Bandy and Ice Hockey in Austria (1894-1923)

Bandy and Ice Hockey were both played extensively both within the Austro-Hungarian Empire and independent Austria prior to the formation of the Austrian Hockey Championship in 1922-23.

History

To understand the history and development of the sports of bandy and ice hockey in Austria-Hungary, it is important to remember the multi-ethnic composition of the monarchy, which existed from 1867 to 1918. Areas of present-day Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Italy, and Poland were part of the empire.

The game of bandy hockey first arrived in the Austrian Empire in the Bohemian capital of Prague during the winter season of 1894-95. Josef Rossler-Orovsky (1869-1933), one of the sport's early propagators, published the rules of bandy in the Sportovní obzor in 1894. The magazine later published the lineups from a game played between the Blue and Red teams of Bruslařský Závodny Klub Praha (Blue team: Saller - Pelikán, Starì, Materna – Frant. Malì, Maschner, Strakatì Red team: Voller - Novák, Krajicek, A. Rychlik – Dom. Malì, Jindřich Jechental, J. Rychlik. Referee: Franta Hnevkovskì). Other clubs were formed in the Strelecky Orsov, Smichov, and Rudolfina areas of Prague, and BZK took part in 15 games played with rules in 1894-95.

In the Austrian capital of Vienna, bandy began making its first inroads in 1897, as Training Eis Club staged a meeting on December 16 to discuss the new sport. A committee was elected to help promote and develop the game. Previously, on January 12, 1896, an article had been published by the Allegemeine Sport-Zeitung, entitled "Hockey Game". TEC did not form an actual team until 1899. A training match between divided sides of the club was held on December 26, ending in a 2:2 tie.. Bandy also arrived in Budapest that December, as the Budapester Eislaufverein added the sport to its program.

The first pre-announced bandy match was played in Bohemia between SK Slavia Praha and BZK Praha on January 6, 1901. Slavia won 11:4. Two weeks later, the first Bohemian Crown Lands Championship (Mistrovství zemí koruny České) was contested by the two clubs. Slavia was again victorious, this time by a score of 17:2.

Slavia Praha then traveled to Vienna to take on Training Eis Club on February 17, 1901. The game consisted of two 35 minute periods and the teams played with eight players aside. Slavia thumped the less-experienced Viennese side, 17-3. A week later, a match was staged between TEC and another local club, Wiener AC. TEC won 19-1. Other clubs in Vienna at the time included First Vienna FC 1894, Cricketer, Viktoria, Olympia, and Transvaal.

In 1902, multiple new clubs began playing bandy in Bohemia, including I. ČLTK Praha, HC Špičák, Veslařský Klub Praha (Rowing Club Praha), Klub Cyklistů Čechie (Czech Cycling Club), and Klub Veslařů Praha 1883 (Prague Rowers Club 1883). Later, AC Sparta Praha, BK Mladá Boleslav, and SK Turnovo all created hockey clubs. LTC Praha added bandy to its program in February 1904.

The Bohemian Magazine of Sports and Games Cup (Redakce časopisu Sport a hry poháru) was staged for the first time during the 1903-04 season. The sport also expanded to locales such as Plzen, Pribram, Jíčín, and to the Moravian cities of Trebic and Brno in 1904. In the same year, Joseph Gruss decided to write a letter to the English Hockey Association, inquiring about the rules of ice hockey played with a puck - Canadian hockey. Upon their being received, the rules were published in the Redakce časopisu Sport a hry.

However, bandy still remained the eminent sport in Bohemia. The Canadian-born Ruck Andersson introduced the the country to the puck when he practiced with it during his stay there in 1905. The same year, the Prince of Mansfeld, a well-known supporter of the sport, decided to invite Slavia and I. ČLTK to play in an exhibition at his Dobříš estate. The match never materialized due to a thaw, but Mansfeld, a great storyteller, regaled the players with a story of his visit to Canada, where he had seen matches staged with a puck and had been given the opportunity to try it out himself. Ice hockey was slowly making inroads into Bohemia.

Meanwhile in Vienna, numerous friendly matches were played between 1902 and 1909, most of which involving the leading club in the sport, the Training Eis Club. In January of 1904 and 1905, TEC faced the ethnic-German Deutscher akad.-tech. Radfahrverein Prag in Vienna. TEC played in Budapest for the first time on January 26, 1908, falling 14:0 to Budapester EV. By 1908-09, Wiener Sport Club, TEC, Sportklub Slovan, and First Vienna FC 1894 were active in Vienna, while clubs had also sprung up in the Tirolean cities of Innsbruck and Kitzbuhel.

Back in Prague, it slowly became clear that clearer rules and more cooperation between clubs was needed. A meeting involving six clubs, SK Slavia, Akademického SK, PKC Ruch, LTC, AC Sparta and BK Mladá Boleslav, was held in the capital at the beginning of 1907. On January 5th and 6th, 1908, an Austro-Hungarian Championship in bandy, organized by PKC Ruch, was staged. It was won by Leipziger SC of Germany. Upon the conclusion of the tournament, the Prager Zeitung wrote that "Prague had again provided evidence that it is at the top of sporting Austria." Vienna was not represented at the competition.

On January 26, 1908, BK Mlada Boleslav organized the first Bohemian Championship. The games were played with a puck. SK Slavia Praha won the tournament. The Bohemian Ice Hockey Federation was founded at the initiative of Slavia official Emil Prochazka, who had already sent an application to the LIHG on November 15, 1908, although the constituent general meeting of the Bohemian federation did not take place until December 11. The General Meeting was attended by delegates from 12 sports clubs. Immediately, however, disagreements arose between representatives from Slavia and Sparta Prague and the General Assembly had to be repeated three times. On January 13, 1909, the first chairman of the Association for more than a few days became Jaroslav Potůček of BZK Praha.

In 1908-09, the Bohemian Championship and the Bohemian Crown Lands Championship were contested as ice hockey competitions. They were not held in 1909-10. The national team made its debut at the 1909 Coupe de Chamonix, staged from January 23-25, 1909. Both championships were staged again in 1911, and the national team took part in the European Championship held in Berlin. To finance their trip, the players paid some of the costs out of pocket, but also raised money via fundraising. They arrived in Berlin on a third-class sleeper train, and whacked Switzerland 13-0 in their first game, before defeating the Germans later that night. The first team in Europe to exhibit actual team play, Bohemia clinched the championship with a 3-0 win over Belgium.

The Ringhoffer Pokal, a private event staged by DEHG Prag that essentially served as the Austro-Hungarian Championship, was contested for the first time as a bandy tournament in 1911. It was won by the hosts, who defeated ČSS Praha in the final. The first tournament was attended solely by teams from Prague.

The Oxford Canadians played two games in Vienna against a local selection on December 31, 1911 and January 3, 1912. The matches were played with a ball, and Vienna recorded a surprising 7-4 win in the first game before losing 14-4. On January 14, 1912, the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation (OEHV) was formally created and convened to meet for the first time. It was founded by four of the leading Viennese clubs, Training Eis Club, First Vienna FC 1894, Sportklub Slovan, and the Wiener Sport Club. The epicenter of hockey in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was in Prague; the formation of the OEHV helped further develop the sport in Vienna. The Vienna Ice Hockey Championship in bandy was held for the first time in 1912-13.

Following their success at the 1911 European Championship, Bohemia hosted the 1912 tournament, with all games being staged in Prague. Austria made its international debut at the competition. They were represented by DEHG Prag, even though the club was not a member of the OEHV and was part of the Bohemian region of the Empire. Bohemia won their second consecutive European title, but after multiple German protests, the tournament was annulled as the Austrian Federation had not yet been formally accepted into the LIHG.

For 1913, the OEHV planned to introduce a State Championship in bandy, so the Ringhoffer Pokal was converted to an ice hockey competition. The 1913 State Championship between Wiener Sport-Club and Deutscher Fussballclub Prag was not contested due to ice thaw. DEHG Prag again represented Austria at the 1913 European Championship in Munich. Bohemia finished second behind Belgium while Austria came in last.

A Student Tournament was arranged in Austria in 1914 involving teams from Schottengymnasium, Realgymnasium 17, Realschule 16, and Gymnasium 19. It was not completed. In February 1914, the OEHV reached an agreement with DEHG Prag. DEHG joined the federation, which consisted of one other Czech member (Deutscher Fussballclub Prag), but was given the assurance it would still be allowed to compete against non-member teams, which was actually not allowed by the statutes of the association.

Two Ringhoffer Pokal tournaments were played in 1914, as the bandy version was re-introduced. Budapester EV claimed the bandy tournament. The squad organized a bandy tournament, consisting exclusively of Hungarian teams, on February 1 and 2. The Austrian State Championship was also completed for the first time this year. Only three teams participated in the 1914 European Championship, as Austria declined to send a team. Bohemia claimed the gold medal.

During World War I, hockey activities were scaled back throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, both due to war-time restrictions and as many players were drafted into the war. The Bohemian Championship in ice hockey and the Prague Championship in bandy were staged in Bohemia, while the Vienna Championship was played, but not to completion, in Austria in 1914-15.

The Vienna Championship was also played in 1916, 1917, and 1919. The 1918 competition was not arranged as the production of artificial ice and the lighting of outdoor rinks was prohibited. The Turnaj o Pohár Spolecenského Klubu was staged in Prague on January 28, 1917.

After the war, Austria-Hungary dissolved with Czechoslovakia (Bohemia) becoming an independent nation on October 28, 1918, and Hungary claiming independence three days later. In the new Austria, the board of the OEHV began discussing the introduction of ice hockey with a puck in 1919. No formal bandy competition was arranged in 1920, but an Austrian Bandy Cup was later contested in 1921 and 1922. Only one match was played in the 1921 cup. The 1922 edition was hosted by Cottage EV.

On January 8, 1922, the first ice hockey game was played in Vienna, with an A and B squad of Wiener EV playing against one another. In order for the locals to get better acquainted with the game, the SportTagblatt published an article describing the essence of the sport. The last Austrian Bandy Championship was contested during the 1922-23 season, but was not completed. The final game was played on January 23, 1923, between Währinger Bicycle Club and Sportclub Nicholson.

The inaugural Austrian Hockey Championship was also staged in 1922-23. It was contested by seven teams and won easily by Wiener EV. The last bandy game in Austria was played on December 31, 1923, between the venerable Training Eis Club and Cottage EV. After this, bandy no longer existed in the country, having been fully usurped by ice hockey.

Photographs

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  SK Slavia Praha in 1903.

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  AC Sparta Praha in 1904.

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  I. ČLTK Praha in 1905.

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  A photograph from a Magazine of Sports and Games Cup match between SK Smichov and Cycling Club.

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  An early photograph of BK Mladá Boleslav.

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  Budapester EV in 1909.

Sources

Online

• Regiowiki.at
• Orli - Czech Hockey History

Print

• Allgemeine Sport-Zeitung
• Prager Tagblatt
• Fremden Blatt Wien
• Weltblatt Wien
• Prager Abendblatt
• Sportovni obzar