2004–05 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season

The DEL 2004/05 season was the eleventh season of the German Ice Hockey League. The regular season began on 17 September 2004 and ended on 13 March 2005 the play- off round was played on March 17. German masters were the polar bears Berlin, the sporty relegated Kassel Huskies allowed to remain in the league since the Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg lost their licenses by the league.

The season was dominated by players from the National Hockey League, which for a year changed after the cancellation of the local season in the European leagues, in order to be able to continue to play top class hockey. With Erik Cole one of these legionaries was named most valuable player of the playoffs.

  • 2.1 Final Table
  • 2.2 Rankings
  • 4.1 Play-off Tree
  • 4.2 quarterfinals
  • 4.3 Semi-finals
  • 4.4 final

Requirements

Participant

Mode and rules

While the top eight teams in the preliminary round for the play- offs qualified, the two last placed played in a play -down round against relegation. For the teams ranked nine to twelve the season had ended after the first round.

Preliminary round

Biggest surprise of the first round were the Hannover Scorpions, which until mid-March to catch up almost 20 points on the Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg of the beginning of January and so could the play- downs prevent yet.

Final Table

Abbreviations: Sp = Matches, W = Wins, SOS = Wins after the shootout, SON = Losses after the shootout, L = Losses, (M) = titleholder, (N) = newbie Notes: = qualifying for the play-offs, = season ended, = Play -downs

Rankings

Play -downs

The two bottom team Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg and Kassel Huskies played from 18 March in a play -down serial mode " Best of Seven" against relegation. Wolfsburg had the first home right which then changed in each of the taking place in the two-day rhythm games because of the better main round placement.

Thus were the Kassel Huskies fixed as a sporting relegated. However, Kassel remained in the League since the Grizzly Adams lost their licenses because the construction of a new, corresponding to the specifications of DEL Arena had not been completed on time.

Play-offs

Play-off - tree

Quarterfinals

The quarter-final was played on 17 March 2005 in the " Best of Seven" mode. The best-placed team in the main round, the Frankfurt Lions, met on the eighth-placed Hamburg Freezers, second-placed Polar bears Berlin on the Seventh Augsburger Panther, the Third, the Nuremberg Ice Tigers, on the sixth-placed Adler Mannheim and the fourth-placed Cologne Sharks on the ERC Ingolstadt, the had finished the main round in fifth place.

With the exception of the opening match against Hamburg Freezers Frankfurt Lions, which was held in contrast to the rest of the games on the 17th place on 18 March, the games were held with varying degrees of home advantage in the two-day rhythm.

Semifinal

The semi-finals were held from April 1, and as the final in the " Best of Five" mode. The highest ranked team in the first round still remaining met the schlechtplatzierteste while the Zweitbestplatzierte the preliminary round played against the Drittbestplatzierten.

Final

The final series was played from April 15. Polar bears Berlin had the first home right because of their better placement in the main round.

Thus, the polar bear Berlin were for the first time in its history, total German champion and won both their first title after the reunification. Against the Adler Mannheim, who had previously beaten rather surprising in the preliminary round better placed Nuremberg Ice Tigers and Frankfurt Lions, the capital city also managed as a second team in the DEL history, according to Adler Mannheim in 1997, a sweep, ie without losing the finals to win. This was also the Bundesliga times only the EC Hedos Munich in the final series of the season 1993/94 has succeeded against the Düsseldorf EC.

Squad of the German Master

Goalkeepers: Oliver Jonas, Olaf Kolzig, Youri Ziffzer

Defender: Ricard Persson, Rob Leask, Tobias Draxinger, Frank Hördler, Micki DuPont, Jens Baxmann, Derrick Walser, Shawn Heins, Norman Martens, Nathan Dempsey

Attacker: Steve Walker, Kelly Fairchild, Rob Shearer, Sven Felski, Florian Keller, Mark Beaufait, Alexander Barta, Florian Busch, Denis Pederson, André Rankels, Stefan Ustorf, Christoph Gawlik, Kay Hurbanek, Erik Cole, Marcus Sommerfeld, Richard Mueller

Coaching staff: Pierre Pagé, Hartmut Nickel General Manager: Peter John Lee

NHL players

The following NHL players spent the lockout in the 2004/05 season in the German Ice Hockey League:

Polar bears Berlin

Hamburg Freezers

  • Jean -Sébastien Giguère ( Mighty Ducks of Anaheim )
  • Jim Dowd ( Montreal Canadiens )

Adler Mannheim

ERC Ingolstadt

Iserlohn Roosters

Krefeld penguins

Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg

DEG Metro Stars

Frankfurt Lions

Hannover Scorpions

Kassel Huskies

Augsburger Panther

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