Countless dreams of it, only a few are granted: to update the Stanley Cup. Now Jürgen Penker, as the first Austrian, was given exactly this honor.
We are spooling back: In 2000, the Bregenzer -born in the dress of the EHC Lustenau in Austria’s highest division, in 2003/04 then with the VEU Feldkirch in the first bank ice hockey league. He was able to rap a few stations as more active, Penker striped the jerseys of Salzburg, Vienna and Linz in the Ebel. The 42-year-old also tried abroad. Between 2008 and 2010 he stood in over 50 games for Rögle BK in the Elite series – today’s SHL – between the posts. However, his first abroad was the Danish Club Totempo Hvik, for which he started the 2008/09 season before going towards Sweden after eight games.
After a year at the Vienna Capitals, the renewed change abroad. Penker hired at the Nitra HK in Slovakia. This was followed by three years at the Norwegian club Lörenskog before he gave his comeback at the Vienna Capitals at the end of the 2013/14 season. Penker completed his last game as a professional in the dress of the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, for which he stood in the relegation 2014/15 for an encounter between the posts.
Penker has been part of the Black Wings Linz staff since 2015, where he has been working as a goaltending coach for many years. In 2022 Penker then opened another chapter. None other than Francoise Allaire, who worked as a goalkeeper at the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche between 1985 and 2017, Penker brought Penker to the Florida Panthers, where the Austrian works as a European scout.
The Florida Panthers were able to successfully defend their title from the pre -season this year and also have the absolute favorite group in the upcoming season of the National Hockey League (NHL), also because the team from Sunrise’s team has changed little.
Penker, who was on site at the NHL Rookie Camp in Fort Lauderdale, got the chance to get the Stanley Cup up – and the first Austrian. The Vorarlberger was visibly moved: “To see him in front of me was fascinating, just impressive. You can see how old it is. He is a bit bowed, some corners. When he was standing in front of me at the podium, it was still reasonably left, but when I was able to do it, the emotions came over,” said Penker to the “”Kronen Zeitung“.” To be there and feel what we have achieved as an organization is almost incomprehensible, “he continues.
Image: fodo.media/harald dostal
