An eternal rivalry and the head-to-head of two champions
Article - An eternal rivalry and the head-to-head of two champions
12.06.2023
In two outstanding groups, defending champion HC Ambri-Piotta, HC Dynamo Pardubice, and KalPa Kuopio as well as record title holder Team Canada, Frolunda HC, and host HC Davos will battle for the traditional Spengler Cup trophy.
This schedule packs a punch. On the one hand, Group Torriani, where 2018 champion, and so far only Finnish winner in the 99-year history of the tournament, KalPa Kuopio, will duel with defending champion Ambri-Piotta and the ambitious top team from the Czech Republic, HC Dynamo Pardubice, for a spot in the semifinals. It is not only the big names of these three teams but much more their respective histories at the Spengler Cup, which drives up athletic expectations. For both KalPa and Ambri, the Eisstadion Davos was the site of the biggest triumph in club history. And the management of both teams know not only what this title meant for their clubs and their fans. They also know that it is possible to write history for the second time this year.
It will be no easier to qualify for the semifinals in Group Cattini. European dominator Frolunda HC, five-time Swedish champion and four-time CHL winner, definitely has the team to crown itself the first Swedish Spengler Cup champion since 1994. But the competition will be fierce in this group too. Both Team Canada and host HC Davos have set the semifinals as their minimum athletic goals. The Canadians, who just recaptured the IIHF world championship title in Tampere, will look for redemption after exiting in the 2022 quarterfinals. And host HC Davos not only wants to tie the 16 titles of the “Maple Leaves”, but, more importantly, aims to once again the lift the trophy on New Year’s Eve for the first time in 12 years. As such the expectations of all six teams are enormously high when the first puck drops in Eisstadion Davos on December 26, 2023.
Quelle: Spengler Cup-Onlineredaktion Foto: Keystone
Find the schedule of the 95th Spengler Cup Davos here. Single tickets are available online as of July 3, 2023. Tickets for the entire tournament can be ordered by mail effective immediately.