Austrian Workers' Hockey (pre-1934)
Workers' sports evolved very rapidly in the 1920s. In 1928 the first ice hockey teams comprised of working-class individuals were established. They belonged to the Arbeiterbund für Sport und Körperkultur in Österreich (ASKÖ; in English, Workers' Union of Sports and Physical Culture in Austria), which was founded in 1924. The middle classes took little notice of this activity.
The second SLSI Winter Olympiad was held in Mürzzuschlag, Austria. The Austrian selection won the tournament by defeating Germany and Latvia. In the SportTagblatt newpsaper, the results were briefly listed, which was an exception, as the daily games of the workers were never reported by the paper. The SportTagblatt later noted that the Austrian ice hockey team of the workers would be participating in the Latvian Workers' Winter Sports Festival on February 17 and 18, 1934, in Riga. At Engelmann-Platz on January 24, 1934, there was to be a selection of the best hockey players from the workers organizations.
The magazine of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation, Der Eishockeysport, also reported once on the growth of workers ice hockey. By contrast, reported the Arberteirzeitung newspaper from Vienna regularity reported on the workers games.
In January 1934, the ASKÖ announced that a workers' ice hockey team was to participate in the Latvian Workers Sports Festival on February 17 and 18, 1934. A game to determine the composition of the roster was played on January 24, 1934 at 21:00 at the Kunsteisbahn in Engelmann.
- Team A: Goaltender: Immervoll (Favoriten), Halbwittl (Straßenbahn), Defensemen: Peterlik (Zentralverein), Gabriel (Straßenbahn), Mitteregger (Wieden), Forwards: Schauer (ASV Mödling), Schinko2 (Straßenbahn), Amon (Altmannsdorf), Königsberger (Favoriten), Schneider (Wieden), Racek (Zentralverein)
- Team B: Lazar, Samwald, Weigner, Wolf, Czeck, Hanel, Kleinschegg, Brusch and Vitale (all from Brigittenau)
1000 spectators come to the Engelmann, rinkto see the game between the two teams. The surprise A-Team recorded a surprising victory over the B-team of Brigittenau by a score of 3:1 (1:0, 1: 0, 1:1). Racek, Gabriel and Czech were the scorers for Team A.
Those in charge elected to arrange another warm-up game on January 27, 1934, at the Robert-Blum-Platz in Vienna. There were two teams, where the best players were represented.
- Team A: Halbwittl (Straßenbahn), Mitteregger (Wieden), Gabriel (Straßenbahn), Wolf, Czech, Hanek (all from Brigittenau), Schauer (ASV Mödling), Schinko2 (Straßenbahn), Razek (Zentralverein)
- Team B: Immervoll (Favoriten), Samwald (Brigittenau) Seilnacht (Altmannsdorf), Sturma (Zentralverein), Scheider (Wieden), Vitale (Brigittenau), Schinko3 (Straßenbahn), Latta (Favoriten), Amon (Altmannsdorf)
The game ended 7:2 for the B-Team. However, the organizers still has not enough information to select a team. So a third game was arranged for January 30, 1934, at 21:00 in Meidling. The rosters were basically the same as the previous game. The A-Team won the match by a 3:2 score in front of 700 spectators.
Six countries had signed up for the tournament Riga. Before the Austrian team's scheduled departure for Riga on February 13, 1934, a match featuring a Vienna selection against a selection from Lower Austria was scheduled February 10, 1934, by the ASKÖ. The game startsed at 21:00 on the Engelmann ice rink in Vienna. The Latvian Consul was present as a guest. The game ended 1:0 for the Vienna Team.
- Vienna Team: Immervoll (Favoriten), Mitteregger (Wieden), Samwald, Wolf, Czech, Hanek, Vitale (all from Brigittenau), Schinko3, Schinko2 (both from Straßenbahn),
- Lower Austrian Team: Zeilinger, Bohata (both from ASV Mödling), Mowak (Stockerau), Schauer, Kalla, Posovat, Maier, Geydoschek (all from ASV Mödling), Heinzl (Stockerau)
With the ban on the Social Democratic Labour Party in Austria in February 1934, all connected social democratic umbrella organizations of sport, etc. were prohibited. So all workers hockey teams ceased to exist. Some of the workers clubs were later re-founded under different names. The participation of the Austrian worker's team in the Riga tournament was no longer possible due to the ban.
Workers' Championship winners
- 1929-30: WAT Brigittenau
- 1930-31: WAT Brigittenau
- 1931-32: WAT Brigittenau
- 1932-33: WAT Brigittenau
- 1933-34: not completed
Workers' teams
Vienna
| Team | Abbr. | Founded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletiksportverein Einheit XII | Einheit 12 | 1929 | |
| Arbeiterbildungsverein Alsergrund | Alsergrund | 1928 | |
| ASK Meidling | Meidling | 1931 | |
| ASK Liesing | Liesing | 1933 | |
| Buchdrucker | Buchdrucker | 1932 | |
| TG Döbling | Döbling | 1932 | |
| TG Donaufeld | Donaufeld | 1933 | |
| TG Draschepark | Draschepark | 1932 | |
| Eishockeyverein Hernals-Währing | Hernals-Währing | 01.12.1933 | Merger between Hernals and Währing |
| Eishockeyclub Vindobona | EKV | 1932 | |
| E-Werk | E-Werk | 1933 | |
| Hauptwerkstätte | Hauptwerkstätte | 1932 | |
| Hellas Oberlaa | Hellas Oberlaa | 1933 | |
| Phönix 12 | Phönix 12 | 1931 | |
| Phönix Meidling | Phönix Meidling | 1931 | |
| Postunion | Postunion | 1933 | |
| Technische Union | Technische Union | 1929 | |
| WAT Augarten | Augarten | 1931 | |
| WAT Brigittenau | Brigittenau | 1928 | |
| WAT Favoriten | Favoriten | 1928 | |
| WAT Floridsdorf | Floridsdorf | 1929 | |
| WAT Fünfhaus | Fünfhaus | 1931 | |
| WAT Hernals | Hernals | 1929 | Merged into Hernals-Währing |
| WAT Kagran | Kagran | 1933 | |
| WAT Landstraße | Landstraße | 1929 | |
| WAT Margareten | Margareten | 1928 | |
| WAT Mariahilf | Mariahilf | 1928 | |
| WAT Meidling | Meidling | 1929 | |
| WAT Ottakring | Ottakring | 1928 | |
| WAT Stadlau | Stadlau | 1932 | |
| WAT Währing | Währing | 1929 | Merged into Hernhals-Währing |
| WAT Wieden | Wieden | 1928 | |
| Sportklub Altmannsdorf | Altmannsdorf | 1931 | |
| Sportklub Rote Elf | Rote Elf | Nov. 1931 | |
| Straßenbahnersportvereinigung | Straßenbahn | 1928 | |
| Wien-West | Wien-West | 1929 | |
| Zentralverein der kaufmännischen Angestellten | Zentralverein | 1928 | On 13.11.1934, became Sportsektion Merkur |
Lower Austria
| Team | Abbr. | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| Eishockeyverein Hainburg | Hainburg | 1933 |
| ASV Petronell | Petronell | 1932 |
| ASV Mödling | ASV Mödling | 1929 |
| TG Stockerau | Stockerau | 1931 |
| ATV Waldegg | Waldegg | 1933 |
Upper Austria
| Team | Abbr. | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| ATV Steyr | Steyr | 1933 |
Steiermark
| Team | Abbr. | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| TG Mürzzuschlag | Mürzzuschlag | 1931 |
Sources
- Arbeiterzeitung Wien newspaper
- Kleine Blatt newspaper
- SportTagblatt newpaper
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