Davos win 28th national hockey title
Davos have once again dominated the Swiss hockey season, winning a record 28th league title after defeating Bern 1-0 in a tense final match.
The club had already finished first of the regular season. Monday’s victory caps an exceptional season after Davos won the Spengler Cup, the international tournament it hosts every year.
The last match of the season failed to generate much passion until the third term. Until then, opportunities had been few and far between for both sides.
But in the 45th minute, Canadian player Robin Leblanc was able to beat Bern goalie Marco Bührer, who failed to stop the puck sailing past his shoulder.
Bern, which hadn’t capitalised on their more frequent chances earlier in the game, tried to come back in the last 15 minutes, but Davos’ keeper Jonas Hiller was good enough to ensure that his side carried off the title.
“You can’t dream of a better outcome,” Davos player Loïc Burkhalter told Swiss television.
“It was a good final – not very good to watch, but very intense. There was plenty of suspense. I think we deserved our title for our whole season.”
Monday’s success caps a successful and somewhat unexpected season for Davos. The team had failed to defend their 2005 title, when they recruited National Hockey League players.
But despite retaining the core of the 2006 team, Davos were able to finish at the top of the honour roll every time: first after the regular season, winning the Spengler Cup and now victorious in the playoffs.
Coach Arno Del Curto was full of praise for his team.
“We never gave up,” he said. “We tried to win every game, even when we had problems. Every player worked for the team.”
Spluttering engine
The road to the title was often rocky. After winning the Spengler Cup, Davos’ engine started spluttering and the club almost failed to hang on to first place in the league.
It was to get worse in the first round of the playoffs against the Zurich Lions, with Davos’ opponent leading 3-1 after four matches. But the regular season winners were able to come back and make their way into the next round.
The second round was a formality for Davos, with Kloten unable to keep pace or find the key to their adversaries’ defence.
Bern were the last team to surrender, losing the final four matches to three. As is often the case, the home ice advantage was decisive for Davos. Neither side lost at home.
Bern’s technical director Sven Leuenberger was gracious in defeat, even if he admitted his team had not reached its goal.
“The series could have gone either way, and it was a great promotional effort for our hockey,” he said. “Both sides deserved to win the title.”
Hiller, who is preparing to leave Davos for a tilt at the NHL next season, was the mainstay of the the club’s defence. Other important players were Reto von Arx, Joseph Marha and season top scorer Michel Riesen.
Del Curto, who has trained the team since 1996, was able to show he made some smart choices before the season began, with the hiring of his Czech trio Petr Taticek, Zbynek Irgl and Vaclav Benek.
The three men had little trouble integrating, putting paid to the reputation Davos had as a difficult place for foreign athletes.
swissinfo with agencies
Davos have been Swiss champions 28 times (1926-1927, 1929-1935, 1937-1939, 1941-1948, 1950, 1958, 1960, 1984-1985, 2002, 2005 and 2007) and won the Spengler Cup 14 times.
Bern have won the championship 11 times (1959, 1965, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1997 and 2004.)
Davos finished the regular season in first place. To reach the final, they beat the Zurich Lions then the Kloten Flyers.
After finishing the season in second spot, Bern knocked out Geneva Servette and Zug in the playoffs.
During the regular season, the 12 teams in Switzerland’s top hockey division played each other four times.
The top eight teams were then paired off for the playoffs in a best-of-seven match format.
For the first time this year, the best teams were able to choose their adversary for the quarterfinals.
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