“There’s nothing more beautiful”
The DEL is facing memorable finals
4/13/2023, 6:14 p.m
Munich versus Ingolstadt. When the DEL final series begins, two Bavarian teams will face each other for the first time in the almost 30-year history of the league. The last time that was almost 90 years ago. Ingolstadt keeper Kevin Reich not only plays for himself and his team.
When the historic duel was decided, Patrick Hager couldn’t get the grin off his face. “We’re really looking forward to having a Bavarian final,” said the national ice hockey player for top favorite Red Bull Munich after the 7-2 win in the crucial seventh playoff semi-final against the Grizzlies Wolfsburg.
The reward: In the finals series starting Friday (7.30 p.m./MagentaSport) against ERC Ingolstadt, second in the main round, two clubs from the Free State will face each other for the first time in the history of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL). “That’s amazing,” admitted Hager, who was born in Stuttgart but grew up in Rosenheim and was therefore “a true Upper Bavarian.” Even more amazing is that 1935 was the last time two teams from the German ice hockey home country met in a final: Riessersee and Füssen. For a good 30 years after the Second World War, the champions were determined in rounds of points.
“For the Bavarian ice hockey fans there is nothing nicer,” said the Munich captain Hager and also registered the own advantages: “We have short distances, the travel day is eliminated. We can regenerate better.” There are only 75 kilometers between the two ice rinks. “It’s nice for everyone,” the 34-year-old told journalists, “you have a lot of stories to write.”
Hager has long since switched sides
One of them revolves around Hager himself. Nine years ago, the striker belonged to the Ingolstadt team that sensationally won the championship by finishing ninth in the preliminary round. The reunion in the final is “definitely special”, even if he also played for the Kölner Haie in between. “Some things have changed in management since I was there,” explained Hager, who in his 16th year as a professional reached the final series for the sixth time after 873 DEL games. “One or the other is still there in the team.” About ERC captain Fabio Wagner, “who has developed really well”.
Hager also knows Wagner and others as colleagues in the national team, the most important Ingolstadt player in the previous playoffs but also from their times together in Munich: goalkeeper Kevin Reich. The 27-year-old, celebrated hero in the semifinals against eight-time champions Adler Mannheim, has had a very difficult few months.
Fate weighs on Keeper Reich
Not because he lost the fight for the regular place in the ERC goal. But because at the beginning of December his younger brother Robin, who had been physically and mentally impaired since birth due to a rare hereditary disease, broke his neck twice in a fall and had to be put into an artificial coma. Robin is now out of danger and in rehab, “but there’s still a long way to go,” said Kevin.
His own back on the ice was bumpy, “my head was somewhere else”. The fans, who did not know the background, reacted with boos and harsh criticism – Reich made his brother’s fate public and received a lot of support.
And when he was needed because goalkeeper Michael Garteig was injured, he was there. “We always had faith in Kevin and we knew he could deliver,” said international Daniel Pietta of the match-winner who topped the playoff goaltender rankings with lowest goals-against average (1.27), highest save percentage (94.56) and leading the most shutouts (2). “I soak it all up and enjoy it,” Reich said.