Eisbären Berlin

Eisbären Berlin
Full name Eisbären Berlin
Founded 1954
Based In Berlin, Germany
Arena O2 World
(Capacity: 14,200)
League Deutsche Eishockey Liga
Team Colors               
Owner(s) Philip F. Anschutz
Head Coach Don Jackson
Website EisbärenBerlin.de

' (English: Berlin Polar Bears) are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members. A five time DEL champion in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011, the Eisbären are one of the most successful DEL franchises and are tied with Adler Mannheim for most DEL titles. The club also captured the East German Ice Hockey Championship 15 times before reunification.[1] The club's roots go back to 1954, when an ice hockey section was founded within the existing SC Dynamo Berlin sports club of the East German Police, Volkspolizei and the Ministry for State Security, MfS. Following incorporation into the West German 1. Bundesliga in 1990, the team was renamed into EHC Dynamo Berlin and again in 1992 into EHC Eisbären Berlin. Since the 2008–09 season home games are played at the O2 World, having played the previous five decades at the famous "Wellblechpalast" stadium. Since 1999 the club is part of the Anschutz Entertainment Group. The official logo of the Eisbären team is the polar bear, a reference to the black bear appearing on Berlin's coat of arms.

Contents

Club history

1954–1994: GDR and 1. Bundesliga years

The sports club Dynamo Berlin (SC Dynamo Berlin) was part of the sports association SV Dynamo of the East German Police and Secret service. It offered a wide spectrum of competitive athletic activities, including track and field, swimming, gymnastics, fencing, rowing, boxing and ice skating. SC Dynamo Berlin created an ice hockey section in 1954 and the club won their East German first title 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. All together Berlin won the East German championship 15 times, the last title coming in 1988. In 1984, Dynamo Berlin competed at the European Cup of Champions and came in third place.[2]

In 1990, the year of German reunification, both former East German ice hockey clubs clubs, SC Dynamo Berlin and SG Dynamo Weißwasser, which had been renamed into PEV Weißwasser, were assigned to the 1. Bundesliga, at the time the highest level of play in German ice hockey. The club was renamed to EHC Dynamo Berlin in the same year.However, Berlin was unable to compete and was consequently relegated to the lower 2. Bundesliga at the end of the season. The club was promoted back to the 1. Bundesliga following the 1991–92 season. In 1992 the club was re-named again, this time to "EHC Eisbären Berlin" and also introduced the polar bear logo. However, due to severe financial difficulties, the club had to rely heavily on its junior and other low-tier players, regularly finished at the bottom of the standings and struggled to avoid relegation to the 2. Bundeliga.[3]

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.[4] The team finished the regular season in third place and reached the DEL play-offs for the first time. In 1997 the club was renamed into "EHC neue Eisbären Berlin gegr. 1997 e.V.".[5] 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.[4] In 1998–99 Eisbären participated in the European Hockey League and finished in third place.[4]

The Anschutz Entertainment Group acquired sole ownership of the Eisbären in 1999, ensuring financial stability.[4] 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.[4] In 2005–06 and 2006–07 the Eisbären were the German representative at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.[4]

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.[4] The team successfully defended the title in 2005–06 against the DEG Metro Stars.[4] The third DEL championship was captured in 2007–08, when the Eisbären beat Kölner Haie in the final round of the play offs. The fourth title was won in 2008–09, when the DEG Metro Stars were beaten 3:1 in a best-of-five final play-off round. The most recent title was won in 2011, when the Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg were swept in the final round of the play-offs. Both Berlin and Mannheim have won 5 DEL titles apiece.[6]

Home Arena

Until the 2007–08 season the Eisbären played their home games at the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen complex. The corrugated tin roof of the ice hockey facility gave rise to the stadium's popular name "Wellblechpalast" (English: corrugated tin palace). The standing/seating capacity of the stadium is 4695. Whilst the "Wellblechpalast" is still being used as a training facility, since the 2008 season the Eisbären are playing their home games in the newly-built O2 World, a multi functional arena located at the Spree River with a seating-capacity of 14200.[7]

Team Anthem

The official team anthem of the Eisbären Berlin is "Hey, wir wollen die Eisbären seh'n" (approximately "Hey, We Want to See The Polar Bears"), recorded by veteran East German band the Puhdys in 1997. The song became a popular tune in German mountain resorts during après-ski parties, and went on to appear on several winter-themed music compilations. It has also been adopted by the club's Russian namesake, HC Dynamo Moscow, and could be heard at their games during the 2008–09 season.

The Eisbären goal song consists of a sequence of four separate elements. The line "Berlin, Halleluja Berlin", from the song "Brandenburg" by Rainald Grebe is followed by the can-can from Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld and the line "Ach du meine Nase" by the East German puppet character Pittiplatsch. The sequence is completed by the children's rhyme „Ene mene miste“ from the popular children's TV progamme Rappelkiste.

Current roster

Updated December 25, 2011.[8]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
8 Angell, NickNick Angell D R 32 2011 Duluth, Minnesota, USA
29 Baxmann, JensJens Baxmann D L 26 2003 Wernigerode, Germany
21 Bielke, DominikDominik Bielke  D L 21 2006 Berlin, Germany
90 Braun, ConstantinConstantin Braun D L 23 2005 Lampertheim, Germany
12 Braun, LaurinLaurin Braun RW L 21 2008 Lampertheim, Germany
26 Busch, FlorianFlorian Busch LW L 27 2002 Tegernsee, Germany
60 Christensen, MadsMads Christensen  LW L 24 2010 Herning, Denmark
11 Felski, SvenSven Felski C L 37 1992 Berlin, Germany
7 Hördler, FrankFrank Hördler D L 27 2003 Bad Muskau, Germany
15 Mulock, T.J.T.J. Mulock LW R 26 2009 Langley, British Columbia, Canada
62 Mulock, TysonTyson Mulock LW R 29 2007 North Delta, British Columbia, Canada
31 Nastiuk, KevinKevin Nastiuk G L 26 2010 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
40 Olver, DarinDarin Olver C L 26 2011 Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
20 Pederson, DenisDenis Pederson (A)  C R 36 2003 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada
24 Rankel, AndréAndré Rankel (A) LW L 26 2003 Berlin, Germany
49 Regehr, RichieRichie Regehr D R 29 2008 Bandung, Indonesia
16 Schlenker, VincentVincent Schlenker RW R 19 2009 Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
3 Sharrow, JimmyJimmy Sharrow D R 27 2010 Framingham, Massachusetts, USA
6 Supis, ThomasThomas Supis D L 20 2008 Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
48 Talbot, JulianJulian Talbot C L 26 2011 Wahnapitae, Ontario, Canada
22 Tallackson, BarryBarry Tallackson RW R 28 2011 Grafton, North Dakota, USA
14 Ustorf, StefanStefan Ustorf (C)  LW L 38 2004 Kaufbeuren, Germany
57 Weiss, DanielDaniel Weiss C L 22 2006 Titisee-Neustadt, Germany
72 Zepp, RobRob Zepp G L 30 2007 Newmarket, Ontario, Canada

Staff

Season-by-season record

Note: GP= Games, W = Win, L = Loss, T = Tie, OTL = Overtime Loss, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against

Point System: Win = 2 points, T = 1 point, OTL = 1 point

Season League GP W L T OTL Points Finish GF GA Postseason
1990–91 1. BL 44 8 29 7 0 23 12th 118 146 Relegated to 2. BL, lost to PEV Weißwasser 0:3 (best of five series)
1991–92 2. BL 48 25 13 10 0 60 3rd 233 162 Promoted to 1. BL
1992–93 1. BL 44 8 30 6 0 22 12th 118 207 Missed the Play-offs, avoided relegation, beat SERC 4:0 (best of seven series)
1993–94 1. BL 44 11 31 2 0 24 11th 119 214 Missed the Play-offs, avoided relegation, beat SERC 4:0 (best of seven series)
1994–95 DEL 44 10 32 2 0 22 18th 136 229 Missed the Play-offs
1995–96 DEL 50 11 34 3 2 27 17th 125 236 Missed the Play-offs
1996–97 DEL 50 26 19 4 1 57 4th 177 163 Lost the Semifinal to Kassel Huskies 1:3 (best of seven series)
1997–98 DEL 48 27 14 6 1 61 1st 179 139 Lost the Final to Adler Mannheim 1:3 (best of five series)

Note: W = Win, SOW - Shoot-out Win; L = Losses, SOL' - Shoot-out Losses

Point System: As of the 1998/99 season a new point scoring system was introduced: Win = 3 points; OT/SO Win = 2 points, OTL/SOL = 1point

Season League GP W SOW L SOL Points Finish GF GA Postseason
1998–99 DEL 52 26 4 17 5 91 2nd 210 163 Lost the Semifinal to Adler Mannheim 1:3 (best of five series)
1999–00 DEL 56 23 2 30 3 70 13th 181 193 Missed the Play-offs
2000–01 DEL 60 19 6 31 4 73 14th 192 221 Missed the Play-offs
2001–02 DEL 60 25 6 24 5 92 7th 177 166 Lost the Quarterfinal to Adler Mannheim 1:3 (best of five series)
2002–03 DEL 52 30 5 8 9 109 1st 188 134 Lost the Semifinal to Krefeld Pinguine 1:3 (best of five series)
2003–04 DEL 52 29 5 12 6 103 1st 171 126 Lost the Final to Frankfurt Lions 1:3 (best of five series)
2004–05 DEL 52 101 2nd 166 141 Won the Final against Adler Mannheim 3:1 (best of five series)
2005–06 DEL 52 34 n/a 18 n/a 100 1st 181 142 Won the Final against DEG Metro Stars 3:0 (best of five series)
2006–07 DEL 52 24 28 77 9th 171 157 Missed the Play-offs

Note: GP = Games, W = Wins, OTW = Overtime Wins, SOW = Shoot-out Wins, L = Losses, OTL - Overtime Losses, SOL = Shoot-out Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against

Point System: Win = 3 points; OT/SO Win = 2 points, OTL/SOL = 1point

Season League GP W OTW SOW L OTL SOL Points Finish GF GA Postseason
2007–08 DEL 56 33 2 3 14 3 1 113 2nd 231 165 Won the Final against Kölner Haie 3:1 (best of five series)
2008–09 DEL 52 36 1 4 14 0 2 105 1st 214 143 Won the Final against DEG Metro Stars 3:1 (best of five series)
2009–10 DEL 52 36 2 4 11 1 2 123 1st 209 156 Lost the Quarterfinal to Augsburger Panther 2:3 (best of five series)
2010–11 DEL 52 24 1 5 16 1 5 90 3rd 161 138 Won the Final against Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg 3:0 (best of five series)
2011–12 DEL 27 13 3 3 8 0 0 51 **in 3nd place as of 20 Dec 2011** 88 64

[9][10]

Club Statistics

Note: this section includes only regular season statistics from 1990 until the end of the 2010/11 season. [11]

Points
Player Seasons Games Goals Assists Points
Steve Walker 2000–2011 508 179 346 525
Sven Felski 1992–2011 810 192 293 485
Mark Beaufait 2002–2009 223 110 211 321
Denis Pederson 2003–2011 345 131 185 316
Stefan Ustorf 2004–2011 340 91 177 268
Goals
Player Seasons Games Goals
Sven Felski 1992–2011 810 192
Steve Walker 2000–2011 508 179
Denis Pederson 2003–2011 345 131
Chris Govedaris 1996–2001 247 117
Mark Beaufait 2002–2009 223 110
Assists
Name Seasons Games Assists
Steve Walker 2000–2011 508 346
Sven Felski 1992–2011 810 243
Mark Beaufait 2002–2009 223 211
Marc Fortier 1996–2002 311 198
Denis Pederson 2003–2011 345 185
Most Points in a Single Season
Name Season Games Goals Assists Points
Mark Jooris 1991–1992 50 54 69 123
Steve Walker 2007–2008 53 27 58 85
Jiří Dopita 1994–1995 42 28 40 68
Thomas Graul 1991–1992 47 28 32 60
Alex Hicks 2000–2001 56 27 31 58
Most Penalty Minutes
Name Seasons Games PIM
Sven Felski 1992–2011 810 1409
Rob Leask 1996–2006 463 797
Denis Pederson 2003–2011 345 525
Mario Chitaroni 1996–2000 192 512
Yvon Corriveau 1997–2004 237 492

Championship teams

Deutsche Eishockey Liga 2004–05 Champions

Deutsche Eishockey Liga 2005–06 Champions

Deutsche Eishockey Liga 2007–08 Champions

[12][13][14]

Achievements

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "History: All Teams". Eisbären Berlin. http://www.eisbaeren.de/content/53.php. Retrieved 2011-04-18. 
  2. ^ "History:Milestones". Eisbären Berlin. http://www.eisbaeren.de/content/53.php. Retrieved 2011-04-20. 
  3. ^ "History:Milestones". Eisbären Berlin. http://www.eisbaeren.de/content/53.php. Retrieved 2011-04-20. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Eisbären Berlin History" (in German). Eisbären Berlin. 2011-04-20. http://www.eisbaeren.de/content/53.php. Retrieved 2011-04-20. 
  5. ^ "Eisbären Berlin - GESCHICHTE - ZEITTAFEL" (in German). Eisbären Berlin. 2011-04-20. http://www.eisbaeren.de/content/54.php. Retrieved 2011-04-20. 
  6. ^ "Berlin gets hockey title after thriller" (in German). Deutsche Eishockey Liga. 2011-04-19. http://www.del.org/index.php?id=1298&tx_ttnews=home&cHash=65abc0d607ad6a4938d15a8168fd2639. Retrieved 2011-04-19. 
  7. ^ "O2 World (In German)". Eisbären Berlin. http://www.eisbaeren.de/content/16.php. Retrieved 2011-04-18. 
  8. ^ "Eisbären Berlin - Spieler" (in German). Eisbären Berlin. http://www.eisbaeren.de/das-team/spieler/. Retrieved 2011-11-13. 
  9. ^ "Standings for the Berlin Polar Bears of the 1.GBun". Eisbären Berlin. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/teamseasons.php?tid=1085. Retrieved 2011-04-20. 
  10. ^ "Standings for the Berlin Polar Bears of the DEL". Eisbären Berlin. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/display_standings.php?tmi=4843. Retrieved 2011-04-20. 
  11. ^ "All-time roster for the Berlin Polar Bears of the DEL". hockeydb.com. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/display_players.php?tmi=4843. Retrieved 2011-04-18. 
  12. ^ "Team 2004/05". Eisbären Berlin. http://www.eisbaeren.de/content/98.php. Retrieved 2011-04-18. 
  13. ^ "Team 2005/06". Eisbären Berlin. http://www.eisbaeren.de/content/99.php. Retrieved 2011-04-19. 
  14. ^ "Team 2006/07". Eisbären Berlin. http://www.eisbaeren.de/content/232.php. Retrieved 2011-04-19. 
  15. ^ a b "Zeittafel". Eisbären Berlin. http://www.eisbaeren.de/content/289.php. Retrieved 2011-04-18. 

External links

Current Teams
Former Teams
Seasons
SV Dynamo
Sports Club
District's Organization - Schwerin
District's Organization - Frankfurt (Oder)
District's Organization - Berlin
District's Organization - Erfurt
District's Organization - Dresden
Venues 
GDR sports · Sports and games