Dieter Knoll: “The HCB offers everything except a princely salary”

Before the upcoming top games against Fehervàr and Salzburg, HC Bozen is confidently at the top of the table. Did you want to with the commitment of the NHL experienced Karl Stollery send another signal to the competition? “This is not about signals. We want to be at the forefront, that's clear after how the season has gone. But I won’t say the word championship title, too much can happen in the playoffs.”

How did Stollery come about? “We had identified 3 candidates for the position on the transfer market, in addition to Stollery there was Brandon Gormley, who was also out of contract ( moved to Straubing, note d. Red ) and Paul Postma ( now in Klagenfurt ). We had been in contact with Stollery for 3 months and now he has finally decided in favor of us. He appreciates our coach, has heard good things about Bozen and wanted to play an important role in the league with his new club. Above all, he wanted to finally play ice hockey again. “

Dieter Knoll is leaving no stone unturned to score the big coup this season. © V. Antonello

Don't fans have to worry that HC Bozen will overextend itself financially with transfers like Stollery's in Corona times? “We work on a solid basis. Although we lack the audience income, the majority of sponsors continue to support us. And as far as the players are concerned, I'll tell you something: In Bolzano a player gets everything except a princely salary. We pay well and on time, but first and foremost we offer great accommodation in Eppan, the players all live close to each other, they have nature on their doorstep and are only a short drive away from the Eiswelle. We provide excellent medical care, their families have countless leisure activities, and here they have good food and better weather than at many other ice hockey locations.” “There will never be a squad like this again in Bolzano” Dieter Knoll wants to seize the opportunity Do you use these arguments to outdo competitors on the transfer market? “It may all sound cheesy, but South Tyrol is a popular place for players to play ice hockey. We have built a good reputation here. In the past there was speculation about salary arrears in Bolzano, but for three years now we have made every payment on time. This is also getting around in ice hockey circles. We are benefiting from the difficult situation on the player market and can therefore put together a squad that will never be seen in Bolzano again. This is the best team in my entire term in office - and at the same time it costs us less than last year. So to get back to your question from before: nobody needs to worry about the future of HC Bozen.”

But in a special season like this, in which some competitors downsized instead of upgrading, couldn't HC Bozen have relied more on players from Italy? “The question can be answered with a simple example: We were specifically looking for a defensive defender with leadership qualities and found the perfect solution in Stollery. Now name me a local defensive defender from the AlpsHL who immediately has what it takes to play an important role in our first three defensive blocks?”

The selection is almost zero... "Exactly! Any South Tyrolean ice hockey player can come to us and express their desire to play in the ICE. But first he has to be willing to make a lot of sacrifices in order to make his dream of higher-class ice hockey come true and then reach a certain level on the ice. Players like Frank, Deluca, Tauferer and, most recently, Pitschieler meet these requirements and have made the leap. We have few candidates, also because young South Tyroleans want to try their luck abroad before considering returning. Believe me, we have every young Italian player on our radar; our assistant coach and long-time youth national coach Fabio Armani alone knows countless of them personally. If the opportunity presents itself, we take it.” “I’m pretty sure there will be a reunion” Knoll on the future of Andreas Bernard A local player is your current goalie, Andreas Bernard. Did he use his performance to force his way into a new contract? “Andy completely meets expectations, he showed great performances. I'm pretty sure there will be a reunion. However, whether and when this ultimately happens does not only depend on the HCB. We currently have two excellent goalkeepers under contract with Leland Irving and Justin Fazio, who we expect to be back in the squad next week. Then the necessary points will be available for Karl Stollery, who we initially wanted to give him a short period of getting used to. He won’t be used at the weekend yet.”

Mike Halmo will also have to pass against Fehèrvar and Salzburg. How do you feel about this personality? “One thing first: Mike Halmo led us to the championship title in 2018, he is of enormous value to us. I'm sure that if, for example, Luca Frigo had committed the foul against Innsbruck, he would have gotten away with a small bench penalty. However, the decision of the sports judges is conclusive due to the penalty in the game and Halmo's status as a repeat offender. Halmo therefore has to take a look at his own nose. He knows how to behave in heated moments and he also knows that his physicality is important for our game. But everything has to stay within a sporting framework. I am sure that this will be the case in the future and that we will experience many more great moments together this season.”

Thank you for the interview, Mr. Knoll.

Questions: Alexander Foppa

ICE Regular Season ICE	SP	TV	P
1. Klagenfurt	47	183:101	102
2. Fehervar	46	146:126	89
3. Salzburg	46	142:107	87
4. HCB South Tyrol	46	137:125	76
5. Linz	46	146:116	75
6. Villach	46	155:136	74
View all

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Dieter Knoll: “The HCB offers everything except a princely salary”

Suggestions

Comments (0)