SC Bern

SC Bern
CityBern, Switzerland
LeagueNational League
Founded1931 (1931)
Home arenaPostFinance Arena
Colors     
CEOMarc Lüthi
General managerPatrik Bärtschi
Head coachJussi Tapola
CaptainRamon Untersander
AffiliateEHC Visp
Websitewww.scb.ch
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]

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

History

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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

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Champions

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Players

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Current roster

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Updated 30 September 2024.[6]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
79 Switzerland Thierry Bader C L 27 2020 Winterthur, Switzerland
98 Austria Benjamin Baumgartner C L 24 2022 Zell am See, Austria
27 United States Austin Czarnik C R 31 2024 Washington Township, Michigan
9 Sweden Victor Ejdsell LW L 29 2024 Karlstad, Sweden
14 Switzerland Louis Füllemann D L 20 2022 Liebefeld, Switzerland
Switzerland Alain Graf C R 19 2024 Thun, Switzerland
34 Switzerland Andri Henauer G L 22 2023 Bern, Switzerland
24 Germany Dominik Kahun C L 29 2021 Planá, Czech Republic
41 Switzerland Simon Kindschi D L 28 2023 Davos, Switzerland
62 Switzerland Samuel Kreis (A) D L 30 2023 Egnach, Switzerland
23 Switzerland Marco Lehmann C L 25 2022 Lauperswil, Switzerland
37 Sweden Anton Lindholm D L 29 2024 Skellefteå, Sweden
58 Switzerland Romain Loeffel D R 33 2022 La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
8 Switzerland Marc Marchon C L 29 2024 Vuisternens-en-Ogoz, Switzerland
89 Finland Waltteri Merelä (A) RW R 26 2024 Ylöjärvi, Finland
21 Switzerland Simon Moser (C) C L 35 2013 Bern, Switzerland
5 Sweden Patrik Nemeth (A) D L 32 2023 Stockholm, Sweden
36 Sweden Adam Reideborn G L 32 2023 Stockholm, Sweden
Switzerland Nils Rhyn D L 19 2025 Bern, Switzerland
18 Switzerland Fabian Ritzmann LW L 22 2022 Scuol, Switzerland
15 Switzerland Yanick Sablatnig RW R 25 2024 Rüderswil, Switzerland
10 Switzerland Tristan Scherwey (A) W L 33 2009 Wünnewil-Flamatt, Switzerland
88 Switzerland Thierry Schild F R 19 2023 Zollikofen, Switzerland
65 Switzerland Ramon Untersander (C) D R 33 2015 Alt St. Johann, Switzerland
86 Switzerland Joël Vermin LW L 32 2022 Frauenkappelen, Switzerland
30 Switzerland Philip Wüthrich Injured Reserve G L 26 2020 Bern, Switzerland

Honored members

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NHL alumni

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See also

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References

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  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.
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