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Kölner Haie
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Kölner Haie
The Kölner Haie (English: Cologne Sharks) are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany, that plays in the professional Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.
The Kölner Haie play their home games in the DEL and the German Cup (DEB-Pokal) at the Lanxess Arena, which opened in 1998, located in the district Deutz. With room for 18,600 spectators, Lanxess Arena is amongst the biggest multi-functional arenas in Europe, and the Kölner Haie have the second highest average attendance in European ice hockey behind Swiss team SC Bern. Previously, the Kölner Haie played their home games at the Eisstadion an der Lentstraße. A strong local rivalry exists between the Kölner Haie and the Düsseldorfer EG, of neighboring Düsseldorf. Games between the two teams often sell out.
In the summer of 1972, the hockey department of the Kölner EK (KEK), which had made hockey in Cologne possible for different lower classes since 1936, separated from its parent association. The members of the hockey department sought to play as an independent association, due to the freedom of choice and better financial possibilities. On 10 August 1972, the independence of the hockey department was established, and Peter Rentergent was appointed the president of the new Kölner Eishockey Club (KEC).
The KEC remained associated with KEK, but as an independent department, and the team began play directly in the second division, then called the Oberliga. The KEK was a member of the German Ice Hockey Federation, granting them access to this division. The new association was to be called Kölner EC – but to no avail, however, because of the resemblance to the Kölner EK name. Hence, the addition "Sharks" was added to the logo, and years later, the association name. In the first logo, artist and team goaltender Dieter Horký sketched the shark logo. Today, the shark is the unmistakable brand image of the club, and since 1995, officially part of the club name.
The team found immediate success in their first season, 1972-73. With top players like Detlef Langemann, Wilhelm Hospelt, and player-manager Günter Peter, the team dominated opponents en route to winning the Oberliga, while being coached by Ondrej Bendik. The KEC scored 251 goals in 30 games to handily claim the Oberliga title, and gain promotion to the top hockey league, Eishockey-Bundesliga, for their second season. In their first Bundesliga season, 1973-74, there was a fair number of problems in and around the team. These problems compounded when captain Sigbert Stotz was forced to retire due to injury, furthering problems within the board of directors. Team manager Peter, plagued with financial troubles, fled the city, and the team ultimately finished the season in 8th place out of 10.
In the off-season, KEC fired head coach Jiri Hanzl, and rehired Ondrej Bendík to the team. The 1974-75 season saw a jump in performance by KEC; while only finishing one spot higher in the final standings, 7th, the team was closer to a .500 winning percentage. 1975-76 saw sparks fly in the Sharks front office, as at the beginning of the season, team president Rentergent resigned after coming under fire due to mismanagement of KEC's amateur star players. To add to this, in the middle of the season, head coach Bendík was dismissed due to poor performance – the team's attendance strongly decreased, leading to a financial deficit for KEC.
Despite the financial issues following the Sharks, they made a splash with a big transfer. New team president Jochem Erlemann welcomed in Gerhard Kiessling as head coach, with his son Udo joining on defense. However, the purchase of Erich Kühnhackl from EV Landshut for a record transfer fee at that time of more than 600,000 DM, was even more spectacular. This deal came with its fair share of oddities: multiple times, Jochem Erlemann had sent employees to Landshut with cash to negotiate directly with Kühnhackl, which was ultimately unsuccessful, however, the star player still changed sides to Cologne in the end. Though, even as KEC established itself in the top league, additional tax payments and debts emerged at a rate of more than two million DM. Only by immediate measures did the association president succeed in avoiding bankruptcy while maintaining the upward trend of the club. Thus, the Sharks, in March 1977, were able to win their first championship, beating the former champions Eisbären Berlin, as well as the Rhenish rivals from Düsseldorfer EG and Krefeld Pinguine in the championship rounds.
After KEC did not manage to defend their title the next season, the president signed many new players; among them, Miroslav Sikora who would remain for the following 20 years as a player and manager in Cologne. Also, Gerhard Kiessling, head coach in 1977, returned to the Sharks, after he had been dismissed unexpectedly immediately after the first championship. The Sharks, in the next season, managed to achieve their second championship, which was overshadowed by the resignation of the team president. Heinz Landen was appointed as successor to Jochem Erlemann, while Clemens Vedder became the treasurer.
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Kölner Haie
The Kölner Haie (English: Cologne Sharks) are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany, that plays in the professional Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.
The Kölner Haie play their home games in the DEL and the German Cup (DEB-Pokal) at the Lanxess Arena, which opened in 1998, located in the district Deutz. With room for 18,600 spectators, Lanxess Arena is amongst the biggest multi-functional arenas in Europe, and the Kölner Haie have the second highest average attendance in European ice hockey behind Swiss team SC Bern. Previously, the Kölner Haie played their home games at the Eisstadion an der Lentstraße. A strong local rivalry exists between the Kölner Haie and the Düsseldorfer EG, of neighboring Düsseldorf. Games between the two teams often sell out.
In the summer of 1972, the hockey department of the Kölner EK (KEK), which had made hockey in Cologne possible for different lower classes since 1936, separated from its parent association. The members of the hockey department sought to play as an independent association, due to the freedom of choice and better financial possibilities. On 10 August 1972, the independence of the hockey department was established, and Peter Rentergent was appointed the president of the new Kölner Eishockey Club (KEC).
The KEC remained associated with KEK, but as an independent department, and the team began play directly in the second division, then called the Oberliga. The KEK was a member of the German Ice Hockey Federation, granting them access to this division. The new association was to be called Kölner EC – but to no avail, however, because of the resemblance to the Kölner EK name. Hence, the addition "Sharks" was added to the logo, and years later, the association name. In the first logo, artist and team goaltender Dieter Horký sketched the shark logo. Today, the shark is the unmistakable brand image of the club, and since 1995, officially part of the club name.
The team found immediate success in their first season, 1972-73. With top players like Detlef Langemann, Wilhelm Hospelt, and player-manager Günter Peter, the team dominated opponents en route to winning the Oberliga, while being coached by Ondrej Bendik. The KEC scored 251 goals in 30 games to handily claim the Oberliga title, and gain promotion to the top hockey league, Eishockey-Bundesliga, for their second season. In their first Bundesliga season, 1973-74, there was a fair number of problems in and around the team. These problems compounded when captain Sigbert Stotz was forced to retire due to injury, furthering problems within the board of directors. Team manager Peter, plagued with financial troubles, fled the city, and the team ultimately finished the season in 8th place out of 10.
In the off-season, KEC fired head coach Jiri Hanzl, and rehired Ondrej Bendík to the team. The 1974-75 season saw a jump in performance by KEC; while only finishing one spot higher in the final standings, 7th, the team was closer to a .500 winning percentage. 1975-76 saw sparks fly in the Sharks front office, as at the beginning of the season, team president Rentergent resigned after coming under fire due to mismanagement of KEC's amateur star players. To add to this, in the middle of the season, head coach Bendík was dismissed due to poor performance – the team's attendance strongly decreased, leading to a financial deficit for KEC.
Despite the financial issues following the Sharks, they made a splash with a big transfer. New team president Jochem Erlemann welcomed in Gerhard Kiessling as head coach, with his son Udo joining on defense. However, the purchase of Erich Kühnhackl from EV Landshut for a record transfer fee at that time of more than 600,000 DM, was even more spectacular. This deal came with its fair share of oddities: multiple times, Jochem Erlemann had sent employees to Landshut with cash to negotiate directly with Kühnhackl, which was ultimately unsuccessful, however, the star player still changed sides to Cologne in the end. Though, even as KEC established itself in the top league, additional tax payments and debts emerged at a rate of more than two million DM. Only by immediate measures did the association president succeed in avoiding bankruptcy while maintaining the upward trend of the club. Thus, the Sharks, in March 1977, were able to win their first championship, beating the former champions Eisbären Berlin, as well as the Rhenish rivals from Düsseldorfer EG and Krefeld Pinguine in the championship rounds.
After KEC did not manage to defend their title the next season, the president signed many new players; among them, Miroslav Sikora who would remain for the following 20 years as a player and manager in Cologne. Also, Gerhard Kiessling, head coach in 1977, returned to the Sharks, after he had been dismissed unexpectedly immediately after the first championship. The Sharks, in the next season, managed to achieve their second championship, which was overshadowed by the resignation of the team president. Heinz Landen was appointed as successor to Jochem Erlemann, while Clemens Vedder became the treasurer.