Before the start of the final series in the ICE Hockey League it shows
Herbert Jerich emphatically optimistic. The President of the
Graz 99ers refers to his team’s strong form: twelve wins in a row and only three defeats from the last 20 games.
In an interview with the “Kleine Zeitung” it was clear to him: “It would be surprising if we lost four games in the final.” Despite this self-confident announcement, he remains realistic enough to point out that anything can happen in ice hockey – but in the end the better team will prevail in a best-of-seven series.
High expectations and clear goals
Jerich makes no secret of how high the demands are in the club. His goal is to “become champion every year.”
He describes the quarter-final exit in his first season as president as a big disappointment, but also sees it as a possible turning point. Without this failure, there might not have been any personnel changes.
Change of coach as a key decision
Jerich attributes a central role in the current success story to the change of coach. After the separation from Harry Lange was
Dan Lacroix
obliged – a stroke of luck for Jerich. He emphasizes that Lacroix brings a special authority and would even stand out as a player if he were younger. Players like
Luke Haudum would have made another leap in development under him.
Fans in focus
The club could also have benefited economically from participating in the final. The demand for tickets is enormous, the games were sold out immediately. Nevertheless, the club consciously decided not to charge higher prices. For Jerich it is clear that fairness towards the fans is more important than short-term income.
Title is mandatory, not optional
The 99ers already have the Austrian championship title, but for Jerich the league title is what counts most. With a wink, he makes a connection to the year of his birth, 1978 – the year of the last title in Graz: “It seems as if I was born to bring the title back to Graz.”
Big plans for the future
Preparations are already underway in the background for a possible championship celebration on Graz’s main square – including a motorcade and show elements. Jerich draws inspiration from the USA, where he lived for a long time. He also looks ahead in terms of sport: the squad for the coming season is largely in place, and the role of the hunted particularly appeals to him.
Image: VSV/STEFAN
“), i.text = “window._taboola = window._taboola || ();_taboola.push({mode:’alternating-thumbnails-a’, container:’taboola-below-article-thumbnails’, placement:’below-article’, target_type: ‘mix’});”, n.appendChild(l), n.appendChild(i), e(n, t) } Array.prototype.filter || (Array.prototype.filter = function(e, t) { if (“function” != typeof e) throw TypeError(); let n = (); for (let l = 0, i = this.length >>> 0; l < i; l += 1) if (l in this) { let r = this(l); e.call(t, r, l, this) && n.push(r) } return n }), window.insertAfter = e, window.getElementByXPath = t, window.injectWidgetByXpath = function e(l) { let i = t(l) ||. document.getElementById("tbdefault"); i && n(i) }, window.injectWidgetByMarker = function e
