Wikipedia - ICE Hockey League

The ICE Hockey League (International Central European Hockey League, ICEHL), known as the win2day ICE Hockey League for sponsorship reasons, is a Central European hockey league that also serves as the top-tier ice hockey league in Austria. It currently features additional teams from Hungary, Italy, and Slovenia. The league was known as the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL) from 2003 until 2020 and as the bet-at-home ICE Hockey League during the 2021–22 season.

Until 2005–06, the league consisted solely of Austrian teams. Since then, the league has added teams from Slovenia (from 2006 to 2017 and from 2021 onwards), Hungary (starting 2007–08), Croatia (from 2009–10 through 2012–13, and again from 2017–18 through 2018–19), the Czech Republic (starting in 2011–12 through 2019–20 and again from 2021-22 onwards), Italy (starting in 2013–14), and Slovakia (starting in 2020–21 through the start of 2021–22).

The non-Austrian teams are competing for the "League Champion" title. Only Austrian teams in this league are additionally eligible for the "Austrian Champion" title. The league has had different sponsors, and the current naming rights have been held by win2day.at since 2022.

Teams from the ICEHL participate in the IIHF's annual Champions Hockey League (CHL), competing for the European Trophy. Participation is based on the strength of the various leagues in Europe (excluding the European/Asian Kontinental Hockey League). Going into the 2022–23 CHL season, the ICEHL was ranked the No. 6 league in Europe, allowing them to send their top three teams to compete in the CHL.

History

Foundation

HDD Olimpija vs EC KAC at Bežigrad Stadium during the 2012–13 Austrian Hockey League season

The roots of the league go back to 1923 and various Championships, whose winner is officially recognized as the Austrian Champion. There was no Austrian competition between 1939 and 1945. During World War II, a number of Austrian teams competed in the German Ice Hockey Championship, which is why the EK Engelmann Wien and Vienna EV list German Championships in their history.

1965–1990

The Bundesliga, as it was called, was incepted for the 1965-66 season by EC KAC from Klagenfurt, IEV from Innsbruck, WEVg from Vienna, and KEC from Kitzbühel. EC KAC won the championship 8 times in the 1970s.

When the Austrian national hockey team earned promotion into the Group B of the IIHF, it led to a boom in spectators. Three foreign players were allowed and first signs of financial hiccups came. SV Kapfenberg went bankrupt, and WAT Stadlau abstained from participating in the Bundesliga for financial reasons.

1990–2003

A first step in internationalization was undertaken as the clubs, in addition to the national championship, participated in the Alpenliga. The Alpenliga was formed with clubs from Italy and Slovenia. After making Ralph Krueger their manager in 1991 VEU Feldkirch won five championships from 1994 to 1998. Rising budgets caused more and more clubs to abstain from participation. In 1997 SV Kapfenberg went bankrupt during the season, and the championship was down to only four clubs. In 2000 VEU Feldkirch went bankrupt. The league was named after its sponsor, Uniqua.

2003–2020

In 2003 Erste Bank became sponsor and the league was named Erste Bank Eishockey Liga. In 2013–14, Italy's Bolzano Foxes became the first non-Austrian team to win the EBEL title when they beat the Salzburg Red Bulls 3 games to 2 in their best-of-five final series. Such success is not unheard of for an Italian outfit, but previous similar results took place in the Alpenliga and the Cup of the European Leagues, standalone competitions whose postseason tournaments were distinct from the Austrian playoffs. One year after rejoining the league from the Kontinental Hockey League, KHL Medveščak Zagreb once again withdrew from the EBEL, this time citing the difficult economic situation of the club.

2020–present

In 2020, the league was renamed to ICE Hockey League. "ICE" refers to the league's locale – International Central European – and the surface of an ice hockey rink. At the same time, bet-at-home.com became the title sponsor of the league. From the 2021-22 season onwards the league will expand to 14 teams, with reigning champions Olimpija Ljubljana and Pustertal Wölfe joining from the Alps Hockey League and Orli Znojmo returning after a one-year absence. Austrian online betting platform and casino win2day.at became the league's title sponsor in 2022.

奥地利EHL(奥地利欧洲冰球联赛)是奥地利最重要的冰球锦标赛之一。这项锦标赛每年都吸引着来自奥地利以及其他欧洲国家的顶级冰球俱乐部参加。奥地利EHL的比赛水平非常高,球队之间的竞争激烈,给观众带来了精彩纷呈的比赛。

奥地利EHL的比赛通常从九月开始,一直持续到次年的四月。锦标赛采用了常规赛和季后赛的形式。在常规赛中,参赛的球队会进行一系列的比赛,争夺积分榜的前几名。而季后赛则是在常规赛结束后,排名前几的球队之间进行的淘汰赛。最终,获胜的球队将被授予奥地利EHL的冠军头衔。

奥地利EHL的比赛场地遍布奥地利各地,包括首都维也纳以及其他城市。这些场馆都配备了先进的冰球设施和设备,为球员和观众提供了良好的比赛体验。观众们可以在这些场馆中欣赏到高水平的冰球比赛,感受到激烈的比赛氛围。

奥地利EHL不仅仅是一项体育赛事,也是一个聚集了冰球爱好者的社交活动。球迷们可以在比赛中与其他球迷互动,分享他们对冰球的热爱。此外,奥地利EHL也吸引了许多国内外媒体的关注,成为了奥地利冰球界的重要赛事。

总之,奥地利EHL是奥地利最重要的冰球锦标赛之一,吸引了顶级球队的参与。这项锦标赛不仅提供了高水平的比赛,还为球迷们带来了难忘的冰球体验。无论是球迷还是球员,都能在奥地利EHL中感受到冰球的魅力。