After a long wait, Davos triumphs at its home tournament for the 16th time. The question is whether the HCD will digest the tournament victory better than last year’s winner Ambri-Piotta.
Emotional Sunday: During the Spengler Cup final, HCD coach Josh Holden had a war of words with Slovakian striker Tomas Jurco, who was leaving Davos after just a few weeks.
Melanie Duchene / EPA
The Spengler Cup and the host Davos: It has no longer been a love affair in recent years. The HCD embarrassed itself several times, in 2022 it lost to Sparta Prague 2:9, in 2019 it competed against Team Canada with a B team and angered the audience and the sponsors.
The last time Davos was in the final was in 2012; the team had not won since 2011. Not a single player from that season – in the middle of the peak phase of the Arno Del Curto / Reto von Arx era – is still there. Captain Andres Ambühl was storming for the ZSC Lions after a failed North American adventure. The Spengler Cup was not always top priority under Del Curto, which was understandable, the focus was on winning championships. Which worked often enough.
The signs have now changed, the HCD is no longer at the forefront economically in the National League, although the Spengler Cup brings in an annual profit of almost two million francs. Record champions Davos have won a play-off series since 2017/18.
The Spengler Cup is a welcome alternative to brighten up the Palmarès. The HCD took the chance on New Year’s Eve with a 5:3 win against Dynamo Pardubice.
It is a prestigious success that particularly helps coach Josh Holden, who was installed in the summer. Holden, 45, is working as head coach for the first time; he is the successor to Christian Wohlwend, who was dismissed in January 2023. President Gaudenz Domenig said at the time that Wohlwend was “more right than bad. But not more than right.”
The breathless Spengler Cup euphoria on state television
It’s hard to put much less enthusiasm into a testimony. But under Holden, the HCD has actually played rather poorly so far, and the first half of the season was a disappointment. The team is in 9th place in the championship and delivered some puzzling performances against significantly weaker teams like Kloten and Ajoie. The Spengler Cup triumph will help to ensure peace in the area.
The sporting value of the tournament victory cannot be exaggerated, even if the state television SRF was almost overwhelmed with breathless storms of enthusiasm and had to emphasize every five minutes how uniquely exciting what was being shown was. Since this season, SRF has only been able to show live ice hockey games from the Spengler Cup and the national team; the company has lost all other rights.
The entertainment was best at the 95th edition of the second semi-final between Pardubice and Team Canada. The Canadians led 3-1 until 4 minutes before the end when NHL-proven goalkeeper Aaron Dell suddenly couldn’t stop the puck. 39 seconds before the end, Pardubice made it 4:3, it was a memorable collapse for the favorite and record winner; Star trainer Bruce Boudreau was left with nothing but disbelief.
In the final, Pardubice, which had recently been heavily armed with a transfer offensive, scored what was supposed to be the opening goal after 13 minutes. After a long video study – the duration was a recurring problem at this event – the goal was disallowed due to offside. In return, Dennis Rasmussen made it 1-0 for the HCD. The Swedish international scored five times in the Spengler Cup – in the league he only scored three goals in 28 games; not everyone agrees on whether he’s worth his alien license.
The crash of Ambri-Piotta as a memorial
Like the Canadians a few hours earlier, the HCD also lost a comfortable lead; Pardubice equalized 0-2 within 13 seconds in the 37th minute. A deflected shot from the beefy defensive defender Klas Dahlbeck made Davos celebrate shortly afterwards.
The question will be what this 16th Spengler Cup triumph will trigger in the HCD. Ambri-Piotta paid dearly for winning the tournament last year: a severe hangover followed, which caused the team to fall to 12th place in the National League and triggered a crisis of meaning in the club. Ambri failed as title holder at the first opportunity; after three consecutive participations, it was farewell to the Spengler Cup – in 2024 another Swiss team will join the field of participants, possibly Gottéron.
Before that, everyone involved goes back to everyday life. On Tuesday, Davos welcomes HC Lugano. Then it will become clear for the first time how much energy the tournament cost, both physically and emotionally.
