Olten and the league are looking for a new identity

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In the not-too-distant “Belle Epoque” days, a victory over a bottom-placed team was as natural as blowing your nose to the proud Ortner. Now, such a victory brings relief, a pat on the back and hope. Olten is struggling to find a new identity, representing a league that doesn't yet know what role he should play.

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For the past 30 years, since relegation in the spring of 1994, Olten, the top team in the second-highest league, has been hiring new coaches with an emphasis on upwards. Recently, Lars Leuenberg and Gary Sheehan were brought in in the hope of gaining new fame in the sporting world.

Of course, Christian Wohlwend was also hired as the new coach (Gary Sheehan) on November 6th in hopes of winning. But the people of Olten expected more from him: a new identity. He traded Ajoy's near-impossible task for a difficult but solvable challenge for Olten. To his credit, chairman Mark Thoman did not get off the ship after the Forward Strategy (promotion target) failed – something that happens all too often in sport. But, wise from experience, he now also takes on the responsibility of transforming the hockey culture at Ortner.

Christian Wollwind has been hired as the new coach.Image: fxp-fr-sda-rtp

What does this shift mean? The past few years have shown that Olten is indeed a “hockey town”. But funding a top-flight team has become increasingly difficult, indeed impossible: in order not to be permanently at the bottom, the National League must raise a budget of 15 million. From a light perspective, this is unrealistic. Not just for Olten, but for most other clubs. Only Basel and Scher (if the new stadium project is successful) have the potential to improve.

This leaves EHC Olten with only two options: follow the example of its main rivals Langenthal and voluntarily relegate to the highest amateur league. Or a new identity. It means a partial surrender of autonomy after 53 years of independence between the two top leagues. The people of Olten face similar questions to those faced by Switzerland and the European Union: how much of our right to sporting self-determination have we given up and how far have we accommodated our partners.

Olten's collaboration with Bill is not without its irony. In the spring of 1994, the club staged an unprecedented relegation drama (based on penalty kicks) by relegating Ortner to the second-highest league. Coach Christian Wohlwend has many years of international experience in the training field (U20 national coach) and many years of experience in tough, results-oriented professional hockey training (Davos and Acho Yi's head coach). If anyone can shape Olten's new image as a training club that is no longer entirely independent, it's him.

But the league is also looking for a new identity. At least since three-time champion Langenthal voluntarily relegated, the situation has been clear: something is wrong in the second-highest league. The solution is that simple. Let's start with the first snapshot. Jamie Villard (18) will make his senior MyHockey League debut with Lyss on October 9 against Huttwil. He holds up well but isn't dominant.

SC Langenthal voluntarily withdraws from the Swiss League in 2023. Image: trapezoid

A little over a month later, he made his first appearance for the Bills in a National League game against Langnau on November 16. He once again performed well and received nearly seven minutes of ice time. What do we learn from this? MyHockey League is definitely a training league for professional hockey. Much better than the highest level of junior league.

Now for the second snapshot. Let's say a guest from Canada is on a hockey trip with us. We invite him to two games, but don't tell him which league. He attended a MyHockey League match (Huttwil vs. Langenthal) and a Sky Swiss League match (Olten vs. Bellinzona Snakes). We then asked him if he noticed a difference in levels. His answer will be: No. Heartwell's game against Langenthal was more emotional. At roughly the same pace, Olten's game was more tactical and tougher. But the level gap? No.

In fact, nowadays, there is little difference between an average game in the Sky Swiss League and a great game in the MyHockey League. Yes, in MyHockey League the games are even faster, wilder and more spectacular, but less tactical. In fact, the good game in MyHockey League is now nothing more than Sky Swiss League hockey without the foreigners. The newly promoted Kuhl is an example of Hockey League quality to me.

A little subsidy from the association's coffers can no longer solve the economic problems of the second-highest league. In any case, the extra 300,000 or 400,000 francs per season will go towards player wages. We have neither the players nor the financial base to host two purely professional leagues. If the national league consists of 14 teams – and will remain so for the foreseeable future – then the only option left for the Swiss Sky League is to develop into partial “amateurisation”.

Will that be a problem? No. Game and training programs are designed so that talented players can receive solid professional training parallel to hockey, or play hockey at a high level out of passion. For those who want to pursue a professional career, special and remedial training is available at Dutch clubs.

In the Swiss League, La Chaux-de-Fonds won the championship for two consecutive years. Image: trapezoid

Partial amateurism means that there are fewer and fewer high-paid “dinosaurs” who can slightly extend their careers and have a future with sixty thousand or eighty thousand francs. More ambitious, developable talent. Staffing costs can be reduced by six figures. The Swiss Sky League is becoming a true training league. Each team can still field two foreign players. Or no foreigners. Whoever wins the league can challenge the loser of the National League knockout round and decide whether to advance

The solution to the Sky Swiss League's problem is simple: form a training league with the 10 teams from the Sky Swiss League and the 12 teams from the MyHockey League. What is realistic is a league of 16 or 18 teams made up of the best 6 or 8 teams in the MyHockey League, with the option of regionalization into two groups. The remaining participants in the MyHockey League will return to the purely amateur-run first division, which is again divided into three groups for regional competition.

Will the budget gap between the League of Nations and Swiss Sky League be too big? She is already too big. This is evidenced by the fact that even Basel continue to forego promotion options for financial reasons. Anyone who wants to advance is free to invest. Promotion to the same division as the loser of the National League knockout round is still possible and allowed.

Will the audience disappear? No. The merger of the Sky Swiss League and MyHockey League will bring more derbies and better integration into the clubs. Fans don't flock to stadiums because they want to advance. Fans have long suspected and known that Olten did not advance. They want to see good hockey and want to win championships.

The merger of the Sky Swiss League and the MyHockey League was politically and administratively easy to achieve at short notice. Both leagues belong to the association. All that is required is an association resolution—that is, the consent of the various departments. The National Alliance is legally independent. Your consent is not required. This was nothing more than a “reversal” of the then meaningless association's decision to insert My Hockey League as an additional league between the First League and the NLB as the highest amateur league, starting from the 2017/18 season.

Bill may become a partner club of EHC Olten.Image: trapezoid

This brings us to Olten’s new identity. As a well-run training club (Bill is a logical partner), and with the right coach like Christian Wohlwend, Olten can excel and celebrate with a top team in the league in the future Excellent hockey. In a more balanced second division, beating the bottom team will no longer be a given.

The leadership around Mark Thoman have recognized the signs of the times and it will take longer for audiences to accept a new role at “his” club. But even with the new identity, Olten will be able to attract an average of 2,500 viewers during the qualifying period for the foreseeable future – especially if the Sky Swiss League merges with the MyHockey League.

• 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.

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