Dear EVZ family,
Yes, the elimination in the playoff semi-final hurts. No chance of reaching the final, but a 0:4 defeat against the ZSC Lions – that hurts twice as much! On the other hand, the fact that the last four meant the end of the line for us is not entirely unexpected when we look at the last three months. You can only go far in the playoffs if the team is largely spared from injury-related absences and if you can achieve your best performance under great pressure with a lot of self-confidence. None of this materialised.
It is clear that we are not satisfied with reaching the semi-finals. It also shows the high expectations of the 1st team and our organisation. Our own standards, which will remain high in the future!
Part of sport is being judged in the media and by those around you after the season. I find a lot of what I read to be overly negative. To describe reaching the play-off semi-finals as mediocre is arrogant. The last four champions are Zurich, Bern, Zug and Geneva. Three of these teams did not even reach the playoffs the year after their title. EVZ, on the other hand, first successfully defended the championship title and then reached the semi-finals twice, including the Champions Hockey League in the 2022/23 season. So if championship honours are unfortunately followed by a slump, then I’m happy to accept our slump!
The reasons are complex and we are taking the necessary time to analyse the past season and learn the right lessons from it. There are factors that we cannot influence. Injuries, private strokes of fate for players or competitive luck. All three factors worked against us last season. And then there are factors that we can influence and where we are therefore endeavouring to improve. It’s clear that the team needs to play more in line with our identity again and that elements such as size and toughness need to be taken into account more in squad planning. It is also already clear that we will start next season with seven foreigners. During the season, we can no longer find players with the quality we want.
I was particularly pleased with the U20 Elite team’s 6th title and the bronze medal for the U17 Elite team. Both sporting honours show that we are working successfully at youth level – congratulations! Even though it is more important how many players we develop for a professional career than how many titles we win, seasons like this are an unforgettable experience for the teams.
The first year of our Women & Girls programme has exceeded my expectations. The first Girls Hockey School Young Bulls for girls only got off to a successful start, the Women’s Team only lost the cup final in a penalty shoot-out and achieved the desired promotion to the PostFinance Women’s League. The number of sponsors and spectators at their home games is more than pleasing. We are now where we belong and where we wanted to be right from the start. Congratulations to everyone involved in these successes!
Thank you for your support for the EVZ throughout the season!
