1996–97 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season
Encyclopedia
The 1996–97 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season was the 3rd season of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (German Ice Hockey League).
Adler Mannheim
became the DEL Champion, winning a German title for the second time in their history. Both the Ratinger Löwen and Wedemark Scorpions
earned their keep in the league playing against 1st League
EHC Neuwied and TSV Erding.
The Bosman ruling
, a 1995 decision of the European Court of Justice
regarding the movement of labor in soccer, had profound influence on the league. The old Bundesliga had national character: German clubs competing for the German title with mostly German players. After the ruling European Union
players were excluded from the "foreign" player quota. Within a year, the DEL teams employed 97 EU players and lowered their costs significantly, enabling the smaller teams to compete more effectively. The frequent player moves were not viewed positively by the fans.
Another visible change for the fans was the change in corporate sponsorship. The Krombacher Brewery ended their agreement with the league, resulting in a change in the league logo design. The league would not have a corporate sponsor again until 2003, when the German Yellow Pages signed two consecutive 3-year agreements.
GP = Games, W = Win, T = Tie, L = Loss, OTL = Overtime loss, GF:GA = Goals For : Goals Against
= Continue play for playoff spots, = Continue play against relegation
GP = Games, W = Win, T = Tie, L = Loss, OTL = Overtime loss, GF:GA = Goals For : Goals Against
GP = Games, W = Win, T = Tie, L = Loss, OTL = Overtime loss, GF:GA = Goals For : Goals Against
Color code: = Playoff = Playdowns
Wedemark Scorpions (now known as Hannover Scorpions) and Ratinger Löwen (Ratinger Lions) had to play against the first two placed teams of the second league.
Both the Ratinger Löwen and Wedemark Scorpions
earned their keep in the DEL.
With the last game, the Adler Mannheim
became first time DEL Champion and won the German Champion title for the 2nd 8th time in the club history.
Adler Mannheim
Adler Mannheim
Adler Mannheim are an ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest ice hockey league in Germany. The team is from Mannheim, a city in the north of Baden-Wurttemberg...
became the DEL Champion, winning a German title for the second time in their history. Both the Ratinger Löwen and Wedemark Scorpions
Hannover Scorpions
The Hannover Scorpions are a professional ice hockey team founded in 1975 as ESC Wedemark. The team was renamed Wedemark Scorpions in 1996 after the rock band Scorpions, who also call Hanover, Lower Saxony their home. Their games are played at TUI Arena of the Expo Plaza...
earned their keep in the league playing against 1st League
2nd Bundesliga (ice hockey)
The 2nd Eishockey-Bundesliga is the second tier of Ice hockey in Germany. It is organised by the DEB, the German Ice Hockey Federation. In the 2007-08 season, it features 14 teams.- History of the 2nd Ice Hockey Bundesliga :...
EHC Neuwied and TSV Erding.
The Bosman ruling
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
, a 1995 decision of the European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
regarding the movement of labor in soccer, had profound influence on the league. The old Bundesliga had national character: German clubs competing for the German title with mostly German players. After the ruling European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
players were excluded from the "foreign" player quota. Within a year, the DEL teams employed 97 EU players and lowered their costs significantly, enabling the smaller teams to compete more effectively. The frequent player moves were not viewed positively by the fans.
Another visible change for the fans was the change in corporate sponsorship. The Krombacher Brewery ended their agreement with the league, resulting in a change in the league logo design. The league would not have a corporate sponsor again until 2003, when the German Yellow Pages signed two consecutive 3-year agreements.
Regular season
The mode of play changed for this season. In the first round, all teams played one home and one away game with each other for a total of 30 rounds. The first 6 placed teams continued playing for the playoff placements ), and the teams 7-16 played to against relegation/playdowns , with only the 2 bestplaced teams in this group being eligible for playoffs.Phase I
| Team | GP | W | T | L | OTL | GF:GA | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kölner Haie Kölner Haie The Kölner Haie are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.The team colours are red and white.... |
30 | 22 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 157:91 | 47 |
| 2. | Adler Mannheim Adler Mannheim Adler Mannheim are an ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest ice hockey league in Germany. The team is from Mannheim, a city in the north of Baden-Wurttemberg... |
30 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 130:74 | 44 |
| 3. | Berlin Capitals BSC Preussen BSC Preussen was an ice hockey team in Berlin, Germany. They played between the first and fourth level of German ice hockey from 1983-2005.-History:... |
30 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 107:79 | 40 |
| 4. | Kassel Huskies Kassel Huskies The Kassel Huskies were a professional ice hockey team based in Kassel, Hesse, Germany. They played the majority of their seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.The club was founded as ESG Kassel in 1977 and was renamed into EC Kassel in 1987... |
30 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 121:102 | 39 |
| 5. | EHC Eisbären Berlin Eisbären Berlin ' are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga , the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members... |
30 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 118:91 | 39 |
| 6. | Star Bulls Rosenheim | 30 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 111:113 | 37 |
| 7. | EV Landshut | 30 | 16 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 125:77 | 36 |
| 8. | Krefeld Pinguine Krefeld Pinguine The Krefeld Pinguine are an ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. They play in Krefeld, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany at the KönigPALAST. Founded first in 1936, the pro team became a limited liability company in 1994 and joined the top tier Deutsche Eishockey Liga... |
30 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 105:108 | 33 |
| 9. | Düsseldorfer EG | 30 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 93:90 | 32 |
| 10. | Frankfurt Lions Frankfurt Lions The Frankfurt Lions were a professional men's ice hockey club from Frankfurt, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club ceased operations in 2010 due to financial difficulty.-History:... |
30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 85:88 | 30 |
| 11. | Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings | 30 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 114:128 | 30 |
| 12. | Kaufbeurer Adler | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 3 | 112:157 | 29 |
| 13. | Augsburger Panther Augsburger Panther The Augsburger Panther are a professional ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team is based in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. They play their home games at the Curt Frenzel Stadion.... |
30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 91:114 | 27 |
| 14. | Wedemark Scorpions Hannover Scorpions The Hannover Scorpions are a professional ice hockey team founded in 1975 as ESC Wedemark. The team was renamed Wedemark Scorpions in 1996 after the rock band Scorpions, who also call Hanover, Lower Saxony their home. Their games are played at TUI Arena of the Expo Plaza... (N) |
30 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 95:134 | 19 |
| 15. | Nürnberg Ice Tigers Sinupret Ice Tigers The Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Nürnberg are a professional ice hockey club located in Nuremberg, Germany. They play in the country's premier league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-History:... |
30 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 90:148 | 13 |
| 16. | Ratinger Löwen Ratinger Löwen Ratinger Lowen was an ice hockey team in Ratingen, Germany. They played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 1994-1996. The club was founded in 1979.-History:... |
30 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 2 | 74:134 | 12 |
GP = Games, W = Win, T = Tie, L = Loss, OTL = Overtime loss, GF:GA = Goals For : Goals Against
= Continue play for playoff spots, = Continue play against relegation
Phase II - "Meisterrunde"
| Team | GP | W | T | L | OTL | GF:GA | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Adler Mannheim Adler Mannheim Adler Mannheim are an ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest ice hockey league in Germany. The team is from Mannheim, a city in the north of Baden-Wurttemberg... |
50 | 35 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 212:123 | 76 |
| 2. | Kölner Haie Kölner Haie The Kölner Haie are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.The team colours are red and white.... |
50 | 36 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 235:142 | 76 |
| 3. | Kassel Huskies Kassel Huskies The Kassel Huskies were a professional ice hockey team based in Kassel, Hesse, Germany. They played the majority of their seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.The club was founded as ESG Kassel in 1977 and was renamed into EC Kassel in 1987... |
50 | 27 | 4 | 19 | 1 | 190:167 | 59 |
| 4. | EHC Eisbären Berlin Eisbären Berlin ' are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga , the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members... |
50 | 26 | 4 | 20 | 1 | 177:163 | 57 |
| 5. | Berlin Capitals BSC Preussen BSC Preussen was an ice hockey team in Berlin, Germany. They played between the first and fourth level of German ice hockey from 1983-2005.-History:... |
50 | 23 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 162:149 | 55 |
| 6. | Star Bulls Rosenheim | 50 | 20 | 2 | 28 | 5 | 171:209 | 47 |
GP = Games, W = Win, T = Tie, L = Loss, OTL = Overtime loss, GF:GA = Goals For : Goals Against
Phase II - "Relegationsrunde"
The first two placed teams qualified for the playoff spots 7 and 8.| Team | GP | W | T | L | OTL | GF:GA | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | EV Landshut | 48 | 29 | 3 | 16 | 3 | 202:122 | 64 |
| 2. | Krefeld Pinguine Krefeld Pinguine The Krefeld Pinguine are an ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. They play in Krefeld, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany at the KönigPALAST. Founded first in 1936, the pro team became a limited liability company in 1994 and joined the top tier Deutsche Eishockey Liga... |
48 | 28 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 198:166 | 61 |
| 3. | Düsseldorfer EG | 48 | 28 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 164:138 | 58 |
| 4. | Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings | 48 | 23 | 1 | 24 | 5 | 200:191 | 52 |
| 5. | Augsburger Panther Augsburger Panther The Augsburger Panther are a professional ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team is based in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. They play their home games at the Curt Frenzel Stadion.... |
48 | 21 | 5 | 22 | 1 | 176:181 | 48 |
| 6. | Frankfurt Lions Frankfurt Lions The Frankfurt Lions were a professional men's ice hockey club from Frankfurt, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club ceased operations in 2010 due to financial difficulty.-History:... |
48 | 21 | 4 | 23 | 1 | 136:142 | 47 |
| 7. | Kaufbeurer Adler | 48 | 17 | 3 | 28 | 3 | 166:252 | 40 |
| 8. | Wedemark Scorpions Hannover Scorpions The Hannover Scorpions are a professional ice hockey team founded in 1975 as ESC Wedemark. The team was renamed Wedemark Scorpions in 1996 after the rock band Scorpions, who also call Hanover, Lower Saxony their home. Their games are played at TUI Arena of the Expo Plaza... |
48 | 12 | 1 | 35 | 3 | 150:231 | 28 |
| 9. | Nürnberg Ice Tigers Sinupret Ice Tigers The Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Nürnberg are a professional ice hockey club located in Nuremberg, Germany. They play in the country's premier league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-History:... |
48 | 9 | 6 | 33 | 1 | 149:229 | 25 |
| 10. | Ratinger Löwen Ratinger Löwen Ratinger Lowen was an ice hockey team in Ratingen, Germany. They played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 1994-1996. The club was founded in 1979.-History:... |
48 | 9 | 2 | 37 | 2 | 136:219 | 22 |
GP = Games, W = Win, T = Tie, L = Loss, OTL = Overtime loss, GF:GA = Goals For : Goals Against
Color code: = Playoff = Playdowns
First Round
The first round was played in the best-of-seven mode.| | | | | | Game | | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | 5 | | 6 | | 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Düsseldorfer EG | - | Ratinger Löwen | 4:0 | 5:1 | 5:3 | 2:0 | 6:2 | – | – | – |
| Schwenninger Wild Wings | - | Nürnberg Ice Tigers | 4:1 | 4:1 | 2:3 | 6:1 | 5:3 | 11:3 | – | – |
| Augsburger Panther | - | Wedemark Scorpions | 4:0 | 7:1 | 2:1 | 5:4 | 5:3 | – | – | – |
| Frankfurt Lions | - | Kaufbeurer Adler | 2:4 | 3:2 | 3:6 | 4:3 | 3:6 | 2:5 | 1:4 | – |
Second round
The second round was played in a best-of-five mode.| | | | | | Game | | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wedemark Scorpions | - | Nürnberg Ice Tigers | 1:3 | 4:6 | 4:6 | 5:2 | 2:5 | – |
| Frankfurt Lions | - | Ratinger Löwen | 3:0 | 6:1 | 5:4 | 5:3 | – | – |
Wedemark Scorpions (now known as Hannover Scorpions) and Ratinger Löwen (Ratinger Lions) had to play against the first two placed teams of the second league.
Relegation
The relegation round was played in a best-of-three mode.| | | | | | Game | | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EHC Neuwied | - | Ratinger Löwen | 0:2 | 2:4 | 3:10 | – |
| Wedemark Scorpions | - | TSV Erding | 2:0 | 10:2 | 9:5 | – |
Both the Ratinger Löwen and Wedemark Scorpions
Hannover Scorpions
The Hannover Scorpions are a professional ice hockey team founded in 1975 as ESC Wedemark. The team was renamed Wedemark Scorpions in 1996 after the rock band Scorpions, who also call Hanover, Lower Saxony their home. Their games are played at TUI Arena of the Expo Plaza...
earned their keep in the DEL.
Playoffs
All playoff rounds were played in as a best-of-five series, with the better placed team playing Home-Away-Home-Away-Home.Quarterfinals
| | | | | | Game | | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adler Mannheim | - | Krefeld Pinguine | 3:0 | 4:1 | 4:1 | 8:4 | – | – |
| Kölner Haie | - | EV Landshut | 1:3 | 6:3 | 3:4 | 2:4 | 1:3 | – |
| Kassel Huskies | - | Starbulls Rosenheim | 3:0 | 6:1 | 4:1 | 5:4 | – | – |
| EHC Eisbären Berlin | - | Berlin Capitals | 3:1 | 4:3 | 3:4 | 5:0 | 4:1 | – |
Semifinals
| | | | | | Game | | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adler Mannheim | - | EV Landshut | 3:0 | 7:5 | 2:4 | 4:3 | – | – |
| Kassel Huskies | - | EHC Eisbären Berlin | 3:1 | 4:2 | 4:5 | 6:3 | 3:1 | – |
Finals
| | | | | | Game | | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adler Mannheim | - | Kassel Huskies | 3:0 | 5:4 | 5:2 | 4:2 | – | – |
With the last game, the Adler Mannheim
Adler Mannheim
Adler Mannheim are an ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest ice hockey league in Germany. The team is from Mannheim, a city in the north of Baden-Wurttemberg...
became first time DEL Champion and won the German Champion title for the 2nd 8th time in the club history.
Player awards
| Category | Name | Team | Record |
| Points |   Bruno ZarrilloBruno Zarrillo Bruno Zarrillo is an Italian-Canadian retired professional ice hockey winger.-Achievements:*1987 - Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League Champion with River East Royal Knights... |
Kölner Haie Kölner Haie The Kölner Haie are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.The team colours are red and white.... |
74 Points |
| Goals | Chris Lindberg Chris Lindberg Christopher Lawrence Lindberg is a retired Canadian ice hockey player.Lindberg was a member of the Canadian 1992 Winter Olympics ice hockey team, winning a silver medal. He would also play professionally in the National Hockey League with the Calgary Flames and the Quebec Nordiques... |
Krefeld Pinguine Krefeld Pinguine The Krefeld Pinguine are an ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. They play in Krefeld, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany at the KönigPALAST. Founded first in 1936, the pro team became a limited liability company in 1994 and joined the top tier Deutsche Eishockey Liga... |
37 Goals |
| Goalie | Mike Rosati Mike Rosati Michael Anthony Rosati is a Canadian-born Italian professional ice hockey player. Rosati became the first player to play in a game in the NHL after earning an Italian passport and playing for Italy.- Early years :... |
Adler Mannheim Adler Mannheim Adler Mannheim are an ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest ice hockey league in Germany. The team is from Mannheim, a city in the north of Baden-Wurttemberg... |
2.35 Goals-against-average |
| Defense | Gordon Hynes |
Schwenninger Wild Wings | 56 Points |