The SCL Tigers – then still known as SC Langnau – won their only Swiss championship title in club history on March 2, 1976, beating EHC Biel 6–3. As they make their Spengler Cup debut next December, they therefore bring considerably more championship experience to the tournament than the three most recent Swiss winners, Genève-Servette, Ambrì-Piotta and Fribourg-Gottéron – with the exception of hosts HC Davos.

Genève-Servette won their first major title of the modern era at the Spengler Cup in 2013. It was not until 10 years later, in 2023, that they finally claimed their first Swiss championship title. Ambrì-Piotta themselves described their triumph at the 2022 Spengler Cup as the most prestigious success in the club’s history, despite having won the Continental Cup twice and the Super Cup in 1999. The Leventines, however, have never won the Swiss championship in their 89-year club history. And in 2024, HC Fribourg-Gottéron became another Swiss team to win the Spengler Cup without having previously won a major title. The Dragons did not claim their first Swiss championship until last spring.

The SCL Tigers had already been in discussions with the Spengler Cup organising committee about taking part for several years. CEO Dieter Aeschimann is delighted that it is finally happening: “Being invited to this prestigious tournament is a great source of pride for us and a special honour. At the same time, it is a wonderful recognition of the work of our entire organisation and the passion of our fans.”
There is also a great deal of anticipation among the players and coaches, as GM Pascal Müller explains: “The players, coaches and staff were extremely excited when they heard that we would be taking part in the Spengler Cup this year. It is a great honour for us, and we are very proud to be participating in the Spengler Cup for the first time. It is a prestigious, high-level tournament with a long tradition, and everyone is really looking forward to it.”

For Pascal Müller, as well as for his head coach Thierry Paterlini, however, the tournament is anything but a first. Both have an impressive and successful personal Spengler Cup record. Müller took part in the tournament twice as a player with HC Davos and won the title in 2006. Paterlini has made five appearances – four with Davos and one with Berlin – and has two Spengler Cup titles to his name, from 2000 and 2001.
Assistant coach Steve Hirschi has also played at the tournament three times, representing Berlin and Lugano, while winger Julian Schmutz appeared for HC Davos during his time in Davos. For Schmutz, taking part in the tournament fulfilled a childhood dream and was a moment of great pride. Now he wants to experience that feeling again with Langnau: “You can feel the excitement and pride throughout the entire organisation and among the people of Langnau about being able to take part in the Spengler Cup. It is incredibly cool for the club. At the same time, we all hope that we can represent ourselves well and take the next sporting step forward as a team.”

Because the tournament has many unique characteristics, particularly from a sporting perspective, this experience will be extremely valuable to the Tigers in their preparation, GM Müller emphasises: “Thierry Paterlini knows the tournament very well from his own experience and understands what it means to play in this atmosphere and under this level of attention. That experience will help us prepare the team specifically for the unique demands of the Spengler Cup.”

The Tigers will travel to Davos with high ambitions. Müller leaves no doubt about that: “For us, it is clear: we are not going to the mountains simply to spend Christmas and New Year in Davos. From the very first day we started thinking about the Spengler Cup, our attitude was clear: we are going to Davos to win the Spengler Cup. That is the standard we set for ourselves. Of course, we also want to benefit from this fantastic tournament in every respect and continue to develop as a team and as an organisation. But from a sporting perspective, winning the tournament is clearly our top priority.”

Text: SpC-Onlineredaktion   Foto: SCL Tigers