Polish Hockey League questions

[Mory Schneideur*]

Don't really follow the polish league but have questions for anyone who can help.

How strong is the league, how competitive it is compared to other Euro leagues?

From what I know Podhale Nowy Targ is historically the best team, why aren't they playing in the PLH this season?

I remember reading that Poland is trying to strengthen its league or possibly create a new one, any news in this?

Also, any other info anyone has on Polish pro hockey, please let me know, I'm more than interested

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[polishjetsfan]

Hi Johnny I'm more than happy to answer your questions about PLH. The league is very weak if you compare it to stronger Euro leagues, but strong enough to have a place in Continental Cup's third round in 2012/13 season. Polish champion, Sanok, faced Belarussian
Metalurg Zhlobin (3:5), Norwegian Stavanger Oilers (4:7) and Kazach Beybarys Atyrau (1:5). I guess this gives you a perspective of the level of PLH.

As for Podhale Nowy Targ - in 2012 they were relegated to second division for the first time in 57 years, but next year they were promoted again and will play in PLH in this season.

I don't think it's possible for Poland to strenghten their league in the nearest future - mainly because of money. Hockey isn't the most popular sport here and that's why little to none clubs have rich sponsors (my Cracovia is one of exceptions), and it doesn't seem like it's going to change.

There was a plan to include Poland's national team in the leage from this season on, but it didn't work out. Instead, KTH Krynica signed lots of national team's players, which basically makes them a dream team. They're expected to dominate this season.

Here is a nice video showing the atmosphere during deciding 2013 semi-final between Cracovia in Sanok.

I don't know why can't I embed the video, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIE7u8oiGYM

I started following PLH just recently, but if you have any more questions let me know

 

[loser]

here are some stats: http://www.hokej.net/pl/plh/statystyki/103/

shame elitprospects do not have a polish member of their online staff,so stats or even clubs are not updated

 

[Nidos]

Hi Johnny I'm more than happy to answer your questions about PLH. The league is very weak if you compare it to stronger Euro leagues, but strong enough to have a place in Continental Cup's third round in 2012/13 season. Polish champion, Sanok, faced Belarussian
Metalurg Zhlobin (3:5), Norwegian Stavanger Oilers (4:7) and Kazach Beybarys Atyrau (1:5). I guess this gives you a perspective of the level of PLH.

As for Podhale Nowy Targ - in 2012 they were relegated to second division for the first time in 57 years, but next year they were promoted again and will play in PLH in this season.

I don't think it's possible for Poland to strenghten their league in the nearest future - mainly because of money. Hockey isn't the most popular sport here and that's why little to none clubs have rich sponsors (my Cracovia is one of exceptions), and it doesn't seem like it's going to change.

There was a plan to include Poland's national team in the leage from this season on, but it didn't work out. Instead, KTH Krynica signed lots of national team's players, which basically makes them a dream team. They're expected to dominate this season.

Here is a nice video showing the atmosphere during deciding 2013 semi-final between Cracovia in Sanok.

I don't know why can't I embed the video, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIE7u8oiGYM

I started following PLH just recently, but if you have any more questions let me know

wow I never knew hockey was THAT popular in Poland. I want to go to a game now

 

[Rekin]

Cracovia is primarily a soccer team and gets a lot of "borrowed" support from that section when needed, the same is true for several other organizations such as Zagłębie Sosnowiec or GKS Katowice. Even Legia Warsaw in the otherwise "wives and girlfriends" kind of lower leagues can enjoy such fans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6hl7GEpnek

 

[Nidos]

Cracovia is primarily a soccer team and gets a lot of "borrowed" support from that section when needed, the same is true for several other organizations such as Zagłębie Sosnowiec or GKS Katowice. Even Legia Warsaw in the otherwise "wives and girlfriends" kind of lower leagues can enjoy such fans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6hl7GEpnek

too bad Wisla Krakow doesn't have a hockey team

 

[Rekin]

Back in the day they used to have... But considering how violently heated the Cracow derbies are in soccer I think that's probably a good thing for Polish hockey that they no longer do.

 

[SoundAndFury]

I was meaning to ask, what happened to Krynica mid-season? They basically gave away all the best players. Unexpected financial problems or that was the plan all along?

 

[Rekin]

I was meaning to ask, what happened to Krynica mid-season? They basically gave away all the best players. Unexpected financial problems or that was the plan all along?

I think that the "unexpected financial problems" were the plan all along. They supposedly had a mysterious and seriously rich sponsor from Canada financing them and bought a wild card (yeah...) for the first league, however as far as I know they never paid a cent to all the top players and personnel they recruited and so the team soon broke down. A sad episode for Polish hockey.

 

[turk96]

I was considering a vacation to Poland, particularly to Gdansk. I don't think they have any teams in the top Polish league, but are there some lower league teams worth seeing? I know there are some decent arenas in the area.

 

[Rekin]

I was considering a vacation to Poland, particularly to Gdansk. I don't think they have any teams in the top Polish league, but are there some lower league teams worth seeing? I know there are some decent arenas in the area.

They used to have, but now the situation is a mess. They wanted to play in the KHL but that project failed and now they have basically nothing. There's a serious attempt to re-establish the bankrupt Stoczniowiec Gdańsk which is traditionally the biggest club in Northern Poland and play in the 2nd tier I Liga next season. Certainly they'd be using the rather old-fashioned, rotten but iconic Hala Olivia and not the state-of-the-art Ergo Arena.

 

[alko]

Wasnt there some teams, that wanted to play in Slovak Extraleague?

 

[Rekin]

I have heard that rumour, but no concrete names or much other discussion either. Maybe it's just that the idea would make some sense, a bit like Celtic joining the English Premier League in soccer. I still don't expect to see that really happen.

 

[turk96]

Thanks for your reply. So, Grdansk doesn't have any teams this year?

On a related note, if I go to Krakow towards the end of October (23-30-ish), somewhere in there, what are my odds of catching a game?

Thanks much.

 

[Rekin]

Thanks for your reply. So, Grdansk doesn't have any teams this year?

On a related note, if I go to Krakow towards the end of October (23-30-ish), somewhere in there, what are my odds of catching a game?

Thanks much.

The Trójmiasto (Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia) area had several II Liga teams this season, but that's not much more than a beer league. The likelihood for that Stoczniowiec 2014 will play I Liga hockey next season is something like 80 % I'd say. The project is popular and all they need now is to find the necessary money for it.

In Kraków they have Cracovia which is one of the top teams in Poland at the moment. Last years they've had also some fairly good Czech imports because their coach is Czech and has good connections that way. The calendar isn't out yet but it's pretty much sure that there's going to be a match in Kraków one of those days. They're going to continue using their own modern and intimate Lodowisko Cracovii instead of the new large Kraków Arena. Cracovia is also a soccer club and because of that it's highly advisable to not to use any of their merchandise after you leave the arena as the soccer rivalry with Wisła Kraków is extremely intense.

 

[turk96]

So, you basically mean this coming season there should be a tier 1 in Gdansk? I probably won't book my trip until around July, so hopefully there will be word by then. I'd prefer to go to Gdansk over Krakow, but not if there is no decent hockey to see. Seems a waste to fly all the way to Europe and not see their best hockey leagues in action. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Czech Extraliga and KHL games in Prague a couple months ago.

Thanks again for your replies. It's very tough to find out any info on the Polish leagues, particularly in English.

 

[Rekin]

It's almost certain that if they get their finances in order they'll play in the 2nd highest level, and because they already have a squad of players that all agreed to play the first season for free I think there's a good reason to believe it will happen. That way I expect the level of play to be respectable, but of course not comparable to the best teams of the highest level Polska Hokej Liga nevermind the Czech Extraliga. Anyhow it's a sympathetic project and already because of that I'd like to go watch them myself. So far their web presence is mostly on Facebook, but unfortunately only in Polish: https://www.facebook.com/stoczniowiec2014

Other than that Gdańsk is a hub for low-cost flights (Wizzair, Ryanair) so if you have enough time and energy it's pretty easy to do a small trip to some other hockey destination as well, in Germany, Sweden or Finland especially.

 

[turk96]

Ah, ok. So, initially the Gdansk team will be a second tier? I'll have to keep an eye out for any news and wait on the schedules for the European leagues to come out, which I think is sometime in late July. I still haven't decided where I will go, having it slightly narrowed to Gdansk, Krakow, Berlin, Munich, Stockholm, or Helsinki (which has the bonus of having KHL hockey as well, now). But unlike my last trip a couple months ago, I think I'm going to limit it to five days, so I'll probably be staying in one location only this time.

 

[Rekin]

Yeah, this season for the first time in history all top-level teams were from the southernmost Poland around Kraków and Katowice and it's likely to remain that way next year as well. Gdańsk is definitely missed, but now they must rebuild their organization first to be competitive.

The connections between Berlin and Kraków and Gdańsk are pretty good, so if you don't mind to spend one night in train or bus it's quite easy to combine.

 

[turk96]

Any word on when or if the Polska Liga Hokejowa schedule will be dropping? I keep checking websites like Eurohockey and Sportstats, but nothing yet, but they are usually a bit behind. And the official league site is pretty sparse and incomprehensible, even with a Google translate. The official team sites aren't much better.

 

[aonb]

Preliminary schedule will be announced in August, after the second meeting of the committee of the license

 

[turk96]

Ok, thanks. They really take their time on that, I guess.

 

[turk96]

Still no Polish League schedule? I've abandoned my plans for a Germany (DEL)/ Poland (HockejLiga) trip in the Fall and booked to go to Sweden and Finland instead. But, I'm still hoping to maybe do the Germany-Poland trip in the Spring of 2015. Any news on the schedule's release?

 

[Purple hippo]

Here you go.

http://hokej.net/pl/news,artykul,5,33751,terminarz-phl-20142015.html

 

[Purple hippo]

As well, since you asked about Gdańsk, the 1.Liga calendar has been announced.

http://hokej.net/pl/news,artykul,6,33777,i-liga-hokejowa---terminarz.html