Paul Schnider - responsible for goings-on behind the scenes at the Spengler Cup.

He lives on "Skistrasse" (Ski Street) and had his heyday as an athlete playing volleyball for Galina Schaan. But for the last five years, Paul Schnider has dedicated much of his spare time to ice hockey: He's responsible for a lot of what's going on behind the scenes at the Spengler Cup.

Time keepers, scoring judges, referees, staff in charge of goal cameras and video screens and people involved in advertising - they all belong to one team at the Spengler Cup. Their boss, Paul Schnider, provides an insight into the manifold services requiring his team's full attention. The secondary school teacher dedicates around 300 hours of his spare time to HC Davos and the Spengler Cup each year.

While 46 helpers support him during the season, 15 to 17 are in action for each Spengler Cup game. Providing helpers with adequate training is especially important. Schnider is responsible for courses on rules and time keeping, organizes schooling for drivers of advertising cars and checks the equipment. Scoring judges and speakers, however, are trained by the Swiss Ice Hockey Association in Berne.

Reliability is key

Before every season, Paul Schnider needs to find some new helpers to replace people who have left. „Luckily, I've always been able to find new helpers so far. It's important that they don't just show up ready to work but, above all, that they are reliable". As preparation for HC Davos's new season or the Spengler Cup, Schnider drafts a document outlining the updated processes and informs himself about the latest news at meetings of the Spengler Cup organizing committee. During each game, two people supervise the clock and one scoring judge is responsible for the electronic match summary that is sent to the Ice Hockey Association. The people in charge of the referees do everything to make them feel at home. Among other things, they bring them their meals to the dressing room, make sure the runners of their skates are polished or satisfy any other wishes. Sometimes things get hectic for the helpers in charge of the penalty bench or the clock, especially when several penalties are called simultaneously. Whereas speakers and DJs are external staff, those responsible for the goal camera or the video screens are also on Schnider's team.

Finally time to relax once the game has started

Paul Schnider is in action for ice hockey all year round: "Hardly a day goes by that I'm not organizing something, even if it's just replying to e-mails." Before each game, he calls on the alertness of his team members: "Unthinkable what consequences an error might have. A blunder on the penalty bench or the clock, for instance, could lead to a team forfeiting a game".
Before each Spengler Cup game, Schnider checks whether all his helpers are in their places. Then - if nothing extraordinary happens - he can watch the games undisturbed.

Ice hockey and cross-country skiing

Schnider has been following the HC Davos and Spengler Cup games for ten years: 5 years as a time keeper and then as the man in charge of a lot of what's going on behind the scenes. Unquestionably, the Spengler Cup is every year's highlight: "All of Davos is looking forward to these days. I get to know a lot of people, be it players, TV staff or employees of the marketing firm IMG". To Schnider, who is a graduate natural scientist, his involvement at the Vaillant Arena means a change from everyday work at school: "Apart from my everyday tasks I'm also interested in economic matters".
Schnider himself only plays hockey for fun. When the Spengler Cup is over on New Year's Eve, he spends time with his family or acts as service man for his daughters Selina and Lara (13 and 16 years of age) from December to the beginning of April, when they weekly participate in cross country skiing races in the region and all over Switzerland.