DEL striker Alex Lambacher: “Everyone is very, very frustrated”

How are you doing during this forced break? “I'm doing well, even if the overall situation obviously doesn't leave me unscathed. We currently have an above-average infection rate here in Augsburg, and everything is slowly coming to a standstill again. I'm trying to distract myself with my studies these days, I've really tightened the reins there again. Next to ice hockey training, it is currently the most useful activity. But of course it’s unusual to have weekends off at this time of year and sit behind the books instead of on the ice.”

Ice hockey is currently played almost all over Europe, except in the DEL. How much does this bother you? “I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything here and I strongly assume that everyone is doing the best they can for the sport of ice hockey in this situation. When I see the game cancellations and spectator problems in Austria or Switzerland, the officials in the DEL probably didn’t do everything wrong.”

Alex Trivellato from the Krefeld Pinguins expressed great incomprehension in the SportNews interview that a viable league concept has not yet been developed in Germany of all places. Don't you agree with him? “Alex is right to question things. The current situation in the DEL naturally raises big questions that urgently need to be answered. But you also have to say: the individual clubs can do a lot for the emotional state of the players. Augsburg revealed the numbers to us players at the beginning of the Corona crisis and described the financial situation without spectator income. We also regularly receive the latest information from the club via email. This of course promotes trust and understanding.”

How are you staying fit during this time? “We are on short-time work at AEV, so we can only train individually. That’s okay for fitness, but we’re missing the match practice, the feeling of fighting for important points on the ice.”

A picture from days gone by: Alex Lambacher celebrating a home win with his teammates and fans. © aev

What's next now? “The majority of the DEL clubs will be in action at the MagentaSport Cup in November. The Panthers are one of the teams that have decided not to participate. This is of course a shame for us players, but from a financial perspective it is understandable. So we will continue to maintain our individual training rhythm in the coming weeks, which is similar to summer preparation.”

How confident are you that things will start in mid-December? “Let's put it this way, my mood is very, very subdued due to the currently skyrocketing corona numbers. We can only hope that the situation can be brought under control in the next few weeks and that a concept will be developed behind the scenes that will enable games to be played in the DEL even during the pandemic.”

Ice hockey is very important in Augsburg and the fans identify with the club. How do you perceive the atmosphere in the city? “Of course everyone is very, very frustrated. This uncertainty is not only troubling the players, but also the fans. You can tell that the supporters are behind you even during this time, but somehow everything that has anything to do with ice hockey is currently in limbo. But for us, fans and sponsors have a great deal of understanding for the club’s situation.”

“I didn’t achieve what I set out to do” Lambacher about his role in Augsburg Let's try to take a look at the sport: How do you describe the role you have at AEV? “I have to admit very clearly that I didn’t achieve what I had actually set out to do last season. That wasn't a good year. I would like to collect significantly more working time than last time. That's why I trained really hard in the summer, pushing myself physically so I could get out of the starting blocks better and fight for my place in the team. This makes it all the more difficult to have to keep still and accept normal training.”

In the summer you trained with the national team. How do you rate the development of the Blue Team under coach Greg Ireland?

“We made a really good catch with him. He is extremely demanding, but at the same time has a clear strategy as to how he wants to develop the team further. As happened in Bolzano, it brings in a lot of fresh air. But one thing is also clear: he and we as a team have to be measured by the results at the big tournaments next year – if they can somehow be brought to fruition.”

Questions: Alexander Foppa

Part 1 of the series > Alex Trivellato on the DEL situation: “I find it embarrassing”

Part 2 of the series > Joachim Ramoser: “Home is my paradise”

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DEL striker Alex Lambacher: “Everyone is very, very frustrated”

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