Eisbären Berlin


is a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey, and is also one of the league's founding members. The Eisbären have won the DEL championship more often than any other team. The club captured national 7 DEL titles. They won the German ice hockey cup in 2008 as well as the European Trophy in 2010. Before reunification the team won the East German ice hockey championship 15 times.
The club's origins go back to 1954. Following incorporation into the West German 1. Bundesliga in 1990, the team was renamed EHC Dynamo Berlin and again in 1992 to EHC Eisbären Berlin. The home games are played at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
The Eisbären Berlin are owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group. The official logo of the team is the polar bear, a reference to the bear appearing on Berlin's coat of arms.

History

1954–1994: GDR and 1. Bundesliga years

The sports club SC Dynamo Berlin was part of the sports association SV Dynamo of the East German Stasi, Volkspolizei and other security services. It offered a wide spectrum of competitive athletic activities, including track and field, swimming, gymnastics, fencing, rowing, boxing and ice skating. SC Dynamo Berlin created an ice hockey section in 1954 and the club won their East German first title in 1966. In 1971, the league was reduced to just two teams and SC Dynamo Berlin and SG Dynamo Weißwasser made up the smallest ice hockey league in the world. All together SC Dynamo Berlin won the East German championship 15 times, the last title coming in 1988. In 1984, SC Dynamo Berlin competed at the European Cup of Champions and came in third place.
In 1990, the year of German reunification, both former East German ice hockey clubs, SC Dynamo Berlin and SG Dynamo Weißwasser, which had been renamed PEV Weißwasser, were assigned to the 1. Bundesliga, at the time the highest level of play in German ice hockey. The club was renamed EHC Dynamo Berlin in the same year. However, Berlin was unable to compete successfully and was consequently relegated to the lower 2. Bundesliga at the end of the season. The club was promoted back to the 1. Bundesliga following the 1991–92 season. In 1992 the club was renamed again, this time to "EHC Eisbären Berlin" and also introduced the polar bear logo. However, due to severe financial difficulties, the club had to rely heavily on its junior and other low-tier players and thus regularly finished at the bottom of the standings and struggled to avoid relegation to the 2. Bundeliga.

1994–present: DEL years

The German Eishockey Bundesliga was abolished following the 1993–94 season and a new league – Deutsche Eishockey Liga – was created. The Eisbären are one of the league's 18 founding members. Following the Bosman ruling of 1995, the club replaced almost the entire roster with veteran European players in 1996–97. The team finished the regular season in third place and reached the DEL play-offs for the first time. In 1997 the club was renamed into "EHC neue Eisbären Berlin gegr. 1997 e.V.". The following season, 1997–98, the Eisbären advanced to the final round of the DEL play-offs and finished the season as runner up. The team also participated in the 1998 IIHF Continental Cup in Tampere, Finland, and finished in second place. In 1998–99, Eisbären participated in the European Hockey League and finished in third place.
The Anschutz Entertainment Group acquired sole ownership of the Eisbären in 1999, ensuring financial stability. The team finished in second place at the 2000 IIHF Continental Cup. In 2002–03 and 2003–04 the team finished the DEL regular season in first place, but fell short of capturing the title. At that time, the team had already become hugely popular, selling out 28 of 31 home games during the 2003–04 season In 2005–06 and 2006–07, the Eisbären were the German representative at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.
In 2004–05, a season by characterised by the 2004–05 NHL lockout saw the Eisbären capture their first DEL championship. With the help of NHL veterans, such as Erik Cole, Nathan Dempsey and Olaf Kölzig, Berlin beat Mannheim in three games. The title was defended successfully in 2006 against the DEG Metro Stars. The third DEL championship was captured in 2008, when the Eisbären beat Kölner Haie in the final round of the play offs. In 2008, the Eisbären hosted the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning in a pre-season game, which the Lightning won 4:1. The fourth DEL title followed in 2009, when the DEG Metro Stars were beaten 3:1 in a best-of-five final play-off round. In 2010, the team won the European Trophy, continuing its success on an international scale. A fifth DEL title was won in 2011, when the Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg were swept in the final round of the play-offs. The most recent title was won in 2012, after a full length best-of-five final against Adler Mannheim. With that title, the Eisbären Berlin have won 6 DEL titles, making them the current DEL championship record holder.
In the 2016–17 league season, the Eisbären Berlin drew an average home attendance of 12,052.

Home arena

Until the 2007–08 season the Eisbären played home games at the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen complex. The corrugated tin roof of the ice hockey facility gave rise to the stadium's popular name "Wellblechpalast". The standing/seating capacity of the stadium is 4695. Whilst the "Wellblechpalast" is still being used as a training facility, since the 2008 season the Eisbären are playing their home games in the Mercedes-Benz Arena, a multi functional arena located at the Spree River with a seating-capacity of 14,200.

Team anthem

The official team anthem of the Eisbären Berlin is "Hey, wir wollen die Eisbären seh'n", recorded by veteran East German band the Puhdys in 1997. The song became a popular tune in German mountain resorts during après-ski parties, and went on to appear on several winter-themed music compilations. Dutch team Geleen Eaters have also used a lyrically-altered cover of the song as their victory anthem.
The Eisbären goal song consists of a sequence of four separate elements. The line "Berlin, Halleluja Berlin", from the song "Brandenburg" by Rainald Grebe is followed by the can-can from Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld and the line "Ach du meine Nase" by the East German puppet character Pittiplatsch. The sequence is completed by the children's rhyme "Ene mene miste“ from the popular children's TV programme Rappelkiste.

Honors

Deutsche Eishockey Liga Championship: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013
East German Ice Hockey Championship: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
European Trophy: 2010
Deutscher Eishockey-Pokal: 2008
IIHF Continental Cup: 1998, 2000
SKODA AUTO European Hockey League : 1999

Players

Current roster

Honored members

Note: GP= Games, W = Win, L = Loss, T = Tie, OTL = Overtime Loss, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against
Point System: Win = 2 points, T = 1 point, OTL = 1 point
SeasonLeagueGPWLTOTLPointsFinishGFGAPostseason
1990–911. BL44829702312th118146Relegated to 2. BL, lost to PEV Weißwasser 0:3
1991–922. BL482513100603rd233162Promoted to 1. BL
1992–931. BL44830602212th118207Missed the Play-offs, avoided relegation, beat SERC 4:0
1993–941. BL441131202411th119214Missed the Play-offs, avoided relegation, beat SERC 4:0
1994–95DEL441032202218th136229Missed the Play-offs
1995–96DEL501134322717th125236Missed the Play-offs
1996–97DEL50261941574th177163Lost the Semifinal to Kassel Huskies 1:3
1997–98DEL48271461611st179139Lost the Final to Adler Mannheim 1:3

Note: W = Win, SOW – Shoot-out Win; L = Losses, SOL' – Shoot-out Losses
Point System: As of the 1998/99 season a new point scoring system was introduced: Win = 3 points; OT/SO Win = 2 points, OTL/SOL = 1point
SeasonLeagueGPWSOWLSOLPointsFinishGFGAPostseason
1998–99DEL52264175912nd210163Lost the Semifinal to Adler Mannheim 1:3
1999–00DEL562323037013th181193Missed the Play-offs
2000–01DEL601963147314th192221Missed the Play-offs
2001–02DEL60256245927th177166Lost the Quarterfinal to Adler Mannheim 1:3
2002–03DEL52305891091st188134Lost the Semifinal to Krefeld Pinguine 1:3
2003–04DEL522951261031st171126Lost the Final to Frankfurt Lions 1:3
2004–05DEL521012nd166141Won the Final against Adler Mannheim 3:1
2005–06DEL5234n/a18n/a1001st181142Won the Final against DEG Metro Stars 3:0
2006–07DEL522428779th171157Lost preliminary round to Frankfurt Lions 1:2

Note: GP = Games, W = Wins, OTW = Overtime Wins, SOW = Shoot-out Wins, L = Losses, OTL – Overtime Losses, SOL = Shoot-out Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against''
Point System: Win = 3 points; OT/SO Win = 2 points, OTL/SOL = 1point
SeasonLeagueGPWOTWSOWLOTLSOLPointsFinishGFGAPostseason
2007–08DEL56332314311132nd231165Won the Final against Kölner Haie 3:1
2008–09DEL52361414021051st214143Won the Final against DEG Metro Stars 3:1
2009–10DEL52362411121231st209156Lost the Quarterfinal to Augsburger Panther 2:3
2010–11DEL5224151615903rd161138Won the Final against Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg 3:0
2011–12DEL5226341621951st171140Won the Final against Adler Mannheim 3:2
2012–13DEL5223231833854th180152Won the Final against Kölner Haie 3:1
2013–14DEL5220352004808th152152Lost the preliminary round playoff to ERC Ingolstadt 1:2
2014–15DEL5220252122789th162143Lost the preliminary round playoff to Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers 1:2
2015–16DEL5227401803922nd152136Lost the Quarterfinal to Kölner Haie 3:4
2016–17DEL5219112452688th125148Lost the Semifinal to EHC München 1:4
2017–18DEL52292213151012nd169131Lost the Final to EHC München 3:4
2018–19DEL5220152402749th146164Lost the Quarterfinal to EHC München 2:4
2019–20DEL5225521532944th169144Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Club statistics

Note: this section includes only statistics accumulated between 1990 and the end of the 2011/12 season.

Sponsors