Posted by flofloflo on 15th February 2004 at 02:22 GMT
Posted from 217.228.177.67 (pd9e4b143.dip.t-dialin.net)
In reply to German hockey - European competion posted by Håkan Ljung on 14th February 2004 at 19:17 GMT:
I think nobody can say which league is the best in europe right now. Friendly games are not an apropriate comparison between teams from different nations in my opinion. You also have to remember that prior to the Rogle-Eisbären game there was this Corriveau/Bergen incident.
The problem with the Super 6 Tournament is that all games are being played at one place which is a clear advantage for the home team and also it's being held just a few weeks after the Spengler Cup.
Most statistics show that hockey is actually the second most popular team-sport in Germany. Almost all DEL teams are building or planning to build new Arenas. But also lower level teams work on their infrastructure. Maybe the level of skill in Denmark will close the gap to the DEL but the potential fan base in Germany is pretty unique in Europe. I live close to Mannheim and I'm pretty sure that the Adler will be able get decent attendance in the new 15000-seat Mannheim Arena which opens in 2005. And the fans and thus sponsors is where the money comes from.