Zdenek Travnicek is looking forward to a new challenge in Vipiteno

Travnicek is an unknown quantity in this country because his ice hockey career as a player and coach took place exclusively in what was then Czechoslovakia and in his second home, Germany. His path, which also included appearances in all of Czechoslovakia's youth national teams, took him to the first Bundesliga and later to the DEL, where he played almost 200 games with Munich and Schwenningen. There are also over 300 appearances in the Second Bundesliga and 140 games in the Oberliga. “Travo” has been a coach since 2005; last year he was under contract with the Wattener Pinguinen, which he led to the championship title in the Eliteliga, the fourth highest Austrian ice hockey league.

A week ago, Travnicek signed in Vipiteno and yesterday he was officially introduced to the Broncos' main sponsor, the Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan. When asked how he would describe himself as a coach, Travnicek replied: “I am always correct and fair to my team and I demand discipline on and off the ice. The motto 'carrot and stick' applies to me. If the team plays well, then there is sugar, if they play poorly, then the stick. My weakness is that I'm a bad loser, I don't deal well with defeats and I'm not in a good mood. To be honest, I don’t know much about the Italian league itself, I was there as a player many years ago and played tournaments, but that was all quite a long time ago.”

Club wants to reach play-offs President Robert Stafler is convinced that Travnicek is the right coach for his club. He expects a lot from the upcoming first division season. “We will do everything we can to achieve a play-off place and this will definitely be our minimum goal. We want and have to offer our fans and sponsors something, because our club thrives on the enthusiasm it is able to ignite, right down to the smallest of the U8 teams. This requires a powerful first team and also a great supporting program in the stadium. But we will never lose sight of our calling, our mission: We are a club that stands for youth work and wants to be a springboard for higher tasks.”

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Zdenek Travnicek is looking forward to a new challenge in Vipiteno

South Tyrol will again be represented with four teams in Serie A next winter, because alongside Pustertal, Ritten and Bozen, the Broncos Vipiteno are returning to the top Italian ice hockey league. With a new coach, the 44-year-old Czech Zdenek Travnicek.

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