Adolf Insam and his formative years in Milan

"They weren't just wonderful years, but above all, successful ones." The man from Val Gardena has won eleven more "Scudetti" (the Swiss national championship) in his lifetime. As a player, he was part of all four of HC Val Gardena's championship titles (1969, 1976, 1980, and 1981) and spent all 16 of his seasons as a center forward with his hometown club. "Those were different times. We were all amateurs, and the clubs didn't allow their players to transfer to the competition. After my military service, I actually wanted to go to Milan to study. Diavoli Milano were interested in me and Norbert Prünster from Merano," recalls the now 74-year-old.

The former national player participated in a total of twelve World Championships and captained his home country at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo before hanging up his skates. "Italy was at the Olympics for the first time in 20 years in 1984. Shortly before our first game, Jim Corsi and Rick Bragnalo were suspended because they had played in the NHL and were therefore considered professionals. At that time, only amateurs were allowed to compete in the Olympics. I remember Olympic champion Russia with superstars Andrei Khomutov, Vyacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov, and Sergei Makarov. That's also when I first met Mikhail Vasilyev, who later came to Bolzano. Although I was actually a good skater, 'Mischa' absolutely blew past me," Insam recalls of his playing career highlight.

Insam and Olympia But for him, these wouldn't be his only Games under the five rings. Ten years later, he was Bryan Lefley's assistant in Lillehammer. After Lefley's tragic death in November 1997, Insam accompanied the "Azzurri" as head coach to the Olympic Games in Nagano. "The Games in Lillehammer were indescribable. It was like a fairytale. There was a lot of snow, two weeks of blue skies and sunshine, and tremendous enthusiasm. You could reach everything on foot. You experienced and felt the true meaning of the Olympics. Nagano, on the other hand, was a nightmare: In Japan, we practically only saw our room and the stadium and spent a lot of time on the bus."

A photo from today: Asiago advisor Adolf Insam and Asiago president Mario Lievore (from left). © Serena Fantini

Insam's coaching career began in 1986 with HC Wolkenstein, where he had also taken his first steps on the ice as a young boy. He first achieved championship honors four years later with HC Eppan, which he took over in November 1989 when they were in seventh place and led to the top of the then Serie B2. "I took over a team mid-season three times and always ended up winning the championship. After 1990, I managed to do that two more times. In December 1991, I stepped in as a troubleshooter at HC Gröden and won Serie B. Five years later, I succeeded Bob Manno at HC Bozen and won my first Italian championship title as a coach," says the successful coach, who worked for almost 30 years and was never fired during that time. The former bank employee also led Italy's record champions to their 19th and, to date, last "Scudetto" in the winter of 2011/12.

Meanwhile at Asiago For Insam, who retired from coaching two years later, it was far from his last Italian championship title. In the summer of 2015, he took over as sporting director of the Ritten/Renon Buam and immediately won the Italian championship. Three more "Scudetti" followed, along with the inaugural title in the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) in 2016/17. After eight successful seasons, Insam left Klobenstein, only to return to the ice hockey scene two years later. Since last autumn, he has been working as a consultant for HC Asiago. And, of course, with great success. At the Olympic Games test event in the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena just over a month ago, the "Stellati" (Asian national team) won the IHL Serie A final against the Ritten/Renon Buam, featuring Marco Insam, Adolf's son, by a score of 8-3, securing their ninth Italian championship title in club history.

This was the final proof that Milan has always been a lucky place for Adolf Insam. However, "Mr. Olympia" and "Mr. Scudetto" only followed the 25th Winter Olympic Games from afar.

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Adolf Insam and his formative years in Milan

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