Eishockey-Bundesliga
The Hockey league was 1958-1994 a total of 36 seasons long, the highest ice hockey league in the Federal Republic of Germany. For the 1994/95 season it was replaced by the German Ice Hockey League, which now again " the nickname of 1 Bundesliga " bears.
History
The early years ( 1958-1961 )
1958 released the single track Bundesliga league from the top division of the Federal Republic. First champion was the EV Füssen, which was the dominant team in recent years and won eight league championships more until 1973. Dominated initially continue the Bavarian teams fight for the top spot, won with increasing time also clubs from other parts of West Germany in importance, such as the Kölner EC, the EC Düsseldorf or the Mannheimer ERC.
Expansion and mode changes ( 1961-1979 )
After the league was initially launched with eight clubs and was played in the simple form of a single round, changed in the following years, many a time mode and number of participants. In the season 1961/62 for the first time joined a master lap in the first round, which was won by the EC Bad Tolz, while the losers was determined in the league in a relegation round. In 1965, the League was increased from eight to ten teams. To reduce the out of it incurred high cost of travel to away games, the Bundesliga for the season 1966/67, was divided into two squadrons. The five Bavarian clubs were doing assigned to the Southern group, the teams from West and East Germany and Berlin played in the group West. In 1968, the number of participants has been extended again, so for the first time took part in the match operation of the Bundesliga since its founding twelve teams. Already in the following year, the German Ice Hockey Federation, who had taken over the organization of the League is from DEV after its founding in 1963 decided to return to the single-track Bundesliga, eventually even for the determination of the Master in a simple double round.
Play- off games in Germany (1979 to 1990)
For the 1979/80 season the league introduced a new, much more complex mode with a second round between the main and final. The new competition format fulfilled its primary objective; Championship and relegation question remained exciting until the end of the season. However, there was considerable doubt as to the sporting justice of this Discharge. This was particularly true for the SC Riessersee, who had clearly done after the completion of the preliminary round with a six -point lead, which was melted by the second round on just one point, and was eventually overtaken in the final round, the Mannheim ERC and fell back to third place. This had the result that the mode is changed again. The following season was finally the first in which the Master was played in the play-off mode according to the North American model. Master was in the first year of SC Riessersee, who had still felt discriminated against in the preseason by the mode.
Even during the first round in 1980/81 it was announced that several foreign players were entered with fake German passports, thus to circumvent the limit on foreign players. From the so-called passport forger scandal two Bundesliga teams were concerned, on the one hand the previous Movers Duisburg SC, on the other, the two-time German champion Kölner EC. For both teams, all matches involving players counted with forged passports with 0:5 goals as lost. For the Duisburg SC, this meant relegation, the Cologne slipped through the deduction of points from the playoff ranks and escaped relegation only in the relegation round. After the consolidation of the Cologne EC increased from 1984 with four league titles to be determined German team of the late 1980s, having previously had won the title different teams.
Reunification and resolution (1990 to 1994)
After German reunification, the last two remaining DDR Teams SC Dynamo Berlin and SG Dynamo White water were added to the Hockey League, which was thus expanded to twelve teams. The most successful team at the beginning of the 1990s was the Düsseldorf EC, who won three of four championship titles of all-German Bundesliga. Last Bundesliga champion of the EC Hedos Munich. Including the finals, Bayern have won each series by a sweep, ie without a single play-off defeat.
Because since the introduction of the play- downs no longer like the decision to descend on the ice, but the financial situation of many clubs was crucial and the same four teams, although sporty qualified, had to dismount because of their financial situation, the Bundesliga clubs called for the introduction of a new highest professional league after the North American model. This should be a better advertising capability guarantees and DEB are relieved in favor of the youth and amateur work. After the end of the season and corresponding negotiations with the Association, decided DEB and clubs, with the DEL to call a self-governing professional league with 18 clubs to life, which replaced the Bundesliga as a top division.
Bundesliga champions
- See also: German Masters ( Hockey )