Hamburg Crocodiles

Qualification for the 2nd Bundesliga in 1998

The Hamburg Crocodiles are a German ice hockey team from the Hamburg district Farmsen. You heard since its founding in 1990 to the Farmsener Turnverein. The first team plays in the 2011/12 season in the Oberliga Nord, in addition, the club has two more men's and six youth teams.

Their home games wearing the teams of Crocodiles, which belonged in 1998 to the founding members of the Bundesliga 2 and 2000 an application for admission to the DEL presented in the 2,300 -seat ice rink Farmsen from. The club colors of Hamburg Crocodiles are mainly red and black, complemented by the addition colors of white and green.

4.1 Significant former teams 4.1.1 promoted to the Bundesliga in 1998
4.1.2 second division team in 1998/99
4.1.3 second division team 1999/ 00
4.1.4 Association league champions 2008

5.1 Significant former players

6.1 Fans and rivalries

History

Early years and boom (1990 to 1996)

The Hockey Department of Farm Enser gymnastics club Hamburg was founded in 1990 as " FTV Crocodiles " and direct successor of the first EHC Hamburg. The players of teams of EHC changed in the Farmsener TV, in the national league resumed in 1990 the operation of gambling. The first home game in Farmsen won the Crocodiles against Altona SV 2-0, both goals scored in the last third Hans Sulzgruber, which developed in the following years one of the most important players of the club. The number of audience settled at the games of the inaugural season at about 80 spectators a, unless a visiting club brought a greater amount of spectators.

In the mid-1990s, the Hamburg-based entrepreneur Klaus -Peter Jebens made the decision to build a multi-purpose arena in the east of the city. The should be on his site on Höltigbaum and have a capacity 8500-10000 spectators. Jebens wanted to build the hall with its own resources, however, the Hamburg Senate prevented the project on the grounds that the infrastructure at the outskirts of Hamburg was for the hall is not enough, also there would be no train station nearby. However, the city held the construction of a new arena for unavoidable since the old gymnasiums Alster village with about 4,000 seats and Wandsbek with a capacity of approximately 2,000 people, had become too small.

In order to emphasize the location of his room, looking Klaus -Peter Jebens a hockey club from the east of the city, which he was able to present as the home team its planned hall at Höltigbaum.

Successful years in the second division (1996 to 2000)

Jebens 1996 the sole shareholder of the now divested from the original club FTV Crocodiles. A new club emblem, which is still used in a slightly modified form, has been introduced. Work also began with the renovation work at the old ice rink, which included the replacement of wooden benches in shell seats, replacement of sanitary facilities, the installation of a camera-enabled press box and the establishment of a VIP area. Since the Crocodiles were able to implement the highest budget by supporting Jebens in the lower leagues always, took place in the following years the rise of sports Hamburg team. By partially double-digit victories and buying up licenses höherklassiger clubs managed the Crocodiles in three years, the rise in the sub-prime 1st League North. There, the team finished second in the 1997/98 season in tenth place and thus qualified for the newly founded League, which was played from the season 1999/ 00 as 2nd Bundesliga.

The average attendance was steadily risen through the sporting successes in recent years, against the Düsseldorf EC, who had previously withdrawn from financial problems of the German Ice Hockey League, and other famous teams of the new second division, the hall was sold out with 2,300 spectators.

Crash in the fifth division (2000 to 2001)

In the summer of 2000, the Crocodiles, who had reached the play-off quarter-finals of the 1999/00 season were trying to buy the DEL license of the excreted Star Bulls Rosenheim and move up in the highest ice hockey league. The approval of the sale was not granted by the Shareholders' Meeting at DEL. After the Hamburg Parliament announced in the public park next to the former AOL Arena, a multi-purpose arena for 12,300 spectators want to, the game -GmbH of Crocodiles by the single shareholder Klaus -Peter Jebens, who claims to be during his engagements five million D- Mark in the was club had invested dissolved.

The Farmsener TV initially succeeded, continue with a new GmbH play activities in the Oberliga Nord for one season, which had to be adjusted but finally after the season. The still under contract players left the team even during the current season 2000/ 01, so the team sports could no longer remain competitive. After finally had greatly decreased the number of spectators, the club went bankrupt with liabilities of 500,000 D-Mark.

After the season, the outsourced team of Crocodiles was reintegrated into the original club Farmsener TV and continued to play under the name " Hamburg Crocodiles " in the fifth division, while the LLC was dissolved. However, despite free admission attendances rose rarely over 100 visitors.

Fresh start, renewed crash and break ( 2001-2007 )

After three years in the fifth division of the club in 2004 managed according to a fifth place in the play -offs as substitutes to qualify for the next Regional season. The audience figures increased sequentially again slightly, athletic managed the Crocodiles in their first Regional game time in the play- downs in the league.

In the season 2005/ 06 the regional leagues north and east to the Regionalliga Nord -Ost were summarized. Participating clubs included the neighbors EC Timmendorfer beach and Adendorfer EC, but also the Piranhas Rostock, two representatives from Berlin, Leipzig ESC, the hall and the EHV Schonheide. Because of the resultant additional travel costs, the budget has been significantly impacted. Since the Crocodiles in contrast to the top teams from Rostock and Leipzig, whose contract was 780,000 or 1.2 million euros, only a budget of 19,800 euros had available, the team finished only the last place the main round. Moreover, since there was only one training glaciation available that Crocodiles were inferior to the semi - professionals from the other clubs.

Nevertheless, the team secured in the play- downs in the league, while the local rivals Adendorfer EC were relegated for the first time in its history. Due to the lack of spectators once again increase the cost of this season were ultimately 30,000 euros higher than expected, so the FTV is voluntarily relegated to the fifth division, together with the insolvent EC Timmendorfer beach and the Adendorfer EC. After a poor start to the season with six consecutive losses, disputes within the team, among other things, due to the change from player-coach Johan Pawletta local rivals Hamburger SV, the Crocodiles closed the 2006/07 season from only in seventh place. However, the primary goal of achieving financial losses not again been reached. The average attendance was 180 fans, which alone against HSV 450 and 300 against Adendorf crowd turnout.

Although one would have in the new Regionalliga Nord can ascend, the club finally decided for economic reasons on the rise. Power sources such as Alexandre Santos, one of the top scorers in the league, Stefan Gebauer and Matthias Rieck goalkeeper and Guido Titzhoff left the Crocodiles and switched to city rivals Hamburger SV, who could compete in the higher category, Regional. In addition, Erich Dumpis joined the Beach Boys from Timmdorf.

Resurgence in the Regional (2007 to 2010)

Despite the disposals of the service providers, the team to player-coach Dennis Wellnitz and assistant Wolfgang Asmuß won against nine other teams without a defeat, only in Salzgitter, Altona and Osterode was won only after a penalty shootout. The first local derby after a long time against the Altona SV won the Crocodiles in Farmsen 7-2, in the second leg, the team won but only in the shootout.

Also the audience interest began to rise again. Against the direct competitor for the title, the EHC Osterode were 500 people in the hall, for the game to Osterode accompanied over 50 fans the team. Against the junior team of the Hannover Scorpions of the DEL legend Len Soccio as player-coach 800 spectators came into the local ice rink, which meant the highest number of audience in a competitive match since the 2000 /01 Serie A season. In view of the continuing difficult financial situation, the Crocodiles waived, however, again on a rise. The leagues head of Lower Saxony Ice Sports Association urged, however, that the Crocodiles perceived her rise right as a master or instead should stay in the national league. Finally, a compromise was reached which provided for a demotion of the first men's team in the national league and the continuation of gaming operations as 1b - team as well as the formation of a new team with the addition of names Juniors in the fifth division. The FTV undertook it to compete in every game of the Juniors with at least twelve U23 players. The Juniors team was nevertheless for the most part from the squad the previous season, supplemented with some players from the youth and junior level. At the end of the season up to fourth place behind the Regionalliga relegated Wedemark Scorpions, REV Bremerhaven 1b and the Salzgitter Steelers.

While the ladies game community with the Adendorfer EC was in season 2007/ 08 champions of the 1st Ladies League North - East has become, as approved in the next higher division, the 2nd League North, but no game communities, the matches under the roof was Adendorfer the EC continued. The youth team of FTV was during his North German champion and retired only from the semi-final for promotion to the youth league after the Grefrath Nierspanther you had to admit defeat.

In the 2009/10 season, the Crocodiles start with the first men's team in the regional league, although you could not athletic qualify last year.

Oberliga Nord (since 2010)

Through the reform of the leagues third division in the summer of 2010, the team took the Crocodiles part in the Oberliga Nord 2010/11 and reached there 8th place after the first round. In the 2011/12 season the team reached after 8th place after the main round 3rd place in the relegation round. In the 2012/13 season the team was in the main round 7 and reached in the placement round 3rd place

Placements since 2010

Squad for the season 2013/14

( At 5 February 2014)

Team

Significant former teams

Promoted to the Bundesliga in 1998

Second-division team in 1998/99

Second division team 1999/ 00

Association League Champions 2008

Player

Significant former players

( Team membership and position in brackets)

Dimitrij Kotschnew (2000-2001, Tor)

Karsten Mende (1998-2000, defense)

Sven Zywitza (1998-1999, storm)

Alexander Schuster (2000-2001, defense)

Mark Mahon (1999-2000, storm)

Phil Bourque (1998-2000, defense)

Marcus Bleicher (2000-2001, storm)

Club culture

Fans and rivalries

Among the spectators of the 2002 relocated from Munich to Hamburg franchise of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which plays in the Hanseatic city under the name Hamburg Freezers, there are also many former fans of the Hamburg Crocodiles, such as the fan club " Eispiraten ". Among the fans of unterklassigen clubs in Hamburg, Hamburger SV, SV the Altona and the Crocodiles, the theme of " Freezers " is controversial. Among the opponents is criticism that the Freezers small teams take away the viewer, while proponents say that the DEL franchise the Hamburger Hockey widely publicized 'm doing, which in turn can bring viewers to the small clubs.

On 21 February 2006, a friendly match between the Crocodiles Hamburg and the Hamburg Freezers took place in the Farmsener ice rink in front of 2,300 watching. The Freezers won 13-0, the revenue account in the youth department of the Crocodiles. Although at that time also otherwise support the youth work of the association Freezers, rejected some fan groups of the Crocodiles resettled franchise categorically.

Since 2009 there is a close relationship between the fans of Harsefeld Tigers and the Crocodiles. Due to the sporting success of the Crocodiles, it was a lot of rivalry between the Crocodiles fans and the fans of the clubs around Hamburg. Meanwhile, these rivalries are, however, subsided and the relationship between Hamburger SV, the Adendorfer EC and the EC Timmendorfer beach have relaxed. However, there is still a great rivalry between the supporters of Crocodiles and the fans of Salzgitter Icefighters.

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