For the Straubing Tigers, participation in the Spengler Cup is a first. The traditional club from Germany has made remarkable progress in recent years – and plays in one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe.

In 1941, the then 14-year-old Max Pielmaier, along with two friends, assembled Straubing's first 'official' ice hockey team. Due to World War II and Nazi rule, their first competitive match didn't take place until eight years later. For a long time, the sport remained a delicate seedling in the idyllic small town, which today has just under 50,000 inhabitants, until 2006, when they achieved promotion to the DEL. One of the heroes of that promotion was Canadian forward Billy Trew, who had experienced third-tier hockey with the Tigers in 1999. Trew remained in Straubing for 12 years and at times led the team as captain in the DEL.  It is icons like him who played a major role in the rapid development of this club, which rose from the anonymity of amateur hockey to the extended top tier of German ice hockey. He also helped transform their home, the gem that is the Stadion am Pulverturm, into a nearly impregnable fortress. It is one of the most charming stadiums in Europe – even the Swiss national team has visited.  The Tigers have never won a title in their history, and we can expect that the fans of Gottéron and Straubing will be lamenting the injustices of life over beers in the festival tent and Ex-Bar during the long nights of the Spengler Cup. Like Gottéron, the club can nonetheless count on a loyal fan base, for whom the pilgrimage to Davos is undoubtedly a highlight.

Straubing earned their invitation, not least through impressive consistency: in the past five years, despite a relatively small budget, the Tigers have consistently finished in the top four during the regular season. This winter, they are representing Germany in the Champions Hockey League for the second time. And they have the honor of being the first German team to participate in the Spengler Cup since the Nürnberg Ice Tigers in 2018. The last triumph of a DEL team was exactly 25 years ago: in 1999, the Kölner Haie won 6-2 in the final against Metallurg Magnitogorsk, with SC Bern legend Bruno Zarrillo scoring twice.

The Tigers may not be the favorites in Davos, but they are certainly a team to watch. Under American Coach Tom Pokel, who has been in charge since 2017, the team plays an attractive, fast-paced brand of hockey. In 2023/24, Straubing recorded the second-best offense in the league with 167 goals. However, the most prominent player on the roster is a defenseman: 37-year-old American Justin Braun, who played 961 NHL games before moving to Germany in 2023. His responsibility is to keep the team balanced and to ease the burden on their new goaltender Zane McIntyre – another NHL-experienced player. Perhaps this mix of creative offensive firepower and solid defensive craftsmanship is what could allow Straubing to follow in the footsteps of previous German Spengler Cup champions Köln, Füssen (1952 and 1964), and BSC Berlin (1924, 1926, and 1928).

The Straubing Tigers are presented by the Spengler Cup Gold Partner CALANDA.

Text: SLAPSHOT, Das Hockey-Magazin der Schweiz
Foto: IMAGO/osnapix/Duckwitz