SPORTS
the rafters during home games, like this
season’s opener on September 10, when the
Caps beat their opponent from the playoff
finals, Klagenfurt, 4-1. Don’t tell these die-
hard fans that hockey isn’t the most impor-
tant pro sport in town!
Their energetic cheering, chanting and
drumming goes on nonstop, from the open-
ing face-off to the final buzzer. Each home
team goal is celebrated by a boozy rendition
of “Unsere Foabn” (“Our Colors”), the offi-
cial team anthem, written and performed
by Danube City rockers Wiener Wahnsinn
(roughly translated: Vienna Insanity). The
song’s chorus calls for the fans to stand to-
gether and “make the hall quake,” and they
are quite successful at that task, indeed.CONTINENTAL RULES
Fans familiar to the NHL will need to get
used to some differences when attending a
Capitals game. Most obvious is the rink: the
longer, wider Olympic-size surface has
more room behind the net, limiting the
physical, full contact defensive bodycheck-
ing so popular in the NHL. However, more
open space means highly skilled players –
the fast skaters, adept puck handlers, crisp
passers – have more opportunity to show
their stuff.
Fan culture here also differs from NorthAmerica. As Caps goalie Jean-Philippe
Lamoureux observed, “European fans have
a different tempo than in North America.
Europeans have their steady chants
throughout most of the game, while in
North America, fans wait for something to
happen and then cheer loudly. Both are ex-
citing but create a different atmosphere.”
Many European fans – and players –
frown upon the violence permeating the
NHL (comedian Rodney Dangerfield once
quipped, “I went to a fight the other night
and a hockey game broke out!”). While
fighting remains an unofficial part of the
game overseas, penalized by a few token
minutes in the “sin bin,” instigating a brawl
here has consequences closer to soccer, re-
sulting in a match penalty and ejection
from the game.
Also, seasons are shorter here: The NHL
has one of the longest of any professional
sports league, with 82 regular season
games – and the postseason Stanley Cup
playoffs can mean up to 28 additional
matches for the eventual champion. In
EBEL play, there are merely 44 games in
the regular season, followed by the champi-
onship playoffs. The Capitals also compete,
less successfully, in the Pan-European
Champions Hockey League.
More minor differences abound, but areeasier to adjust to. The uninitiated might
not be able to tell which team is which as
team uniforms are emblazoned with
enough company logos to overshadow the
team’s own imprint. Displaying their corpo-
rate sponsors – UPC telecom, Steffl Depart-
ment Store, Wiener Städtische insurance,
and Kelly’s snack chips, among others –
Caps jerseys are a gaudy patchwork of ad-
vertisements against the barely visible
background of the team’s black and yellow
colors. The ice of the rink is likewise a bill-
board for huge logos. Such commercializa-
tion is necessary to generate income need-
ed to support and develop the A-team, as
well as the Capitals’ farm team and Nach-
wuchs squads for budding players under 20.
Austrian pro Eishockey may fall short of
the NHL, but hockey-loving expats in
Vienna can amply (and relatively inexpen-
sively) satisfy their hunger for the game in
Kagran. So latch onto the Caps bandwagon!
Currently, they’re dominating the EBEL
league – their home opener was their 14th^
win in a row! Their solid play on both sides
of the red line and depth of talent on the
bench will almost certainly earn them a
playoff berth, if not a repeat championship
this season. With some practice, you may
even be able to bellow Unsere Foabn before
too long.Upcoming home games: Oct 1, 7, 14, 20, 28, Albert Schultz Eishalle. 22., Attemsgasse 1, vienna-capitals.atPHOTO: LEO VYMLATIL/VIENNA CAPITALS.