EC VSV

EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV
City	Villach, Carinthia, Austria
League	ICE Hockey League 1977–present
Founded	1923
Home arena	Villacher Stadthalle (Capacity: 4,800)
Colors
Owner(s)	EC VSV GmbH
Franchise history
1923–	EC VSV

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EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV are an ice hockey team in the ICE Hockey League. They play their home games at Stadthalle (capacity approximately 4500 spectators) in Villach, Austria. The team colors are blue and white. Their mascot is an eagle - Villach's coat of arms represents an eagle's claw.

Honours

• Austrian Championships:
  • Winners (6) : 1981, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2006
• Austrian National League:
  • Winners (1) : 1977

History

Pre-1977 history

The club was admitted into the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation (OEHV) as a provisional member in 1924. They later received full membership on April 8, 1926. They were removed from the association in 1932 but later returned as provisional members on November 26, 1935, and regained full membership status in April 1936.

VSV did not participate in the Austrian Championship in any pre-war seasons, but they did play in numerous exhibition matches, both against Austrian and other European squads, over the years.

They are recorded to have played in the Austrian Championship from 1957-58 to 1962-63, when they were relegated after a last-placed finish.

Promotion to the top division and first successes

By winning the second divisions title in the 1976/77 season the EC VSV acquired the right to ascend to Austria's highest league and stayed there eversince. Following the EC KAC the team is second oldest in this league. Although the team became last in their first season (one of the reasons why trainer Karol Havasi Last was replaced by player-coach Ryan D'Arcy by the end of the season), some of their young players, led by Leo Sivec, already showed good performance here. In their second season they took the fifth place, the main problem was the vacant coaching job, which was initially filled by Adalbert and Saint John, by the end of the season by injured Bart Crashley.

First title win

Missing the Masters three times in a row the 1980/81 season of the Austrian Hockey League finally brought the first success. Thanks to the youth training under Hermann Knoll and an increased incorporation of the young players (Sivec the oldest residents at that time was just 23 years of age) the EC VSV struggled in the regular season up to second place. The Final round against the Wiener EV could be won narrowly. The following year, however Sivec missed due to injury most of the season, and conditional problems did the rest. Both the regular season and Final round ended on a disappointing fifth.

External links

• EC Villach SC homepage

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