Eisbären Berlin

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Eisbären Berlin
Founded	1954 as SC Dynamo Berlin, 1990 as EHC Dynamo Berlin
Home ice	Sportforum Hohenschönhausen
Based in	Berlin, Germany
Colours	Red, white, blue.
League	Deutsche Eishockey-Liga
Head coach	Don Jackson
Owner	Philip F. Anschutz

Eisbären Berlin (English: Berlin Polar Bears) are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. They compete in the Deutsche Eishockey-Liga, the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and are also one of the league's founding members. They won the DEL championship thrice in 2005, 2006 and 2008. The franchise also captured the East German Ice Hockey Championship 15 times before reunification. The team currently plays in the Berlin district of Hohenschönhausen. Since their inception the Eisbären have played their home games at "Wellblechpalast" stadium, but the team will relocate to a new arena, O2 World, in autumn 2008. The franchise was acquired by the Anschutz Entertainment Group in 1999. The official Eisbären anthem "Hey, wir wollen die Eisbären seh'n" (approximately "Yeah, We Wanna See The Polar Bears") was recorded by the veteran East German band the Puhdys in 1997.

Contents 1 Club history 1.1 1954-1994: GDR and 1. Bundesliga years 1.2 1994-Present: DEL years 2 Home Arena 3 Championship teams 3.1 Deutsche Eishockey-Liga 2004/05 Champions 3.2 Deutsche Eishockey-Liga 2005/06 Champions 4 Current Roster 5 Season-by-season record 6 Notable Players 7 Achievements 8 See also 9 External links

[edit] Club history

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[edit] 1954-1994: GDR and 1. Bundesliga years

The club was founded in 1954 within the existing SC Dynamo Berlin, the sports association of the East German Police, Volkspolizei and the secret service, MfS. They captured their first East German championship in 1966. In 1971 the league was reduced to just two teams and SC Dynamo Berlin and SG Dynamo Weißwasser made up the smallest ice hockey league in the world [1]. All together Berlin captured the East German championship 15 times [2]. In 1984, Dynamo Berlin came in third place at the European Cup of Champions [3].

Following the German reunification in 1990, SC Dynamo Berlin was incorporated into the existing German Bundesliga. The club was renamed to EHC Dynamo Berlin in 1990 [4]. In that first season in reunited Germany, both EHC Dynamo Berlin and PEV Weißwasser were assigned to the 1. Bundesliga, at the time the highest level of play in German ice hockey, but many of the more talented Eisbären players left the team to sign with other Bundesliga teams. Weißwasser was relegated to the 2. Bundesliga in 1991, Berlin in 1992. In 1992 the club was renamed again, this time to "EHC Eisbären Berlin" and also introduced the polar bear logo [5]. The Eisbären were promoted back to the 1. Bundesliga after the 1992-93 season. Due to lack of publicity and severe economic difficulties following the reunification, the club was unable afford high profile players and regularly finished at the bottom of the standings.

[edit] 1994-Present: DEL years

The German Eishockey Bundesliga was abolished following the 1993/94 season and a new league - Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) - was created. The Eisbären are one of the league's 18 founding members.

Following the Bosman ruling of 1995, the club replaced almost the entire roster with veteran European players in 1996/97 [6]. The campaign was a success and the team finished the season in third place. In 1997 the club was renamed into "EHC neue Eisbären Berlin gegr. 1997 e.V." [7]. The following season, 1997/98, the Eisbären advanced to the final round of the DEL play-offs, but lost to Adler Mannheim. The team also participated in the Continental Cup in Tampere, Finland, and finished in second place [8]. In 1998/99 Eisbären participated in the European Hockey League and finished in third place [9].

The Anschutz Entertainment Group acquired sole ownership of the Eisbären in 1999, ensuring financial stability [10]. In 2002/03 and 2003/04 the team finished the regular season in first place, but fell short of capturing the title. At hat time, the team had already become hugely popular, selling out 28 of 31 home games during the 2003/04 season [11]. In 2005/06 and 2006/07 the Eisbären were the German representative at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland [12].

In 2004/05, a season by characterised by the 2004-05 NHL lockout saw the Eisbären capture their first all-German championship. With the help of NHL veterans, such as Erik Cole, Nathan Dempsey and Olaf Kölzig, Berlin beat Mannheim in three games [13]. The team successfully defended the title in 2005/06 against the DEG Metro Stars [14]. The third DEL championship was captured in 2007/08, when the Eisbären beat Kölner Haie in the final round of the play offs.

[edit] Home Arena

Until the 2007/08 season the Eisbären played their home games in hall 1 of the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen complex. The corrugated tin roof of hall 1 gave rise to the stadium's popular name "Wellblechpalast" (English: corrugated tin palace). The standing/seating capactiy of the stadium is 4695.

From 2008/09 onward the Eisbären will be playing their home games in the newly-built O₂ World, a new multi functional arena with a seating capacaity for 14000 people.

[edit] Championship teams

[edit] Deutsche Eishockey-Liga 2004/05 Champions

• Goaltenders: Oliver Jonas, Olaf Kölzig, Daniar Dshunussow, Youri Ziffzer, Sebastian Stefaniszin (did not play)

• Defensemen: Ricard Persson, Robert Leask, Tobias Draxinger, Frank Hördler, Micki DuPont, Jens Baxmann, Derrick Walser, Shawn Heins, Derek Dinger, Hardy Gensel, René Kramer, Norman Martens, Nathan Dempsey

• Forwards: Steve Walker, Kelly Fairchild, Rob Shearer, Sven Felski, Florian Keller, Mark Beaufait, Alexander Barta, Matthias Forster, Florian Busch, Martin Hoffmann, Denis Pederson, André Rankel, Patrick Flynn, Tom Fiedler, Stefan Ustorf, Christoph Gawlik, Kay Hurbanek, Thorben Saggau, Thomas Schenkel, Alexander Weiß, Marvin Tepper, Erik Cole, Marcus Sommerfeld, Richard Mueller

• Coach: Pierre Gilbert Pagé
• Assistant Coach: Hartmut Nickel
• Team Manager: Peter John Lee

[edit] Deutsche Eishockey-Liga 2005/06 Champions

• Goaltenders: Tomáš Pöpperle, Youri Ziffzer, Daniar Dshunussow, Sebastian Stefaniszin

• Defensmen: Derrick Walser, Micki DuPont, Frank Hördler, Robert Leask, Drake Berehowsky, Deron Quint, Jens Baxmann, Tobias Draxinger, René Kramer, Norman Martens, Hardy Gensel, Derek Dinger

• Forwards: Steve Walker, Denis Pederson, Kelly Fairchild, Mark Beaufait, Stefan Ustorf, Sven Felski, Richard Mueller, Christoph Gawlik, Florian Busch, Patrick Jarret, Andre Rankel, Thomas Schenkel, Alexander Weiß, Marcel Müller, Jonathan Lehun, Constantin Braun, Thorben Saggau, Sean Fischer

• Head Coach: Pierre Gilbert Pagé
• Assistant Coach: Hartmut Nickel
• Team Manager: Peter John Lee

[edit] Current Roster

As of 31 July, 2007 [15]

Goalkeepers

Number	Name	Position	Date of birth	Nationality	Catches
35	Youri Ziffzer	Goalkeeper	21 August 1986		L
72	Rob Zepp	Goalkeeper	7 September 1981		L
89	Timo Pielmeier	Goalkeeper	7 July, 1989		L

Defensemen

Number	Name	Position	Date of Birth	Nationality	Shoots
2	Deron Quint	Defense	12 March, 1976		L
6	Andy Roach	Defense	22 August, 1973		R
7	Frank Hördler	Defense	26 January, 1985		L
8	René Kramer	Defense	24 October, 1987		R
13	Tobias Draxinger	Defense	3 January, 1985		L
25	Brandon Smith	Defense	25 February 1973		L
29	Jens Baxmann	Defense	24 March, 1985		L
31	Derek Dinger	Defense	28 March, 1987		L
84	Felix Thomas	Defense	22 February, 1987		L
92	Gregor Stein	Defense	29 January, 1989		L

Forwards

Number	Name	Position	Date of Birth	Nationality	Shoots
9	Nathan Robinson	Forward	31 December, 1981		L
10	Markus Ziesche	Forward	March 9, 1987		L
11	Sven Felski	Forward	18 November, 1974		L
12	Richard Mueller	Forward	6 March, 1982		R
14	Stefan Ustorf	Forward	3 Januar, 1974		L
16	Marius Garten	Forward	8 February, 1988		R
19	Mark Beaufait	Forward	13 May, 1970		R
20	Denis Pederson	Forward	10 September, 1975		R
24	André Rankel	Forward	27 August, 1985		L
26	Florian Busch	Forward	2 January, 1985		L
27	Steve Walker	Forward	12 January, 1973		L
33	Norman Martens	Forward	24 May, 1986		L
42	Patrick Flynn	Forward	8 August, 1985		L
43	Alexander Weiß	Forward	9 January, 1987		L
51	Thomas Pielmeier	Forward	14 April, 1987		R
62	Tyson Mulock	Forward	20 January, 1983		R
82	Bruce Becker	Forward	22 January, 1988		L
87	Christoph Gawlik	Forward	10 August, 1987		L
90	Constantin Braun	Forward	11 March 1988		L
91	Greg Quebec	Forward	17 March, 1977	[[Image:Flag of Canada.svg|20px|Canada]	L [edit] Season-by-season record Year Team League Record Regular Season Finish Playoffs 1990/91 EHC Dynamo Berlin 1. Bundesliga 8-29-7 (W-L-T) 12th relegated to 2. Bundesliga 1991/92 EHC Dynamo Berlin 2. Bundesliga 7-5-4 (W-L-T) 5th promoted to 1. Bundesliga 1992/93 Eisbären Berlin 1. Bundesliga 8-30-6 (W-L-T) 12th did not qualify 1993/94 Eisbären Berlin 1. Bundesliga 11-31-2 (W-L-T) 11th did not qualify 1994/95 Eisbären Berlin DEL 10-32-2 (W-L-T) 18th did not qualify 1995/96 Eisbären Berlin DEL 11-36-3 (W-L-T) 17th did not qualify 1996/97 Eisbären Berlin DEL 26-19-4 (W-L-T) 4th lost the semi finals 1997/98 Eisbären Berlin DEL 27-14-6-1 (W-L-T-OTL) 1st lost the final 1998/99 Eisbären Berlin DEL 26-17-4-5 (W-L-T-OTL) 2nd lost the semi final 1999/00 Eisbären Berlin DEL 23-30-3 (W-L-OTL) 13th did not qualify 2000/01 Eisbären Berlin DEL 25-31-4 (W-L-OTL) 14th did not qualify 2001/02 Eisbären Berlin DEL 31-24-5 (W-L-OTL) 7th lost the quarter final 2002/03 Eisbären Berlin DEL 35-8-9 (W-L-T) 1st lost the semi final 2003/04 Eisbären Berlin DEL 34-12-6 (W-L-OTL) 1st lost the final 2004/05 Eisbären Berlin DEL 32-14-6 (W-L-OTL) 2nd DEL champion 2005/06 Eisbären Berlin DEL 32-15 (W-L) 1st DEL champion 2006/07 Eisbären Berlin DEL 24-21-3 (W-L-OTL) 9th did not qualify 2007/08 Eisbären Berlin DEL 38-14-4 (W-L-OTL) 2nd DEL champion [16] [17] [edit] Notable Players No. 21 Jiří Dopita 1992 - 1995 No. 11 Sven Felski 1992 - present No. 19 Andrei Lomakin 1995 - 1997 No. 13 Andrew McKim 1996 - 1999 No. 22 Marc Fortier 1996 - 2002 No. 27 Steve Walker 2000 - present No. 20 Denis Pederson 2003-2005, 2006 - present No. 09 Erik Cole 2004/2005 Season [edit] Achievements Deutsche Eishockey Liga Champions: 2005, 2006, 2008 Deutscher Eishockey Pokal Winner: 2008 IIHF Continental-Cup Tournament in Berlin 1999/00: 2nd place SKODA AUTO European Hockey League (EHL) 1998/99: 3rd place IIHF Continental-Cup Tournament in Tampere 1997/98: 2nd place East German Ice Hockey Champions: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983 ,1984 ,1985 ,1986 ,1987 ,1988[18] [edit] See also Sportvereinigung Dynamo [edit] External links Official Homepage Deutsche Eishockey-Liga Homepage v • d • e  Deutsche Eishockey Liga Augsburger Panther  · Eisbären Berlin  · EV Duisburg Die Füchse  · DEG Metro Stars  · Frankfurt Lions  · Hamburg Freezers  · Hannover Scorpions  · ERC Ingolstadt  · Iserlohn Roosters  · Kassel Huskies  · Kölner Haie  · Krefeld Pinguine  · Adler Mannheim  · Sinupret Ice Tigers  · Straubing Tigers  · EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams Seasons:  · 2003–04  · 2004–05  · 2005–06  · 2006–07  · 2007–08 Related articles: German champions  · IIHF  · IIHF Continental Cup  · IIHF European Champions Cup v • d • e 2008–09 Champions Hockey League Metallurg Magnitogorsk  · Salavat Yulaev Ufa  · Kärpät Oulu  · Espoo Blues  · Slavia Prague  · HC České Budějovice  · HV71  · Linköpings HC  · HC Slovan Bratislava  · ZSC Lions  · Eisbären Berlin Related articles: IIHF  · IIHF Continental Cup  · IIHF European Champions Cup