Genève-Servette, Zurich, Sparta Prague, Växjö Lakers, Red Bull Salzburg, Färjestad and even Eisbären Berlin. All those qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions Hockey League are big names from the continent or, at least, from their country. All except one: the Fischtown Penguins.
The German club, based in the city of Bremerhaven, is almost unknown in the eyes of the general public, although it faced Genève-Servette (3-2 victory) and Lausanne (2-1 defeat) at the beginning of September during the preliminary phase of the competition. Here are four things to know about the opponent of the Eagles, title holders, before the first leg, this Tuesday at Vernets (7:45 p.m.).
Among the teams still in the running, Bremerhaven is the only one to have never won its national championship. This is easily explained. The club had never played in the DEL before its promotion in 2016. Long confined to the bottom or middle of the rankings, the Penguins reached a milestone in 2023-2024 with a first place in the regular season and a defeat in the play-off final. off.
A stint with the National Federation, an assistant role, then an internal promotion to head of the first team. The journey of Alexander Sulzer, the coach of the Fischtown Pinguins, resembles that of Jan Cadieux. The 40-year-old technician is having his first experience as a head coach in his young career. With success since his training is third in DEL, in addition to his excellent European career.
If the man on the bench is young, this is not the case for his squad. No one under the age of 21 is among the holders. There are 13 of them over 30 years old. It is therefore no coincidence that Bremerhaven has the oldest team, with an average of 28.77 years, among those still in the running. Genève-Servette is, however, only a bit younger (28.13 years old).
The German contingent includes another rarity. There is not a single player who has played in the National League, unlike all the foreign teams still involved in the CHL.
Two links with Switzerland still exist. Marian Bazany, the assistant coach, held the same position at Rapperswil during the 2018-2019 season and striker Felix Maegaard Scheel wore the Visp jersey in 2022-2023.
