Lukas Haudum can expect a special reunion when he returns to the ice with the Graz99ers in his hometown of Linz. For the Linz native, the duel against the Black Wings is a special one.
“I grew up here. My parents took me to training as a child – you don’t forget that,” the 28-year-old tells the “Kronen Zeitung”. Even as a young player, Haudum looked up to a certain idol: Phil Lukas. The current head coach of Linz was once the captain and figurehead of the Black Wings for years. “He was a top player, wore number 21 like me – I liked that. I admired him a bit,” Haudum remembers with a smile.
Despite his roots in the steel city, the national player only played one professional game for Linz – at the age of 16, shortly before he moved to Sweden. “I later had a good offer from Linz, but it never really came together,” says Haudum, who has now arrived in the Styrian capital.
In terms of sport, Haudum doesn’t want to take old memories with the 99ers in Upper Austria, but rather points. He has already collected ten points (two goals, eight assists) in the current season, and now consistency should follow: “We finally want to bring stability into our game,” he emphasizes.
Image: VSV/STEFAN
