The polar bears are declining, Munich rejoices in the opening of a new arena devoid of scoring.
Misfortune at Berlin's Polar Bears Championship: A Deluge of Opponents' Goals Leads to Their First Defeat in DEL. A Fancy Hockey Festival Planned in Munich, But the Debut of the "Wonderwork" Fails.
Initially, the championship banner was hoisted to the ceiling, then a torrent of opponents' goals followed: DEL record champions Berlin Polar Bears suffered their initial league defeat during the 3rd matchday - and rather disappointingly. Their opponents were the Augsburg Panthers, the team that finished at the bottom of the previous season's standings. Coach Serge Aubin's team succumbed to a 2:6 (1:1, 1:5, 0:0) loss, surrendering their leadership position in the league, which is now held by the Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven, who defeated the Straubing Tigers 3:0 in their previous game.
Thomas Greiss, the controversial former national goalkeeper who came out of retirement to play for the Frankfurt Lions, faced his first DEL defeat. Greiss and the Hessians lost 0:2 (0:1, 0:1, 0:0) against the ERC Ingolstadt in his first game back after an eleven-year absence from the league. Greiss was removed from the national team in 2021 due to his questionable views on societal issues, and he had a noteworthy career in the NHL, playing in 368 games.
The Düsseldorf EG finally secured their first win with a thrilling 3:2 victory during a penalty shootout (1:0, 0:1, 1:1, 0:0, 1:0) over the Schwenninger Wild Wings, moving them out of the bottom of the table. The Iserlohn Roosters remain winless, losing 3:4 (2:2, 0:0, 1:2) to the Grizzlys Wolfsburg. The Nuremberg Ice Tigers fans experienced an exhilarating rollercoaster: Their team was trailing 1:4 and 4:5 against the Cologne Sharks, but ultimately triumphed 6:5 in overtime (1:2, 3:2, 1:1, 0:1).
The "Wonderwork" for Ice Hockey Champions' Coronation
Meanwhile, a new epoch commenced for two sports teams in Munich's capital: The new SAP Garden, nestled at the edge of the Olympic Park, was officially unveiled on Friday evening with a contest between four-time German ice hockey champions EHC Red Bull and the NHL team Buffalo Sabres. The facility, reportedly costing around 150 million euros and funded by Red Bull, was constructed after a four-year wait due to COVID-19. The FC Bayern basketball team will also play their matches at this arena.
However, the sporting debut could have been smoother. The hosts endured a 0:5 (0:2, 0:2, 0:1) loss against the Sabres, whose star player, JJ Peterka, previously played for Munich. Peterka (scoring at the 45th minute) was welcomed with applause during the ceremony, and there was also great appreciation for Armand Duplantis, the two-time Olympic champion and world record holder in pole vaulting, who brought the puck for the opening face-off, as well as former Munich master coach Don Jackson.
"One must commend all those involved for bringing this to fruition today after four years of construction," said Bayern Munich's honorary president Uli Hoeneß, who championed this project alongside Red Bull patriarch Dietrich Mateschitz: "I'm completely astounded. This is the first time I've been here since the SAP Garden was built." On Thursday, the FC Bayern basketball team will play their first home match in the 11,500-capacity arena against Real Madrid. The Bayern have rented the arena for 15 years and will play around 20 games there annually, most of which will be EuroLeague matches.
Munich's Mayor, Dieter Reiter, commenced the event by describing the new arena as a "structure of superlatives". However, there are four larger ice hockey arenas in Germany: in Cologne, Berlin, Mannheim, and Düsseldorf. Nonetheless, the new Munich arena is slated to host preliminary round matches of the 2027 World Men's Handball Championship.
Despite the grand opening of the new SAP Garden for ice hockey in Munich, the EHC Red Bull suffered a 0:5 loss against the Buffalo Sabres, marking a disappointing start for the city's champions. Meanwhile, the Augsburg Panthers, who finished last in the previous season's standings, managed to score six goals against the Berlin Polar Bears, leading to their first defeat in the DEL league.
