Plenty of Nothing

Olten

EHC Olten, big in the Eighties. Source.

EHC Olten dress in green and white, and their present-day uniform looks a bit like IF Björklöven from Sweden, except that in place of a birch leaf they have three fir trees. The club was founded in 1934, and won the NLB in 1981 and 1988. Their rink the Kleinholz Stadion can hold 6,500 spectators. The head coach is Fredrik Söderström. They have a mouse mascot.

Olten is a town in Solothurn, a canton that has the appearance of having been gerrymandered at some point in history.

At the moment Ajoie are third in the Swiss League, Olten fourth.

[Ajoie 3 - 1 Olten.]

The rise and fall of EHC Olten:

                  G     W     T      L       F       A      GD     P    Pos

1979-80    28      4    10    14    112    131    -19    18    6th, NLB East

1980-81    28    19      4      5    161      88   +73    42    1st, NLB West

1980-81    10      2      0      8      39      57    -18      4    6th, Promotion/Relegation

1981-82    28    19      0      9    159    103   +56    38    2nd, NLB West

1981-82    10      2      1      7      46      59    -13      5    6th, Promotion/Relegation

1982-83    28    16      4      8    143    109    -34    36    2nd, NLB East

1982-83    10      3      2      5      53      57      -4    10    3rd, Promotion/Relegation

1983-84    28    14      3    11    127     111   +16    31    4th, NLB East

1984-85    26    15      4      7    114      92    +22    34    4th, NLB

1984-85    14      7      1      6      55      60      -5    15    4th, Promotion/Relegation

1985-86    36    12      2    22    132    215    -83    26    9th, NLA

1986-87    36      8      2    26    119    209    -90    18    10th, NLA

1987-88    36    21      1    14    176    143   +33    43    3rd, NLB (won playoffs)

1988-89    36      9      4    23    125    169    -44    22    7th, NLA

1989-90    36    16      3    17    138    161    -23    35    5th, NLA

1990-91    36      8      1    27    111    189    -78    17    10th, NLA

1990-91    10      7      1      2      57      37   +20    15    1st, Promotion/Relegation

1991-92    36      8      3    25    102    191    -89    19    9th, NLA

1991-92    10      6      2      2      42      31   +11    14    3rd, Promotion/Relegation

1992-93    36    21      4    11    166    114   +52    46    2nd, NLB (won playoffs)

1993-94    36     8       4    24      96    176   -80    20    9th, NLA (lost playouts)

1994-95    36    12      6    18    133    173   -40    30    8th, NLB

The Swiss Cup final will be February 7th. [No it won't.]

ZSC Lions vs Bern or Genève-Servette

Source.

La Chaux-de-Fonds

La Chaux-de-Fonds, the Swiss Habs. Source.

Ajoie travel up the river Doubs to visit HC La Chaux-de-Fonds.

HC La Chaux-de-Fonds was founded in 1919. From 1967-68 to 1972-73 the club enjoyed a six-year dynasty as Swiss champion. They did it dressed like the Montreal Canadiens, which might have helped. But, like the NY Islanders, they have never won another championship. They last played in the top division in 1997-98, and have been in the second tier ever since.

Their rink is the 5,800-capacity Patinoire des Mélèzes. They currently dress in blue, white and bronze. They are coached by Thierry Paterlini, a former left-winger for the Swiss national team.

The most famous person from the city of La-Chaux-de-Fonds would have to be Le Courbusier the architect, unless it's Louis Chevrolet, co-founder of the car company.

Ajoie are currently third in the league, La Chaux-de-Fonds are sixth.

[La Chaux-de-Fonds 3 - 4 Ajoie.]

Sierre

HC Sierre wear red and yellow, based on the city's coat of arms, and ideal for McDonald's sponsorship.  Source.

HC Sierre visit HC Ajoie. Currently Sierre are fourth in the second-tier Swiss League, and Ajoie are third but have eight games in hand.

HC Sierre was founded in 1933. The gained promotion from the third-tier MySport League in 2019, but they have spent many years in tier II and one or two in the top tier.

Their rink is the Patinoire de Graben, which can hold 4,500 spectators. Graben is German for trench, so you can expect a tough game when you go there.

Sierre's head coach is Dany Gelinas who was born in Canada but played all of his hockey in France, Switzerland and Slovenia.

Sierre is a city in the canton of Valais, just to the west of the French/German linguistic frontier. I'll bet you did not know that Jacques Plante is buried in Sierre.

[Ajoie 3 - 5 Sierre.]

One of the Swiss Cup semi-finals has been held:

Fribourg-Gotteron 1 - 4 ZSC Lions (December 20)

The Bern/Geneve-Servette semi-final is scheduled for January 30th. The final is February 7th.

HC Ajoie seasons, overtime era:

                  G     W   OW  SW  SL  OL    L      F      A      GD    P     Pos

2019-20    44    28     4      0     1     2      9    185   105   +80    95    2nd, SL    SC

2018-19    44    29     0      0     1     0    14    151     94   +57    88    2nd, SL

2017-18    46    22     1      2     1     6    14    168   130   +38    79     5th, SL

2016-17    48    24     6                    2    16    202   136   +66    86     6th, NLB

2015-16    45    24     2                    2    17    171   131   +40    78     5th, NLB

2014-15    48    15     3      1     6     3    20    137   152    -15    62     7th, NLB

2013-14    45    14     3      1     3     4    20    123   156    -33    57     9th, NLB

2012-13    50    31     1      4     1     1    12    187   138   +49  105     1st, NLB

2011-12    45    16     1      2     2     0    24    119    154    -35    56     8th, NLB

2010-11    45    19     4                    5    17    141    149      -8    70     7th, NLB

2009-10    45    21     5                    2    17    157    149     +8    75     5th, NLB

2008-09    41    21     5                    2    13    148    125   +23    75     5th, NLB

2007-08    49    28     6                    0    15    201    135   +66    96     4th, NLB

2006-07    45    21     4                    5    15    181    144   +37    76     5th, NLB

NLB = National League B; SL = Swiss League; SC = won Swiss Cup

OW = overtime win; SW = shootout win; SL = shootour loss; OL = overtime loss

Source: German Wikipedia

In Zug

Zug's Bossard Arena. The club plays on the indoor rink. Source.

Ajoie visit Bossard Arena to play EVZ Academy, the development team of Eissportverein Zug. Ajoie were off for a week or so due to coronavirus and are now three to six games behind the other clubs.

Bossard Arena was opened in 2010, but the club has already outgrown it and there are plans in the works for a newer larger rink. Bossard can hold 7,200, but the parent club has 6,000 season ticket holders.

Ajoie have a new building.

Zug is on Lake Zug in the heart of the Swiss Confederation. Zug is the German name of the town. In French it's Zoug, in Italian Zugo. The name comes from the Latin Tugium, named after the local Celtic people the Tougeni, or in Greek Tōygenoí.

[Zug 2 - 6 Ajoie.]

HC Ajoie seasons, part 1:

                  G     W    T     L       F       A      GD   B    P     Pos

2005-06    42    13    3    26    135    206    -71         29    10th, NLB

2004-05    44      8    4    32    107    200    -93         20    12th, NLB

2003-04    45    19    3    23    150    161    -11         41      7th, NLB

2002-03    38    16    2    20    148    158    -10         34      7th, NLB

2001-02    36    16    4    16    152    157      -5         36      6th, NLB

2000-01    40    17    5    18    167    155   +12         39      7th, NLB

1999-00    20    17    0      3    133      50   +83         34      1st, 1L (Group 3)

1999-00      6      5    1      0      35      15   +20    4   15      1st, 1L (Pool A)

1998-99    20    16    2      2    128      43   +85         34      1st, 1L (Group 3)

1998-99      6      5    0      1      38      18   +20         10       1st, 1L (Group A)

1997-98    24    19    0      5    118      60   +58         38      2nd, 1L (Group 3)

1996-97    22      4    0    18      55    114    -59           8     12th, NLB (main round)

1996-97    20      4    2    14      55      93    -38           8       6th, NLB (qual. round)

1995-96    22    17    1      4    127      43   +84         35      2nd, 1L (Group 3)

1994-95    36      4    1    31    105    197    -92           9     10th, NLB

1993-94    36      9    2    25    102    156    -54         20       9th, NLB

1992-93    36      9    1    26    103    178    -75         19       9th, NLA

1991-92    36    21    4    11    176    153   +23         46        1st, NLB

1990-91    36    18    5    13    148    152     +4         41        4th, NLB

1989-90    36      8    3    25    108    189    -81         19      10th, NLA

1988-89    36      5    4    27      97    202  -105         14      10th, NLA

1987-88    36    19    4    13    174    146   +28         42        4th, NLB

1986-87    36    14    8    14    144    132   +12         36        5th, NLB

1985-86    36    14    5    17    135    170    -35         33        7th, NLB

1984-85    26                          257      73 +184         50        1st, 1L (Group 2)

1983-84    28      9    2    17    123    179    -57         20        7th, NLB West

1983-84    14      5    1      8      60      74    -14         13        7th, NLB (Releg.)

1982-83    28      9    1    18    121    181    -60         19        8th, NLB West

1982-83    10      4    2      4      57      55     +2         10        4th, NLB (Releg.)

1981-82    18    14    1      3    114      63    +51        29        1st, 1L (Group 3)

1980-81    18    12    1      5    128      77    +51        25        4th, 1L (Group 3)

1979-80    18    11    3      4      99      70    +29        25        2nd, 1L (Group 3)

1978-79    18    13    0      5      96      71    +25        26        3rd, 1L (Group 3)

1977-78

1976-77

1975-76

1974-75

1973-74

1L = 1re Ligue (tier III); B = bonus points earned in the group stage

(Sources: German Wikipedia for NLA and NLB; Hockey Archives for 1re Ligue)

 

Schlittschuh Club Langenthal

Ajoie and Langenthal played an exhibition game September 25th, and Langenthal won 4 - 3. Source.

Tomorrow Ajoie visit Langenthal. [Nope, postponed. Ajoie is quarantined.]

SC Langenthal was founded in 1946. The club has been part of the second-tier NLB or Swiss League since 2001.

SC Langenthal has won the NLB/Swiss League three times, in 2012, 2017 and 2019, but has not been promoted. The first two times they lost the promotion playoff final to Ambrì-Piotta, and the third time their rink was ruled too rinky-dink for the top tier (though it was fine the first two times). The Eishalle Schoren holds 4,500.

Team colours are dark blue and yellow.

Canadian Jeff Campbell is head coach.

Langenthal is about an hour's drive from Ajoie's hometown Porrentruy on the far side of the Jura Mountains, and across the French/German linguistic frontier.

Ticino Rockets

Bunch of bums. Source.

Ajoie visit Biasca in Ticino to play the Ticino Rockets.

Ticino Rockets serve as the farm team for the National League's two Ticino clubs, Lugano and Ambrì-Piotta. See here for a club history.

Ticino's head coach is Éric Landry, who played for the Flames and the Habs and has coached the Gatineau Olympiques.

[Ticino 2 - 6 Ajoie.]

Kloten

Anders Eldebrink played for Kloten in the glory days of the Nineties.

It's the Swiss Cup, Round of 16. Our guys Ajoie visit Kloten. These two met up in the second round of the 2015-16 cup, and Kloten won 4 - 3.

Kloten have won this cup once. (See below.) They are five-time National League champions (1966-67, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96). At present they play in the second-tier Swiss League, having suffered relegation in 2018. Their colours are blue, red and white. From 2000 till 2016 they were known as Kloten Flyers.

Kloten is a town in Zurich Canton with a population of about 20,000. The club's rink, Swiss Arena, holds 7,800 spectators.

Per Hånberg is head coach of EHC Kloten.

Kloten/Ajoie is the only game in this round to feature two Swiss League teams.

Lugano's game against Oberthurgau in the previous round has not yet been played as Lugano are under quarantine.

Final score: Kloten 1 - 3 Ajoie.

EHC Kloten in the Swiss Cup:

59-60    R3    Kloten 2 - 6 Ambrì-Piotta

60-61    R1    Kloten 8 - 4 Veltheim

             R2    Kloten 1 - 12 ZSC

61-62    R2    Thun 2 - 6 Kloten

             R3    Kloten L - W Fleurier

62-63    R2    Rapperswil-Jona 6 - 8 Kloten

             R3    Sion 4 - 9 Kloten

             R4    Kloten 5 - 0 Fleurier

             QF    Kloten 5 - 9 Neuchâtel Sports Young Sprinters

63-64    R3    Kloten 8 - 4 Basel

             QF    Kloten 4 - 3 Neuchâtel Sports Young Sprinters

             SF    ZSC 10 - 6 Kloten

64-65    R4    Lugano 5 - 0 Kloten

65-66    R4    Kloten 2 - 4 ZSC

71-72    R2    Kloten 9 - 6 Uzwil

                      Uzwil 10 - 5 Kloten

14-15    R1    Dübendorf 1 - 6 Kloten

             R2    Bienne 1 - 2 Kloten

             QF    Ambrì-Piotta 2 - 4 Kloten

             SF    Genève-Servette 1 - 2 Kloten

               F    Berne 3 - 1 Kloten

15-16    R1    Thurgau 1 - 5 Kloten

             R2    Ajoie 3 - 4 Kloten

             QF    Bienne 2 - 3 Kloten

             SF    Lausanne 4 - 3 Kloten

16-17    R1    Frauenfeld 1 - 4 Kloten

             R2    Bienne 3 - 4 Kloten

             QF    Langenthal 2 - 3 Kloten

             SF    Kloten 3 - 2 Lausanne

               F    Kloten 5 - 2 Genève-Servette

17-18    R1    Thurgau 2 - 6 Kloten

             R2    Kloten 2 - 4 Zug

18-19    R1    Rheintal 0 - 13 Kloten

             R2    Kloten 4 - 3 Bienne

             QF    Kloten 3 - 4 Zug

19-20    R1    Kloten 0 - 3 Rapperswil-Jona

20-21    R1    Thurgau 1 - 3 Kloten

Source: French Wikipedia. Usually German Wikipedia is best for European hockey, but for Switzerland it's French.

HC Ajoie versus GCK Lions

Ajoie defeated GCK Lions 10 - 1 on January 19th, 2016. Source.

HC Ajoie come from Porrentruy in the canton of Jura in the northeastern corner of Switzerland. The club was founded in 1973. They've reached the top Swiss league twice, in 1988-89 and 1992-93, and have had spells in the third tier, but have spent all of the 21st century in tier two. Ajoie won the NLB in 2016, but it did not result in promotion. This spring they enjoyed their greatest moment when they were come-from-behind winners of the Swiss Cup.

They play at Patinoire de Voyeboeuf, which can hold 4,600 fans. Their colours are black and yellow. Their crest features a griffin against the coat of arms of Jura.

Head coach of Ajoie is Gary Sheehan, a Canadian who has been coaching in Switzerland since 1991.

Today Ajoie visit GCK Lions, the farm team of ZSC Lions of the National League.

Despite having fallen into the maw of ZSC, GCK have a history of their own. They were formed in 1934 as Grasshopper Club Zürich, and won both the Swiss league title and the Swiss Cup in 1966. In the year 2000 they merged with SC Küsnacht, who were themselves formed in 1934, and moved into the Küsnacht arena. Küsnacht is a suburb of Zürich on the eastern shore of Lake Zürich. Carl Jung lived there, and he would be the one to ask about the underlying significance of lions and griffins.

[GCK Lions 0 - 5 Ajoie.]

The Swiss Cup of Hockey

Ajoie beat Davos to win the Swiss Cup back in February. Source.

It's the 18th edition of the Swiss Cup, a national tournament involving teams from the five top tiers of Swiss ice hockey. This cup started in the 1950s, but has not been held every year or even every decade, and it was just recently announced that the 2020-21 cup will be the last for the foreseeable future, owing to fixture congestion caused mainly by the Champions Hockey League. So let's follow it while we still have a chance.

The German name for this cup is Schweizer Cup, the French is Coupe de Suisse, and the Italian Coppa Svizzera.

Round One starts today with 32 teams: 12 are from the top tier (the National League), 10 from the second tier (the Swiss League), 6 from the third tier (the MySports League), 3 from the fourth (the misnamed First League), and 1 from the fifth (the similarly misnamed Second League).

Let's follow last year's surprise winner HC Ajoie, who play in the second-tier Swiss League.

Their game today is against HCV Martigny, who play in the MySports League. HCV Martigny was formed in 2018 through the merger of HC Sion-Nendaz 4 Vallées and HC Martigny Red Ice. Their rink, Forum d'Octodure, holds 3,520 spectators. Martigny is in the canton of Valais about where the Rhône takes a turn north toward Lake Geneva.

The early rounds of this cup are regionalized. Both Ajoie and Martigny are in the French-speaking part of Switzerland called Romandie, Ajoie in the north and Martigny in the south.

Ajoie knocked HC Red Ice out of the 2015-16 cup.

[Martigny 1 - 4 Ajoie.]

H.R. Giger Bar

H.R. Giger designed this bar in his hometown of Chur. Source.