DEL: DEL insight info needed

[amoboko]

Dear fellow hockey pundits.

The second round of this years play offs is only a couple of hours away but I'm already looking into the coming season.

My partner and I are considering a move from Belgium to Germany as she might get an opportunity to further grow and develop in her current company.

We might be going to the Dusseldorf region. A city which is the home of one of the DEL teams.

I don't know that much of German hockey, only that Tommi Huhtala ( Jokerit) will be playing for Mannheim next season. And secondly, that pleny of Belgians tend to go to Kohln to see the Haaie play.

What would be interesting games, must see games in the DEL. Dusseldorf ended in the middle of the table, what kind of team is it. Is it a family friendly stadium, easily to reach etc...

Please enlight me

Many thanks

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[BruinNL]

Düsseldorf has been rebuilding since 2012 when they barely survived the departure of their former sponsor 'Metro'. With help of fanbase initiatives, a well known German band, the city of Düsseldorf and many others they had a rough start into a new era. This turned around quickly, finishing 5th in '15 and '16 before missing the playoffs in the last two seasons.

They're a young and hard working team aiming to join the mid-table pack again. Big spenders like Munich, Berlin, Mannheim and Nuremberg will probably stay out of reach.

The arena is large and has standing room places surrounding 3 sides of the ice, fairly unique for such a modern arena. It can easily be reached by car, tram or shuttle bus from/to the nearby trainstation. Local public transport fares are (usually) included in the ticket for the game so that's a big plus as well.

Düsseldorf has three other teams nearby with Cologne, Krefeld and Iserlohn all within a one hour drive. Matches between any of these teams are always fun to watch and have many visiting fans as well. Krefeld can even be reached by tram making it a fun trip to make. The Kölner Haie are Düsseldorf's arch rivals though. Games between these two are seen as highlights of the season and the rivalry is known throughout all of Germany. A must visit would be the outdoor game played in the Cologne football stadium on the 12th of January 2018. Already 40.000 tickets have been sold for that one!

In general, hockey games in Germany's elite league are almost all very family friendly. Especially in the newer and more spacious arenas there shouldn't be any problem at all. The only place standing out a bit is maybe Iserlohn as they play in a smaller, intimidating arena with an above average amount of fanatic fans. It's the only place where wearing anything from the opposing team should be reconsidered twice ; )

I tried to be as unbiased as possible as the Haie are my team haha. Good luck!

 

[amoboko]

Thnx BruinNL for the complete overview. I already had a look at the surrounding teams but would prefer to reduce traveltimes as much as possible. I have a young family so I prefer to spend as much time with them. Hockey is just the icing on the cake. As at this point we don't really know in which timescale we might move, I tend to plan some trips to Germany this fall and see how I experience the hockey overthere.

 

[Albatros]

If time allows, taking a slow train (IC, not ICE) to Mannheim could be a nice trip too, as the river valley views especially between Koblenz and Mainz are quite grand.

 

[GermanNuck]

I work in Düsseldorf too but I'm a Cologne supporter. Though I know quite a lot about the region so feel free to ask whatever you want/need to know

 

[amoboko]

Hi team,

I'm picking up this topic once more.
Just wanted to know if it's possible to purchase tickets on game day itself for a game e.g: vs Mannheim.
My favroite Jokerit player ( Tommi Huhtala signed for them) and a weekend Cologne would be ideal to combine with hockey and a young family trip.

Cheers

 

[Maverick41]

Hi team,

I'm picking up this topic once more.
Just wanted to know if it's possible to purchase tickets on game day itself for a game e.g: vs Mannheim.
My favroite Jokerit player ( Tommi Huhtala signed for them) and a weekend Cologne would be ideal to combine with hockey and a young family trip.

Cheers

I think you should be able to purchase tickets on gameday. If I understand correctly you are looking for tickets for Cologne vs. Mannheim in Cologne. Last season there were a little under 12,000 and a little over 13,000 fans respectively, attending the two meetings of those teams in Cologne (the arena holds up to 18,500).

Once the schedule for next season is released it will be easier to assess this, because the dates when the games are played can have an impact on the attendance.

 

[amoboko]

That is correct. I hope to attend a game on a Saturday.
It would be cool to catch up with some of the fans/ members on this board while going there.
Is the hockey rink far away from the centre? I would be travelling by train mostlikely.
Cheers

 

[Maverick41]

That is correct. I hope to attend a game on a Saturday.
It would be cool to catch up with some of the fans/ members on this board while going there.
Is the hockey rink far away from the centre? I would be travelling by train mostlikely.
Cheers

For the most parts games are on Fridays (evening, mostly at 19:30) and Sundays (from afternoon to evening). There are occasional games on other days, but it is rare.

If you travel by train you should get a ticket to the station Köln Messe/Deutz. From there you should be easily able to walk to the arena. I haven't been there myself, but according to people who have, the walk only takes a few minutes.

 

[amoboko]

Thnx, google Maps shows it as a nice little walk

 

[Albatros]

It's also possible to walk from the Old Town (less than 2 km), just need to cross the river. The immediate surroundings of the arena consist of a boring business park, but in Deutz south of the station there are some decent pubs frequented by fans.

 

[amoboko]

Aha, thnx for the tip. But it will depend on the weather and the period of the year.
I also had a look at annual membership. I'm getting a positive energy from it.