Hockey in Straubing (From Sat. 4/15/06)
On Thursday I left for Straubing, which is in Eastern Bavaria (northeast of Munich). I was going there to watch a hockey game between the German national team and the Swiss national team. Straubing is a real hockey town, even though it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere (Eastern Bavaria is mainly rural, with lots of farmland and small villages). The Straubing Tigers play in Germany’s second national hockey league (Zweites Bundesliga), which I guess is something like the minors, except the main difference is that if you win the second league championship, you get an automatic promotion to the first league for the following season.
Straubing is currently in the final championship playoff round of the second league against a team from northern Germany. I found it incredible that it’s possible that a team from this relatively tiny town in Bavaria could field a hockey team that would play against teams from Berlin, Duesseldorf, Cologne, etc. next season.
But I was not in town to see Straubing’s team – I was there to see the Germans and the Swiss. It was an interesting experience to see a hockey game over here. Unbeknownst to me, I had bought a “standing ticket,” which meant I could stand anywhere in the arena and watch the game. As a matter of fact, most of the spectator area was devoted to standing places, and there were very few actual seats. I decided to go over to the area devoted to the Swiss supporters because barely any had made the trip, and my view was relatively unobstructed there.
The German fans were in good voice – there was lots of singing and chanting during the game. And even though the Swiss fans numbered no more than ten, they were still very loud and active. There were also lots of flags in the crowd, and plenty of people were drinking beer and generally enjoying themselves.
It was not the best hockey experience in the world for me, unfortunately. First, going to a hockey game alone is not a lot of fun when everyone else seems to be in groups. Also, because the rink is open to the outside on one entire side (it basically had 3 walls and a roof), it was quite cold in there, and even though I had my winter coat and my gloves I was quite chilly. Also, it is quite a strain physically to just stand there in the cold on concrete for such a long time. Furthermore, the level of the hockey itself was something of a disappointment after having watched the NHL the whole past season. The players were working hard, but it was clear they were not used to playing together, and both teams were weak defensively (evidenced mainly by bad giveaways by both teams in their own end). The goalies kept the game close, but that was enough to completely captivate me given the circumstances, and I left with about 10 minutes left to go in the third period. As it turned out, the Swiss goal I saw in the first period (kind of a broken play leading to the puck being slipped past the German goalie … not exactly spectacular) was the only goal of the game. So I was glad I’d gone, but I was also glad I’d left when I did. Hopefully both teams will get better before the world championships in May.
Straubing is currently in the final championship playoff round of the second league against a team from northern Germany. I found it incredible that it’s possible that a team from this relatively tiny town in Bavaria could field a hockey team that would play against teams from Berlin, Duesseldorf, Cologne, etc. next season.
But I was not in town to see Straubing’s team – I was there to see the Germans and the Swiss. It was an interesting experience to see a hockey game over here. Unbeknownst to me, I had bought a “standing ticket,” which meant I could stand anywhere in the arena and watch the game. As a matter of fact, most of the spectator area was devoted to standing places, and there were very few actual seats. I decided to go over to the area devoted to the Swiss supporters because barely any had made the trip, and my view was relatively unobstructed there.
The German fans were in good voice – there was lots of singing and chanting during the game. And even though the Swiss fans numbered no more than ten, they were still very loud and active. There were also lots of flags in the crowd, and plenty of people were drinking beer and generally enjoying themselves.
It was not the best hockey experience in the world for me, unfortunately. First, going to a hockey game alone is not a lot of fun when everyone else seems to be in groups. Also, because the rink is open to the outside on one entire side (it basically had 3 walls and a roof), it was quite cold in there, and even though I had my winter coat and my gloves I was quite chilly. Also, it is quite a strain physically to just stand there in the cold on concrete for such a long time. Furthermore, the level of the hockey itself was something of a disappointment after having watched the NHL the whole past season. The players were working hard, but it was clear they were not used to playing together, and both teams were weak defensively (evidenced mainly by bad giveaways by both teams in their own end). The goalies kept the game close, but that was enough to completely captivate me given the circumstances, and I left with about 10 minutes left to go in the third period. As it turned out, the Swiss goal I saw in the first period (kind of a broken play leading to the puck being slipped past the German goalie … not exactly spectacular) was the only goal of the game. So I was glad I’d gone, but I was also glad I’d left when I did. Hopefully both teams will get better before the world championships in May.
posted by Jennifer at 05:17
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