EC KAC

Last updated

Klagenfurt AC
EC KAC Logo1.svg
City Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria
League ICE Hockey League
Founded1909;115 years ago (1909)
Home arena Heidi-Horten-Arena Klagenfurt
(Capacity: 5,500)
Colors  
Owner(s)EC-KAC Betriebs GmbH
General managerOliver Pilloni
Head coach Kirk Furey [1]
Captain Thomas Koch
Website EC KAC
Franchise history
1909–EC KAC
Championships
Austrian Champions32 (1934, 1935, 1952, 1955, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2013, 2019, 2021)

Klagenfurt Athletic Sports Club or EC KAC (German : Klagenfurter Athletiksport Club) is an Austrian professional ice hockey team in the ICE Hockey League. The team plays their home games in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria at Heidi-Horten- Arena Klagenfurt. EC KAC has won the most Austrian ice hockey Championships, a total of 32 times including 11 consecutive titles from 1964 to 1974, and four consecutive from 1985 to 1988. Most recently they won it in 2021.

Contents

History

The Klagenfurt Athletic Sports Club was founded on 18 September 1909 as an association. [2] In 1919 the first attempts to establish an ice hockey team were trialled with an initial two-year apprenticeship from 1923 to 1925, before hockey was established as a full-fledged association in 1926. [3]

In 1926, EC KAC joined the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation. At that time, there were no uniforms and the hockey players wore gym shorts, soccer socks, football jerseys, and skates known as Friesen, which used shoes made of wood with a metal bar as a runner, which were laced with leather straps on the feet. The puck was initially made from two soles of women's shoes nailed together. Much depended more on the ingenuity and dedication of the players and the preparation of the ice surface at the Kreuzberglteich.

In the 1933–34 season, EC KAC won its first league title and thus stopped the almost uninterrupted dominance of the Vienna Ice Skating Association. It marked the first time the title had not been awarded to a team from Vienna. The Second World War interrupted play abruptly and post-war it took a long time to get the league back functioning properly. However, many stars from the KAC's first league title success could again be counted to be the nucleus and further accelerated the rise of EC KAC well into the 1950s.

Between 1952 and 1960, KAC managed three further League titles, in a period in which Innsbruck EV were prominent in the Austrian Championship. With games still played outdoors and susceptible to inclement weather, on 22 November 1959, the Stadthalle Klagenfurt complex opened, which after several modifications is still in use today as the home rink of EC KAC.

At the turn of the 1960s, with the influx of influential players such as Dieter Kalt Snr and Sepp Puschnig, KAC sowed the seeds in dominating the Austrian championship from 1964 to 1980, in which the title went fifteen times to Klagenfurt. The team's only serious challenger in that time was ATSE Graz, which broke through with titles in 1975 and 1978.

During this time, EC KAC also partook in several European Cups. They first played in the 1965–66 season, and in the following 1966–67 season, the team reached the semi-finals and had to compete, as in the following season, against ZLK Brno. In 1969–70, EC KAC reached the final against HC CSKA Moscow, where they lost. Overall, EC KAC participated in the tournament nineteen times; only two fewer than the record held by CSKA Moscow.

Players

Current roster

Updated 4 February 2023. [4]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G AgeAcquiredBirthplace
46 Flag of Austria.svg Johannes Bischofberger C/LW L29 2016 Dornbirn, Austria
13 Flag of Latvia.svg Rihards Bukarts RW R28 2022 Jurmala, Latvia
32 Flag of Denmark.svg Sebastian Dahm G L37 2020 København, Denmark
90 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Matt Fraser  ( A ) LW L33 2020 Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
17 Flag of Austria.svg Manuel Ganahl  ( A ) W L33 2019 Bludenz, Austria
68 Flag of Slovenia.svg Luca Gomboc LW L20 2022 Kranj, Slovenia
11 Flag of Austria.svg Lukas Haudum C L26 2019 Linz, Austria
97 Flag of Austria.svg Fabian Hochegger C R22 2021 Klagenfurt, Austria
27 Flag of Austria.svg Thomas Hundertpfund F L34 2014 Klagenfurt, Austria
41 Flag of Denmark.svg Jesper Jensen Aabo D L32 2022 Rødovre, Denmark
18 Flag of Austria.svg Thomas Koch  ( C ) C L40 2011 Klagenfurt, Austria
80 Flag of Austria.svg Nikolaus Kraus F L27 2015 Wien, Austria
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Lucas Lessio LW L31 2022 Maple, Ontario, Canada
12 Flag of Austria.svg David Maier D R24 2020 St. Veit an der Glan, Austria
98 Flag of Austria.svg Daniel Obersteiner F L26 2015 St. Veit an der Glan, Austria
8 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nick Petersen RW R34 2018 Wakefield, Quebec, Canada
87 Flag of Austria.svg Tobias Piuk F L19 2022 Klagenfurt, Austria
14 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Paul Postma D R35 2020 Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
4 Flag of Austria.svg Kele Steffler D L25 2018 Durango, Colorado, United States
24 Flag of Austria.svg Steven Strong D L31 2015 Villach, Austria
42 Flag of Slovenia.svg Rok Ticar C L35 2020 Jesenice, Slovenia
72 Flag of Austria.svg Neal Unterluggauer D R22 2022 Donaueschingen, Germany
92 Flag of Austria.svg Clemens Unterweger D L32 2018 Lienz, Austria
1 Flag of Slovenia.svg Val Usnik G L23 2021 Ljubljana, Slovenia
10 Flag of Austria.svg Thomas Vallant D R28 2020 Wolfsberg, Austria
81 Flag of Austria.svg Finn van Ee F L21 2020 Zell am See, Austria
47 Flag of Austria.svg Marcel Witting RW L28 2018 Hall in Tirol, Austria
48 Flag of Austria.svg Samuel Witting F L26 2020 Hall in Tirol, Austria
29 Flag of the United States.svg Mike Zalewski C L31 2022 New Hartford, New York, United States

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie Regehr</span> Ice hockey player

Richard Regehr is an Indonesian-born Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for EC KAC of the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL). Regehr's older brother is former Stanley Cup winning defenceman Robyn Regehr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Lundmark</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1981)

Jamie Lundmark is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. A first-round draft pick of the New York Rangers, Lundmark played 295 games in the National Hockey League (NHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Nordquist</span> Swedish ice hockey player

Jonas Martin Nordquist is a Swedish former professional ice hockey centre, who last played for EC KAC in Austrian Hockey League (EBEL). Nordquist was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2nd round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He played in three games in the 2006-07 season with the Blackhawks, recording 2 assists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vienna Capitals</span> Ice hockey team in Vienna, Austria

The Vienna Capitals are an Austrian professional ice hockey team that participate in the ICE Hockey League. Founded in 2001, the Capitals play their home games in Vienna, Austria, at Erste Bank Arena. In the 2004–05 season, the Capitals claimed their first Austrian Championship in defeating EC KAC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EC Red Bull Salzburg</span> Ice hockey team in Salzburg, Austria

EC Red Bull Salzburg is a professional ice hockey team based in Salzburg, Austria, that currently plays in the ICE Hockey League. The club play their home games at the Eisarena Salzburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EC VSV</span> Ice hockey team in Carinthia, Austria

EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV are an ice hockey team in the ICE Hockey League. They play their home games at Stadthalle in Villach, Austria. The team colors are blue and white. Their mascot is an eagle - Villach's coat of arms represents an eagle's claw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ICE Hockey League</span> European sports league

The ICE Hockey League, known as the win2day ICE Hockey League for sponsorship reasons, is a Central European hockey league that also serves as the top-tier ice hockey league in Austria. It currently features additional teams from Hungary, Italy, and Slovenia. The league was known as the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL) from 2003 until 2020 and as the bet-at-home ICE Hockey League during the 2021–22 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sepp Puschnig</span> Austrian ice hockey player

Josef "Sepp" Puschnig is a retired ice hockey player. He participated at three Winter Olympics. He was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dieter Kalt</span> Austrian ice hockey player

Dieter Kalt, Jr. is an Austrian former professional ice hockey player. Kalt was the director of player development with EC KAC before leaving in 2018. He most notably played for Klagenfurt AC in the Erste Bank Hockey League, his hometown club, following the footsteps of club legend and father Dieter Kalt Sr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcel Rodman</span> Slovenian ice hockey player

Marcel Rodman is a Slovenian former professional ice hockey forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomáš Duba</span> Czech ice hockey player (born 1981)

Tomáš Duba is a retired Czech professional ice hockey goaltender, who last played for Sheffield Steelers in the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHL Medveščak Zagreb</span> Croatian ice hockey team

KHL Medveščak Admiral, also known as KHL Medveščak Zagreb, is a Croatian professional ice hockey team based in Zagreb, established in 1961. The team's name derives from the location of its original arena in the Medveščak area in central Zagreb, with KHL the abbreviation of the Croatian words for ice hockey club. It is by far the most successful and popular ice hockey team in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Walker</span> Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Steve Walker is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. He is currently serving as head coach of Schwenninger Wild Wings in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Schumnig</span> Austrian ice hockey player

Martin Schumnig is an Austrian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing with Black Wings Linz of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). He has spent the majority of his playing career with EC KAC of his native Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Koch (ice hockey)</span> Austrian ice hockey player

Thomas Koch is an Austrian professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with EC KAC in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). He re-joined for his second tenure with Klagenfurt after captaining EC Red Bull Salzburg on April 16, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Setzinger</span> Austrian professional ice hockey forward (born 1983)

Oliver Setzinger is an Austrian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for EC Weiz of the fourth tier Austrian League.

The 2011–12 Austrian Hockey League was a season of the Austrian Hockey League. The Black Wings Linz won their second Austrian championship after 2003 by defeating the EC KAC in the Playoff-Final four games to one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey in Austria</span> Overview of ice hockey practiced in Austria

Ice hockey in Austria is governed by the Austrian Ice Hockey Association. The Austrian Hockey League was founded in 1922. The second level Nationalliga, and the third level Oberliga operate below it. Austrian men's, women's, junior, and women's U-18 national teams participate at the IIHF World Championships. Austria has been a member of the IIHF since March 18, 1912.

The 2018–19 KHL season was the 11th season of the Kontinental Hockey League. The season started on 1 September 2018 and ended on 19 April 2019. Continental Cup winners CSKA Moscow became the first team to win the Gagarin Cup finals in a series sweep, defeating Avangard Omsk in four games to win their first Gagarin Cup, after two previous Finals defeats.

The 2021–22 ICE Hockey League season begin on 16 September 2021. The league's title sponsor was bet-at-home.com. The defending champions were EC KAC. On 11 April 2022, EC Red Bull Salzburg won the Austrian Hockey Championship for the 7th time in their history.

References

  1. ↑ "Petri Matikainen wird Head Coach | EC-KAC – Klagenfurt Eishockey". kac.at (in German). Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  2. ↑ St. Johann Metz, Hane Witek and Thomas Zeloth, ed. (2008). Nach Spielzeit. National Archives. p. 7.
  3. ↑ 75 Years of KAC, 1909-1984. EC KAC. 1984. p. 33.
  4. ↑ "EC KAC – Team -Roster". EC KAC. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.