Sometimes fairy tales don't have happy endings

Ice hockey is widely considered to be the toughest team sport in the world. But they are just people standing down there on the ice. People with a lot of emotions, like on Friday evening Bolzano's dramatic 1:2 defeat became clear once again in the packed Sparkasse Arena. While Salzburg celebrated the title on one side of the icy oval, which even some Bulls fans no longer thought was possible that evening, the Bolzano players had shock, bewilderment and disappointment written all over their faces.

Mike Halmo cried uncontrollably. Mike Dalhuisen was unable to watch the winner's ceremony and instead stared blankly in the opposite direction. And when Daniel Frank, the captain, did another lap of honor at the end, he too was overcome by a flood of tears. What an opportunity that was, what we could have achieved today – that's probably what the thoughts under his green helmet must have looked like.

A hype that extends far beyond the ice hockey scene When the devastated Bozen Cracks had to endure Salzburg's long winner's ceremony, they were celebrated nonstop by their own fans - like a mother trying by all means to cheer up her dejected son. Because the Foxes have given their passionate fans many happy moments in the last few months, more than they have had for a long time. Starting with the victory in the basic round through qualification for the Champions Hockey League to the derby victories against Asiago and HC Pustertal. And then of course there were the playoffs, in which the thrill of Bolzano became the program - and so the level of attraction grew rapidly from game to game. An enthusiasm developed around the HCB, a hype that went far beyond the city limits (and also beyond the die-hard ice hockey scene).

Everyone wanted a ticket for the Bolzano game.

The highlight was undoubtedly last Wednesday, the images of which will be remembered for a long time. In front of the stadium ticket offices of the Bolzano ice hockey temple, queues stretched several hundred meters long. Everyone wanted a ticket for the ultimate showdown against Salzburg, everyone wanted to be there if HCB were crowned champions. 6800 fans were allowed in, and in the end the cult club could have sold four times as many tickets. But in the game of games, the ice hockey god was not on the Foxes' side.

Licking wounds in the cabin When the last spectator left the Sparkasse Arena on Friday evening, long after the lights on the ice had gone out, the HCB cracks stayed in the dressing room for hours. Researching the causes, licking wounds - somehow you had to try to pull this deep-seated thorn out of the wound at least a little. This works best in a team. And perhaps some of you already realized that this season was a little fairy tale, even if it didn't have a happy ending.

But there was still such a happy ending on Friday. Thomas, an ice hockey kid from HC Bozen, is on the mend. He was hit in the chest by a puck at a youth tournament last weekend and suffered cardiac arrest. He then had to be put into a coma and was now able to leave the intensive care unit after anxious days. In the run-up to the final, the young ice hockey player was once again cheered for courage by the Bolzano fans. It's news like this that goes far beyond sporting victories, defeats and championship titles.

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
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Sometimes fairy tales don't have happy endings

No ice hockey game in recent years has electrified the crowds as much as the one on Friday evening in the Sparkasse Arena. Instead of an exhilarating party, there were bitter tears for HC Bozen at the end. Why, in a way, the Foxes still won.

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