Eisbären Berlin in crisis: crash with announcement?
Berlin polar bears in crisis
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Crash with announcement?
The Eisbären Berlin are German champions, but they don’t play like one. This season even threatens a bad historical result. Despite the current downturn, there are aspects that give hope for the future. By Eddie Neupert
In the past two years, Eisbären Berlin fans have had a lot to celebrate. Her team then became German champions twice in a row. But not much of that is left. The Berliners just can’t get going this season and so coach Serge Aubin’s team find themselves in the bottom of the table. A situation that does not come as a complete surprise to some fans.
Ingo Schröter, longtime season ticket holder, “at least had in mind that there would be no automatic title defense.” Jens Wilke is even clearer: “Honestly, yes, I expected it, but it surprised me that it would be so bad.” Both are editors of “Eis-Dynamo”, the fan magazine by and for polar bear fans.
Miss the playoffs? “Haunted in the back room”
The polar bears are currently outside the playoff places. If this is not achieved by the end of the main round, it would be the first time in over 20 years that the main round is over. A topic that occupies the fans, Schröter said: “It’s already haunting the back room. It takes a lot of performance to avoid this fiasco.”
There are many reasons why things are not going well for the polar bears at the moment. The transfers are one of them. “The current situation this season is due to the failed transfer policy. The departures in the summer could not be compensated in the least in terms of quality,” says Jens Wilke. The polar bears have lost important players in almost all positions.
On the defensive alone, goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger, Ryan McKiernan and Kai Wissmann are missing important pillars from the successful period. Niederberger, who was a reliable support for the men in front during the two championship years, was replaced by the young goalkeeper duo Tobias Ancicka and Juho Markkanen. It is the first full DEL season for both of them. The attack is similar. With Blaine Byron, Dominik Bokk and former NHL pro Frans Nielsen, “three offensive and sometimes key players left the club,” Wilke continues.
The list of injuries is long
Ingo Schröter explains why this is not optimal at the moment, but is just right for the future: “Of course there is a certain risk when you have the pressure to be successful. But in perspective it is very reasonable, also for the development of German ice hockey. “
Wilke is just as positive about the future and is waiting for many players to develop similarly to that of Eric Mik, who is currently injured, or ex-Eisbär Kai Wissmann. Mik has been playing in Berlin since he was young, has gone through all the youth teams and worked his way up to become an essential part of the team during the championship years. Wissmann was active with the polar bears between 2014 and 2022 and is about to make the leap to the North American NHL.
Another reason for the misery is the long list of injuries. At the beginning of the season it played a big role. “As a result, the rows had to be rearranged again and again, there was no rhythm and there was no familiarity,” says Wilke. Some players are back now, but the team still hasn’t found each other. It is precisely this that is reflected in the results more broadly. The polar bears lack consistency and so they regularly oscillate between a few highs and many lows.
“Once a polar bear, always a polar bear
The situation in the stands is just as bad as it is on the ice. Even before the pandemic, the number of viewers continued to decline. And even after the restrictions, there are just over 10,000 fans in the hall instead of a sold-out house. “It is only too understandable that many people’s focus has shifted in the last three years,” says Jens Wilke, citing a possible reason for the decline in viewers. The regular audience is still quite large and there are many fans “who went through the bad times in the 90s,” says Wilke. One of them was Ingo Schröter, who says quite easily: “We’ve seen much worse times.”
And the two write about these times, as well as about the good ones, in the fanzine “Eis-Dynamo”. The fan magazine has been published since 1993 and reports on everything to do with the DEL record champion. Also critical. A welcome change for many, especially in phases like this one, when the officials are throwing around empty phrases.
In the coming weeks, the Eisbären Berlin will have to find a common rhythm and act as a team. this transition season could quickly turn into a nightmare season, not even making the playoffs. There should still be enough support from the fans. And so Schröter says: “Because I’ve already been through a lot with my club, I’m a loyal soul even when times aren’t so good. Then the slogan ‘Once a polar bear, always a polar bear’ fits the bill.”
Broadcast: rbb24, December 2nd, 2022, 10 p.m