , who was dismissed during the 2003/04 season , qualified for the final round of the DEL. Kammerer's successor, the Canadian Mike McParland , won the runner-up cup victory with the "Huskies" in 2004 , but was fired during the following season. Milan Mokroš was again active for the remainder of the 2004/05 season in Kassel and had to play for the first time in the history of Kassel after eleven years of membership in the DEL in the play-downs for relegation.

With Mokroš, Kassel rose to the second division in 2005, but recorded relegation at the Green Table . For the 2005/06 season Bernhard Englbrecht took over the club as a coach, but he did not assert himself in Kassel. In January 2006 he was replaced by Stéphane Richer . Also with Richer, Kassel was again defeated in the playdowns and this time had to be relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga.

From 2006 to 2010 Stéphane Richer worked as a trainer for the Kassel Huskies, dominated the second division with them in two seasons and rose again to the DEL in the 2007/08 season with the "sled dogs". With the advancement he overcame the financial crisis and Kassel in the DEL. Due to the poor financial situation and the poor prospects, however, Richer did not extend his expiring contract in Kassel and left the club at the end of the 2009/10 season . Fabian Dahlem , his former assistant coach, then took over the position of sports director.

In the 2012/13 season the huskies were trained by Ulrich Egen . Shortly before the start of the 2012/14 season, however, he was dismissed.

Parent club

The Kassel Huskies have been cooperating with the Stammverein Eishockey Jugend Kassel eV since they were outsourced to a limited liability company in 1994 . V. , who is also based in Kassel. The parent club is responsible for the young ice hockey players of the Kassel Young Huskies as well as the women's team, which bears the name Ice Cats Kassel . Before the founding of the EJ Kassel, the club EC Kassel, which no longer exists, was the parent club.

Young huskies

The Kassel Young Huskies - still known as EJ Kassel until 2009 - are the youngsters' club of the "sled dogs" and play their games in different leagues, depending on the age group. They belong to the main club of the Eishockey Jugend Kassel e. V. and consist of six youth teams, which range from the very youngest to the juniors. Both the youth and the juniors play in the respective Bundesliga North of their age group. The overall responsible for the youth team is Milan Mokroš , the former player and coach of the professional team.

The youth of the junior team achieved their greatest success so far with the then coach Horst Fahl in 2004 as German champion . Alexander Heinrich , the son of the Kassel ice hockey legend Herbert Heinrich , also ran for the EJ Kassel team at that time ; he was active in sports for the professional team of the "Huskies".

Ice cats

The Ice Cats Kassel are the women's team of the home club. They played in the 2007/08 season in the women’s state league Hessen and reached first place ahead of the women’s teams of SG Trier - Bitburg and RSC Darmstadt and became champions of Hessen.

The Ice Cats are trained by Fred Pottek, supervised by Kai Sturm.

The women's team was founded in 1987 and started in the Landesliga Nord-Ost as EC Kassel under the same name as the men's team. They achieved their greatest success so far in the season from 1994 to 1996, in which they were promoted to the 2nd North Women's League and played there for two years. In 1997, the women's team was dissolved for the time being, until it returned to the Landesliga Hessen in 2007/08 as Ice Cats Kassel .

Venues

Ice rink

The ice rink has existed in Kassel since the club was founded on February 19, 1977. The venue, designed by Edith and Simon Kimm, made it possible for more than 3,000 spectators to watch the games of the then ESG Kassel . In 1995 the spectator capacity of the hall was expanded to 6,100 seats, including 2,720 seats including 250 box seats, and offered today's Kassel Huskies a considerable average of spectators at the start of the German Ice Hockey League.

Despite the membership in the second division in the 2007/08 season , a total of 122,398 spectators came to the 34 home games of the "Huskies". On average, there were 3,123 in the preliminary round and 5,151 visitors in the play-offs per home game.

In addition to ice hockey, the Kassel ice rink also offers the opportunity to allow guests to ice skate in the winter season .

The entrance to the ice rink
Audience statistics for the last five years
season Home games spectator Spectators per game
2009/10 28   (28 / -) 93,898   (93,898 / -) ø 3,353   (3,353 / -)
2008/09 26   (26 / -) 105,855   (105,855 / -) ø 4.071   (4.071 / -)
2007/08 34   (26/8) 122,398   (81,189 / 41,209) ø 3,600   (3,123 / 5,151)
2006/07 32   (26/6) 106,276   (77,050 / 29,226) ø 3,321   (2,964 / 4,871)
2005/06 29   (26/3) 124.101   (110.538 / 13.563) ø 4,279   (4,251 / 4,521)

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

North Hesse Arena

At times there was a debate between the Kassel Huskies and the Bundesliga handball team MT Melsungen about building a new multifunctional hall - the North Hesse Arena. The city council decided on January 29, 2007 with a large majority to disclose the development plan for this arena.

There has already been speculation about the exact completion date of the 40 million Euro North Hesse Arena, which has a capacity of 9,000 spectators and which was to become the sporting home of the Kassel Huskies and MT Melsungen. However, due to the “fresh” resurgence of the “sled dogs” and their financial crisis in the early summer of 2009, nothing clear has yet been determined.

The “Multifunctional Hall Project” threatened to fail several times, but without being finally put on record. In addition, the automobile manufacturer Volkswagen expressed interest in the naming rights of the arena. Since the continued existence of the Kassel Huskies was important for the planning of the multifunctional hall, Volkswagen Genuine Parts , among others, was the main sponsor for a longer period of time.

Club culture

Fans and followers

The so-called "hayloft" is the standing room in Kassel

Around the Kassel ice hockey club, 20 official fan clubs were founded , mainly from the North Hesse region , but also from southern Lower Saxony and East Hesse . In addition to the organized fan clubs, there are fan associations such as the one on the “hayloft”. This is the name of the blocks that describe the entire standing area behind one of the ice hockey goals. Ideally , several capos can reach the entire stadium acoustically and ensure uniform singing and calling of choirs. With the depiction of the hayloft on the 2013/14 jersey, the bond between the club and the fans was underlined.

Liesel Burg was considered the “most loyal fan” of the sled dog for 30 years . The fan known as "Grandma Liesel", who died on July 16, 2010 at the age of 85, was the only woman who was regularly allowed into the team cabin of the "sled dogs". She provided the players with cakes on a weekly basis and was well known by the fans as well as the players and coaches.

Rivalries

Outside the stadium there is rivalry between the cities of Kassel and Frankfurt . This is also brought to the sporting level by the fans, so that the games of the KSV Hessen Kassel and the FSV Frankfurt as well as the ice hockey encounters between the Kassel Huskies and the Frankfurt Lions are linked with a tradition.

The first duel between the two Hessian rivals took place in the 1980/81 Oberliga season between the then ESG Kassel and Eintracht Frankfurt. The team also played many other games against the Frankfurt team in the top German division and, more recently, in the DEL2. Both teams were incorporated into the newly founded DEL in 1994 and met in the play-offs in the first two years.

A game between the "Huskies" and the " Lions ", which was also important for the history of the DEL, took place in December 1997 . In this game against arch rivals from Frankfurt a total of 242 penalty minutes were distributed and the first third alone lasted almost two hours.

The opening game for the 2016/2017 season in Frankfurt's Commerzbank-Arena was a special Hessen derby . In front of 30,000 spectators, including 8,000 fans from northern Hesse, the first duel took place in the open air, which the people of Kassel decided 5: 4 in their favor.

Today the rivalry is mainly carried into the game by the fans and spectators, as the players in the teams mostly come from Canada or Eastern Europe and only notice this special relationship between the regions through the press .

Partnerships

With the Eispiraten Crimmitschau , the Kassel Huskies had a partnership in the field of young players during their membership in the DEL. Young players with a sponsorship license who had not yet made it into the huskies' squad were loaned out to the ice pirates to gain game practice.

Another partnership exists with the radio station Hit Radio FFH . This occasionally broadcasts games by the Kassel Huskies. In the last game of the play-off final of the 2nd Bundesliga on April 25, 2008 against Landshut Cannibals , 61,000 fans heard the live broadcast of the "Huskies" when Kassel was promoted back to the German ice hockey league .

The Kassel mascot

mascot

The traditional distinguishing feature of the Kassel Huskies has been the Siberian Husky since the professional team was outsourced in 1994 . The husky not only gives the "sled dog" its name, but is also an important part of merchandising as a mascot .

Before and after the home games as well as during the third breaks, it steps onto the ice rink in a plush husky costume and is used to entertain the spectators. It also presents trophies and awards at special events before and after ice hockey games.

Since 2015 the old mascot has been replaced by "Hercules".

Web links

Commons : Kassel Huskies  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ lev-nrw.de: Implementation regulations for gaming operations 2013–2014 ( Memento from February 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ treatises u. Report of the Natural History Association of Kassel, 1900, p. 2.
  3. ^ Journal of the Association for Hessian History, JJ Bohné, 1911, p. 302.
  4. ↑ a b c huskies-online.de: It started on the floodplain ( memento from January 24th, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ a b c d e ICE HOCKEY FINALIST KASSEL IN THE OUTSIDER ROLE The huskies are now the underdogs Brief history
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g huskies-online.de: When the "Huskies" learned to walk ( Memento from January 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ↑ huskies-online.de: When Kassel dreamed of the Bundesliga ( memento from January 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ a b c d huskies-online.de: More than just an ice hockey game ( Memento from January 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ a b huskies-online.de: When night turned into day ( memento from January 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  10. ↑ spiegel.de: "We won't make it easy for anyone."
  11. ↑ a b berlinonline.de: Zach leaves Kassel Huskies
  12. ↑ berlinonline.de: Ice hockey secured in Kassel
  13. ↑ DEL refuses Wolfsburg the license. In: kicker.de . June 28, 2005, accessed April 10, 2018 .
  14. ↑ Huskies finally saved !? In: hockeyweb.de. July 14, 2005, accessed April 10, 2018 .
  15. ^ Jonas Leppin: DEL descent: class struggle in Kassel. In: Spiegel Online . March 31, 2006, accessed April 10, 2018 .
  16. ↑ eishockey.info: "Huskies" react to fan criticism
  17. ↑ Florian Bässler: Ice Hockey History of the Kassel Huskies. In: eishockey-online.com. Retrieved April 10, 2018 .
  18. ↑ a b c Page no longer available , search in web archives: eurosport.de: Kassel Huskies return to the DEL@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / de.eurosport.yahoo.com
  19. ↑ kicker.de: Green light for the "Huskies"
  20. ↑ Kassel Huskies: Future uncertain despite takeover. In: weser-kurier.de. March 23, 2010, accessed November 13, 2018 .
  21. ↑ a b eishockeynews.de:  ( 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. Volkswagen remains the main sponsor@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.eishockeynews.de  
  22. ↑ hr-online.de:  ( 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. "Huskies" are threatened with financial failure@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.hr-online.de  
  23. ↑ hr-online.de:  ( 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. The tremor continues@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.hr-online.de  
  24. ↑ hr-online.de:  ( 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. Demo in Kassel - Huskies fans set an example@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.hr-online.de  
  25. ↑ The Kassel Huskies are saved. In: t-online.de. May 29, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2018 .
  26. ↑ Kassel Huskies are officially licensed. In: hockeyweb.de. July 2, 2009, accessed November 13, 2018 .
  27. ↑ a b Richer: "I go with a heavy heart" - Kassel Huskies. In: hna.de. March 26, 2010, accessed November 13, 2018 .
  28. Jump up ↑ Olympia: Husky blade in the German ice hockey team - Kassel Huskies. In: hna.de. February 15, 2010, accessed November 13, 2018 .
  29. ↑ Kassel Huskies get new owners. In: weser-kurier.de. January 13, 2010, accessed November 13, 2018 .
  30. ↑ eishockeynews.de: After "Haien", "Huskies" are now threatened with bankruptcy ( Memento from March 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  31. ↑ welt.de: Kassel Huskies excluded from the DEL
  32. ↑ rp-online.de: ( Memento of the original from August 29, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. It's over for Kassel Huskies @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rp-online.de
  33. ↑ eishockeynews.de: Second division clubs reject Kassel ( Memento from September 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  34. ↑ After the end of the season for the huskies: No need to be sad . HNA Online . August 28, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  35. ↑ HNA Online - A bang for the huskies: Trainer Uli Egen for dismissal . August 28, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  36. ↑ Ex-DEL player Jürgen Rumrich is the new coach of the Kassel Huskies . Ice hockey news. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  37. ↑ Ice hockey in Kassel: It is already the fifth bankruptcy. HNA Online , February 7, 2014, accessed February 7, 2014 .
  38. ↑ HNA Online - Christ and Valenti stay, Carciola returns, Leask becomes assistant trainer . July 22, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  39. ↑ HNA Online - Video: Rico Rossi is the new trainer of the Kassel Huskies . June 26, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  40. ↑ hockeydb.com: All-time roster for the Kassel Huskies of the DEL
  41. ↑ hersfelder-zeitung.de: Sports director Fabian Dahlem in an interview about his plans for the new "Huskies"
  42. ^ HNA, bang for the huskies: coach Uli Egen dismissed , August 28, 2013
  43. ↑ deb-online.de: Final German Youth Championship 2004 ( Memento from May 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  44. ↑ huskies-online.de: archive, fixtures past seasons
  45. ↑ huskies-online.de: Kassel Huskies fan clubs ( Memento from January 24th, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  46. ↑ eskor.de: TRIKOT KASSEL HUSKIES 2013/14 ( Memento from October 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  47. ↑ rtl-hessen.de:  ( 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. Loyal fan of the "Huskies"@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.rtl-hessen.de  
  48. ↑ rtl-hessen.de:  ( 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. 82 year old "huskies" fan@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.rtl-hessen.de  
  49. ↑ HNA.de: Kassel Huskies: Mourning the most loyal fan
  50. ↑ rhein-zeitung.de: Fists flew in the Hessen Derby ( Memento from May 16, 2001 in the Internet Archive )
  51. ^ EC Kassel Huskies: Huskies cooperate with Crimmitschau. In: eishockey.info. September 15, 2005, accessed November 13, 2018 .
  52. ↑ dailynet.de: Partner: Kassel Huskies and Hit Radio FFH ( Memento from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  53. ↑ dailynet.de: 61,000 fans listened to ffh.de ( Memento from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on January 11, 2009 in this version .