Davos is ideally suited to the role of host. Ever since the arrival of its first winter visitors in 1865, the highest town in the Alps has learned how to welcome people from all over the world. What began as a health resort has evolved into an international stage for sport, conferences and encounters. But when the first puck drops at the 98th Spengler Cup, HC Davos is not here simply to give its guests a good time. It is here to win. This year, the host club will be defending its title for the 17th time.

Many places know how to organise major events. But Davos has something that cannot be ordered, built or rented for six days: a deeply rooted culture of hospitality. Davos is made for the role of Spengler Cup host. For more than 160 years, the town has brought people together from all over the world. The health resort became an international winter sports destination, the mountain retreat evolved into a conference hub, and the mountain village became a stage for world politics. The World Economic Forum is the best-known example. For more than 50 years, Davos has hosted its Annual Meeting. This is the world HC Davos calls home. And that is why the club's role at the Spengler Cup goes beyond that of an organiser. An organiser provides the infrastructure. A host creates an experience.

HC Davos can do both. It is a club, a team, a figurehead for the region and part of the very atmosphere that draws people to Davos during the week between Christmas and New Year. For many, the Spengler Cup therefore does not begin with the opening face-off. It begins with the journey into the Landwasser Valley. For six days between Christmas and New Year, Davos enters a world of its own. The teams stay just around the corner from one another, spectators flock to the arena, and ice hockey sets the tone. HC Davos, however, cannot afford to lose itself in this wonderful atmosphere. It has to rise to the occasion. That is what makes its participation so special. The other teams arrive as guests. HC Davos is both host and defending champion for the 17th time. In 2025, the club won the Spengler Cup, beating the U.S. Collegiate Selects 6–3 in the final. With that victory, Davos moved clear at the top of the all-time winners' list.

In recent years, the Davos team has rediscovered a sense of purpose that suits its identity. You do not host a tournament simply to offer a friendly welcome. You host it and want to be the best team on the ice. Josh Holden expresses this ambition in uncompromising terms: “Every pre-season game, the regular season, the Champions Hockey League, now the Spengler Cup and then the playoffs. We go into every game to win.” The team has learned to see its unique setting as a responsibility. Perhaps that is HC Davos's greatest strength: its identity is made up of several different elements. Players who grew up wearing the yellow jersey, having come through the club's junior ranks. Experienced veterans who know what this place expects. International players who arrive in Davos and have to embrace its culture.

And a coach who demands that the expectations placed on HC Davos are not merely voiced, but lived. The Spengler Cup brings all these qualities together in a very short space of time. Demanding games over just a few days, a sold-out home arena, international opponents and the opportunity to make history in front of their own fans. HC Davos has a responsibility to carry the tournament forward while at the same time aspiring to win it. Just as it did in 2025. The club is part of the tradition, yet must breathe new life into it every year. That is precisely why HC Davos and this town are such a perfect match. Davos welcomes the world. HC Davos takes it on. 
An organiser can stage a tournament. A host has to embody it. And when the puck drops, HC Davos is not here simply to give its guests a good time. It is here to win.

Text: An excerpt from this year’s Spengler Cup yearbook, which will be published in its traditional large-format printed edition at the end of November.
Photo: Keystone