Ice hockey Deutschland Cup in Munich

The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) and the Olympic Park Munich reached agreement this week to stage the Deutschland Cup (German Cup) competition in the Olympic Hall, Munich from 2009 through to 2011. The Deutschland Cup is an ice hockey tournament that takes place in November each year in which the national teams of various countries take part. The competition has been organised as an official tournament of nations by the German Ice Hockey Federation since 1987. The Deutschland Cup 2008 was held in the SAP Arena, Mannheim, and the Eissporthalle (Ice Sports Hall) in Frankfurt and was attended by about 30,000 spectators on each of the three days. But numerous other cities had played host to the competition in the preceding years, such as Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Bietigheim, Pforzheim, Neu-Ulm, Munich or Füssen. After a three-year gap, the Deutschland Cup was revived in 2000, partly as a test run for the Ice Hockey World Championships that were held in Germany in 2001. Apart from the TUI Arena in Hannover, which was able to establish itself as the venue for the next few years, the main contenders for hosting this internationally recognised tournament were the newly constructed multifunctional arenas such as the Color Line Arena in Hamburg in 2004 or the SAP Arena in Mannheim in 2005. In 2004 and 2005 the Deutschland Cup, which was renamed the TUI Nations Cup in 2005, was also co-hosted by Switzerland to emphasize this country’s long-term association with the competition. This meant that the opening games took place in the Bodensee Arena in Kreuzlingen and in the Zurich Hallenstadion (Indoor Stadium). Uwe Harnos (DEB President): “The staging of the Deutschland Cup in Munich in 2009, 2010 and 2011 in the modernised Olympic Hall– a venue of historic sporting significance – is a great bonus for German ice hockey.” The German Ice Hockey Federation looks forward to a constructive partnership with Olympiapark GmbH and to well-attended, exciting encounters at the highest level. The fast sell-out of the last international game against Finland on April 11, 2008, demonstrated that Munich and the surrounding region of Bavaria have a great interest in the German national ice hockey team.” Franz Reindl (DEB Director of Sport / General Secretary): “We are grateful and at the same time delighted that Olympiapark GmbH has brought the national team to Munich. The Deutschland Cup is our only internationally established tournament each season and now has a famous home address at the Olympic Hall, Munich. The last two sell-out games against Finland and the USA clearly showed that the national team is a great attraction in Munich. In particular, with reference to Munich’s bid to host the Olympics in 2018, the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany, the EHC Munich and our overall image, this is an extremely positive development.” Wilfrid Spronk, (CEO of Olympiapark München GmbH): “International ice hockey has returned to the Olympic Hal in Munich! We are of course very happy and quite proud that we will now see top-class ice hockey in the Olympic Park again, following the last World Championship in 1993, the Deutschland Cup in 1997 and the sell-out internationals in 2005, 2007 and 2008. Munich has always been a good venue for ice hockey and the Munich public will again be able to enjoy the experience of a major tournament in the Olympic Hall for the next three years. This also reinforces the status of the Olympic Park as a venue for high-quality winter sports events, not least with regard to the bid for the 2018 Olympic Games .” Christian Winkler (General Manager of EHC München (Munich Ice Hockey Club)): “The staging of the Deutschland Cup is a good opportunity for Munich to enhance its profile in the ice hockey sector. In terms of spectators, we have seen great progress this season and the national team is, of course, the No. 1 attraction! Specifically with regard to the 2010 IIHF World Championships, the staging of this international tournament is extremely significant. The Deutschland Cup will arouse the interest of the already keen ice hockey fans in Munich and the surrounding region even more and we will, of course, draw benefits from this. Ice hockey in Munich is essential!“
 
Dates for the Deutschland Cup: 06. - 08.11.2009
12. - 14.11.2010
11. - 13.11.2011