The Graz 99ers start their 25th season in the ice hockey league on September 15 at home against the Vienna Capitals. The Energie Steiermark Trophy will be held at the Merkur Eisstadion this weekend to get you in the mood. It will be the last season of 99ers boss Pildner-Steinburg. Whose confirmed withdrawal raises questions.
The 99ers fans can look forward to a packed program in the Graz bunker this weekend. Two friendlies (Friday against Nuremberg/7:15 p.m. and Sunday against Nitra/5:30 p.m.), plus clubbing in the VIP club on Friday and a team presentation including an autograph session with the 99ers players on Saturday, as well as the legends game with teams from former leaders Kevin Moderer and Daniel Oberkofler (Program from 16). Behind the scenes, however, those responsible are also concerned with the sporting (and financial) future of the club. As the “Steirerkrone” already speculated in June (see article above), 99ers President Mag. Jochen Pildner-Steinburg will retire after this season as Retire the boss of the Graz “Eishackler”. The club has now officially confirmed this. The race for the successor in the command center has long since begun, and the hottest candidate should continue to be the freight forwarding entrepreneur and ex-vice president Herbert Jerich. But the new president will face financially hard times, especially since Steinburg, the largest private patron to date, is no longer available. “It won’t work without support from the state and city,” says 99ers Managing Director Bernd Vollmann, who, however, misses clear commitments to the sport on the part of politicians. “We don’t get any information, there is no flow of information,” says Vollmann. The budget has meanwhile been increased by private sponsors.
source site-12