New SCB and the desire for Bümpliz women

The Finns immediately realized that Bern actually had it all: money, talent, passion for hockey, tradition. But order and system are missing. So a new “gang general” is needed to put together a toolbox. What this means: Teach your players a system and reinstall a clear hierarchy in this “Rudolf Steiner School” of hockey. Or even simpler: communicate a new hockey culture. He inherited a 2019 championship team that was ruined by four years of sustained sports mismanagement.

Coach Yossi Tapora's task in Bern is not an easy one.Image: trapezoid

Since then, a wonderful year has passed. The key question for SCB is not whether they have enough money or talent to become champions again. Even though Marc Lüthi complains that his hockey and catering company's sales are still 6 million less than before the coronavirus pandemic, for SCB, which has a total turnover of nearly 60 million francs, money is not an issue and it is well funded. The Bernese have the financial means to hire the domestic and foreign players they want. Senior and junior athletic directors just need the right investments.

In fact, SCB has filled all foreign aid positions very well this season, very well or very, very well, which is the first time in people's memory. The key question for SCB is whether the coach can successfully instill a system and a culture. In short: create a toolbox.

• 7

  A leader who can decide games and make his team better on and off the ice.

• 6-7

  A talented player who can decide a game on a good night and is a leader.

• 5-6

  A good NL player: usually a rainbow butterfly of talent, sometimes a serious worker who brings out a lot of talent.

• 4-5

  Players on the third or fourth block, veterans or newcomers.

• 3-4

  The future is still ahead of you, or the future is already behind you.

• The rating is based on the North American Hockey Grading Scale, ranging from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest). There are no levels below level 3, because those who play in the top leagues are at least barely adequate.

Yossi Tapora looked relaxed in Embry's locker room after the game on Saturday. SCB performed well in two consecutive games. The result against Lausanne on Friday was 7:2 and now the result against Embry is 3:2 nV. On the eighth try we finally won in overtime or on penalties; the eleventh all season. When a negative series is over, North Americans will say “they took the monkey off their backs.” What's more: it's the first “real” away win of the season. So far, the Bernese have only won against the perpetually bottom side Ajoy. Jussi Tapola doesn't want to know anything about the monkey his players no longer need on their backs. He didn't believe it. He understands people's tendency to express frustration with flowery puns, but he doesn't believe in it. “It’s all about hard work.”

When asked about the progress since taking over, he said the players are now familiar with the system. Game systems – sticking to the metaphor already mentioned – are also part of the toolbox. In the last two games against Lausanne and Embry, it is worth noting: SCB once again swayed, they played nervously, no longer passively followed behind, had the courage to express their emotions, and finally appeared again with the healthy arrogance of a team. Show your opponent that you have nothing to offer. In short: great hockey like the last game before the start of the “template era” under Kari Jalonen. This cannot be compared with the tragically passive, even embarrassing performances in September in Kloten (1:2 nP), Rapperswil-Jona 1:2) or Langnau (1:2 nV) Comparable. This tactical start was not without risk, but overall it paid off: SCB has failed to score just four times in 19 games so far.

How is this growth possible? Jussi Tapola mentioned the obvious: for example, he praised the balance of the two goals scored by Simon Moser from the fourth line against Lausanne. He then took a break from art to talk about perhaps the most important development since his arrival in Bern. “We now address all mistakes openly and without accountability. This is about things, never personal.” For the Swiss, this will obviously take some time to get used to.

Simon Moser scored twice against Lausanne.Image: trapezoid

What this means: Jussi Tapola improved performance culture, rebooted it, so to speak. It showed that after four years without a real coach, after four years filled with failure, embarrassment and indignity, the deep-seated frustrations had been resolved. Another reason is that in Jussi Tapola, for the first time since Kari Jalonen, the players have a real boss who surrounds him with respect and charisma. The authority of the “Gang Leader” and the new performance culture he created: this is a simple and fitting explanation of the new confidence, emotion and intensity in the SCB game.

This is the prerequisite for being able to compete for the championship again. SCB performed like title candidates against Lausanne and Embry.

There was no roaring bass coming from the sound system in the SCB cabin just after 10pm on Saturday night after Embry's victory. Instead, the melancholy ballad “W.Nuss vo Bümpliz” (Patent Ochsner). This is a melancholic ode to a beautiful and charming woman from the Bernese district of Plitz. It is a declaration of love for a woman who seems to fascinate and inspire the singer, but at the same time remains out of reach for him.

No song better fits SCB's mindset in November 2024: SCB is driven by a desire for new master-level glory, but after the trials and tribulations of the past few years, that still seems just out of reach .