SC Bern

Last updated

SC Bern
SC Bern logo.svg
NicknameBären (The Bears)
City Bern, Switzerland
League National League
Founded1931 (1931)
Home arena PostFinance Arena
Colors   
CEOMarc Lüthi
General manager Patrik Bärtschi
Head coach Jussi Tapola
Captain Ramon Untersander
Affiliate EHC Visp
Website www.scb.ch
Hockey current event.svg Current season

Schlittschuh Club Bern ( Ice-skating Club Bern in English) is a professional ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. For the 18th year in a row, the club is the most attended ice hockey team in Europe for the 2018–19 regular season, averaging 16,290 spectators. [1]

Contents

They are traditional rivals with HC Fribourg-Gottéron, EHC Biel, and the SCL Tigers.

History

SC Bern versus SCL Tigers in an outdoor game 14 January 2007. Tatze-derby.jpg
SC Bern versus SCL Tigers in an outdoor game 14 January 2007.

The ice hockey section of the Bern Sports Club, which was established on 3 November 1930, officially began playing on 1 January 1931.

Today, SC Bern is a highly popular team and regularly fills its home stadium, the PostFinance Arena, one of the largest ice hockey stadiums in Europe. In 2006, they set a new record among European clubs for average attendance, with an average of 15,994 in 22 home games. [2] They have won the Swiss Championship thirteen times, with the most famous victory coming in 1989 over HC Lugano

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Daniel Brière, Dany Heatley, J. P. Dumont, Marc Savard, Henrik Tallinder, and Chris Clark played for SC Bern. Although, league rules allow only four players without Swiss passports to suit up in a single game.

After a disappointing run in the 2006 playoffs, the club replaced head coach Alpo Suhonen with John Van Boxmeer and general manager Roberto Triulzi with Sven Leuenberger. [3] Leuenberger had previously played thirteen seasons of defence with the club, totaling 67 goals, 145 assists, and four national championships. His jersey number 16 is one of many that has been retired by SC Bern.

On 30 September 2008, SC Bern faced off against the National Hockey League's New York Rangers to celebrate one hundred years of ice hockey in Switzerland. Forty-nine years since the Rangers' last visit to Switzerland, the blueshirts beat the home team 8–1 in front of a sellout crowd. Despite the slanted score, SC Bern played a close game with a 2–0 score at the end of the second. Former Phoenix Coyotes' Canadian-born defenceman Travis Roche scored SC Bern's goal early in the third period, bringing the game to 2–1. SC Bern only allowed two even-strength goals, but could not withstand the Rangers' potent power play in the final frame (6-for-9). "We played for our pride tonight," said center Sébastien Bordeleau after the exhibition game. Christian Dubé wore the captain's "C" because Ivo Rüthemann was injured.

During the 2012 NHL lockout, Roman Josi, Mark Streit and John Tavares played for the SC Bern. Tavares quickly became the PostFinance Top Scorer tallying 42 points (17G, 25A) in 28 games.

During the 2013–14 season, Guy Boucher signed a contract as coach of the SC Bern for the current year and two more seasons. He has since been relieved from his duties, moving on to coach the Ottawa Senators, being replaced by former assistant and SC Bern player Lars Leuenberger, who guided the team to the championship in 2016. Leuenberger was then replaced by former Finnish national team coach Kari Jalonen prior to the 2016–17 season. Jalonen went on to win the NL title in his first year at the helm of the team.

On 1 October 2018, SC Bern played a friendly game against the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), which featured their former player Nico Hischier who in 2017 became the first Swiss player to be drafted first overall in an NHL Entry Draft. [4] [5]

On January 28, 2020, Jalonen was relieved of his duties following terrible results. Hans Kossmann stepped in to replace him as head coach for the remainder of the 2019/20 season.

Honors

Champions

Players

Current roster

Updated 30 September 2024. [6]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G AgeAcquiredBirthplace
79 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Thierry Bader C L27 2020 Winterthur, Switzerland
98 Flag of Austria.svg Benjamin Baumgartner C L24 2022 Zell am See, Austria
27 Flag of the United States.svg Austin Czarnik C R32 2024 Washington Township, Michigan
9 Flag of Sweden.svg Victor Ejdsell LW L29 2024 Karlstad, Sweden
14 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Louis Füllemann D L21 2022 Liebefeld, Switzerland
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Alain Graf C R20 2024 Thun, Switzerland
34 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Andri Henauer G L23 2023 Bern, Switzerland
24 Flag of Germany.svg Dominik Kahun C L29 2021 Planá, Czech Republic
41 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Simon Kindschi D L28 2023 Davos, Switzerland
62 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Samuel Kreis  ( A ) D L31 2023 Egnach, Switzerland
23 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Marco Lehmann C L26 2022 Lauperswil, Switzerland
37 Flag of Sweden.svg Anton Lindholm D L30 2024 Skellefteå, Sweden
58 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Romain Loeffel D R34 2022 La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
8 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Marc Marchon C L29 2024 Vuisternens-en-Ogoz, Switzerland
89 Flag of Finland.svg Waltteri Merelä  ( A ) RW R26 2024 Ylöjärvi, Finland
21 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Simon Moser  ( C ) C L36 2013 Bern, Switzerland
5 Flag of Sweden.svg Patrik Nemeth  ( A ) D L33 2023 Stockholm, Sweden
36 Flag of Sweden.svg Adam Reideborn G L33 2023 Stockholm, Sweden
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Nils Rhyn D L19 2025 Bern, Switzerland
18 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Fabian Ritzmann LW L23 2022 Scuol, Switzerland
15 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Yanick Sablatnig RW R25 2024 Rüderswil, Switzerland
10 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Tristan Scherwey  ( A ) W L33 2009 Wünnewil-Flamatt, Switzerland
88 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Thierry Schild F R20 2023 Zollikofen, Switzerland
65 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Ramon Untersander  ( C ) D R34 2015 Alt St. Johann, Switzerland
86 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Joël Vermin LW L33 2022 Frauenkappelen, Switzerland
30 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Philip Wüthrich   Injury icon 2.svg G L27 2020 Bern, Switzerland

Honored members

NHL alumni

See also

References

  1. "European attendance ranking". www.iihf.com. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  2. "Iihf - News". Archived from the original on 19 March 2006. Retrieved 16 March 2006.
  3. "Bear season over in Switzerland". www.iihf.com. 14 March 2008. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  4. Morreale, Mike G. (1 October 2018). "Hall scores in overtime to give Devils victory against SC Bern". NHL.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  5. Morreale, Mike G. (1 October 2018). "Hischier gives fans night to remember in Switzerland". NHL.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018. The 19-year-old was selected No. 1 in the 2017 NHL Draft, the only Switzerland-born player be chosen No. 1.
  6. "SC Bern current roster". www.scb.ch (in German). Retrieved 5 July 2024.