The playoff pick that the ICEHL practices is unique in top European ice hockey. This is a thorn in the side of many clubs and they are encouraging its abolition.
There has been “picking” in the ICEHL since 2012/13, the reason for this was a scandal in the last round of the regular season in 2011/12. Laibach deliberately lost a shootout against Red Bull Salzburg in order to avoid the Mozartstadt team as quarter-final opponents. Goalie Pintaric, who simply cleared the goal on two penalties, received a six-game ban, the then Laibach coach Hannu Järvenpää was banned for two games and was also fined €10,000.
In order to avoid this in the future, the playoff pick was introduced in the following season, but this was not met with universal approval, as Helmut Schlögl, manager of Red Bull Salzburg, told the “Kronen Zeitung”.
Pick live on ORF
“This doesn’t exist in any league and is also incomprehensible,” said Schlögl, who sees the lack of planning as the main problem, as the teams only know who they are competing against 48 hours before the start of the quarter-final series.
The pick will be shown live on ORF immediately after, but anyone expecting a pompous procedure like the one on ServusTV will be disappointed. The club representatives are connected via smartphone and announce their pick.
Whether this system will be passed on in the future is anything but certain. As Schlögl explains, he and other representatives have already suggested that “picking” be abolished in the future.
Pic: Screenshot Youtube.com
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