The organizing committee (OC) of the Spengler Cup is making a virtue of necessity in the year of COVID-19. After the Spengler Cup 2020 was officially cancelled, the OC, together with its sponsorship partners UBS, Würth, Schenker Storen, and Skoda, has decided to carry out the oldest international club team tournament as an e-tournament for the first time in its 93-year existence.

Everyone who has a video game console at home can take part at this year’s eSpengler Cup. The qualifying tournaments on the EA Sports NHL21 game take place online December 14-16, 2020. The final stage games are then played in the Spengler Cup tournament format on December 19. The grand finale, which will be broadcast live on srf.ch/sport, takes place on December 26, 2020. With HC Davos, HC Ambri-Piotta, Team Canada, the Russian representative AK Bars Kazan, the Czech traditional club Sparta Prague, and Finnish top team KooKoo Kouvola the digital version of the Spengler Cup features the same teams which would have participated at this year’s Spengler Cup.  

The Spengler Cup has arrived in the digital era
Since 2017 the EA Sports NHL game comes with a patch for the Spengler Cup. The Spengler Cup mode has been played worldwide up to 168,000 times a year. So, the Spengler Cup label has established itself quietly in the world of e-sports. That has been noticed by the Spengler Cup OC as well. “I used to re-live the Spengler Cup playing street hockey in our neighborhood, whereas today, with all the digital opportunities, there are new ways of celebrating the excitement around the Spengler Cup” says Spengler Cup OC president Marc Gianola.

eSpenglerCup - this is how it works!
To partake in the eSpengler Cup 2020 one simply needs an internet connection, screen, PS4, and the EA Sports NHL21 game. To register for the e-tournament 2020 visit the tournament platform https://gameturnier.ch/eSpenglerCup. There will be one qualifying tournament per team. That way, six qualifying tournaments with a maximum of 1,536 teams in total will take place from December 14 to 16, 2020. Per tournament one gamer will qualify for the final stage and represent their selected team on December 19, 2020. On that tournament day, the finalists for the grand finale on December 26, 2020 will be determined in the original Spengler Cup format. The final matchup will then be broadcast live on srf.ch/sport and commentated by SRF speaker Steven Krucker. The winner of the first ever eSpengler Cup will receive the prize money of CHF 6,000, second place CHF 2,500, and third place still CHF 1,500.

HCD and Ambri-Piotta players to take part at eSpengler Cup as well
In Davyd Barandun and Yannick Frehner two HCD players will be participating in the eSpengler Cup. It is widely known that hockey players like to compete in e-sports in their spare time. This year HCD and HC Ambri-Piotta will not face off in the Spengler Cup. But within the eSpengler Cup they will have the opportunity to participate digitally. “I wonder whether I will be able to match my on-ice level on the console”, says HCD defense man Davyd Barandun with a grin. The eSpengler Cup thus becomes a bridge between the traditional ice hockey tournament and the digital world of sports. Marc Gianola sees large potential in that fact, “We see a great opportunity to reach a young audience with the eSpengler Cup and to move into the future, both traditionally and digitally, with our partners and fans.”

Registration for the qualification tournament is now open
Register now and secure a starting place in your favourite team. In the digital Spengler Cup version features the same teams which would have participated at this year’s Spengler Cup.

Follow the Spengler Cup at:
#SpenglerCup
www.spenglercup.ch
www.facebook.com/spenglercupdavos 
www.twitter.com/spenglercup
www.instagram.com/spenglercupdavos

and the eSpengler Cup at:
#eSpenglerCup
https://gameturnier.ch/eSpenglerCup
https://www.twitch.tv/espenglercup
https://www.youtube.com/SpenglerCupDavos
https://www.srf.ch/sport

    The Video-Teaser for the 1. eSpengler Cup