Friday, 21. June 2024 | EHC Red Bull München: The crunchtime pros of the Red Bulls
Decisive moments, decisive players: the Red Bulls' crunch-time prosPart 1 of our series with Hager and Niederberger // NEWSNo team has been as successful in the DEL in the last decade as the Red Bulls. Our boys want to continue this success story in the SAP Garden. We start our series with the title hunters Patrick Hager and Mathias Niederberger.Six final appearances and four titles
Every player wants to hold it in their hands at least once, but only a small number actually win the championship trophy in their career. Those who play for the Red Bulls have a better chance. At least that has been the case over the past ten seasons. Six finals appearances, five main round victories and four German championships are on the books for the team, which was only promoted to the top German league in 2010. No other club in Germany has been so successful. "Titles are important. They are experiences with a positive outcome," says Hager. Our captain should know. The 35-year-old became German champion once with Ingolstadt and twice with the Red Bulls - and he doesn't want to stop there.
Patrick Hager on his past successes & goals for the new season
"Even painful moments make you stronger"
Hager has the master DNA. The more important the game, the better his performance. In the last playoffs, he was our top scorer with eight points in nine games. But it still wasn't enough for the fourth title. "Painful moments are also important. They make you stronger. We've experienced that ourselves," says Hager, looking back: "After losing the final against Berlin in 2022, we came back very strongly a year later. I expect nothing less from the boys in the coming season."
Title hamster between the posts
Our captain wants his fourth title. The last one was just over a year ago. Too long for Hager - and also for Niederberger. Like Hager, our number one has three titles. When the pressure is particularly high in the playoffs and every goal conceded can be decisive, the German international goalkeeper surpasses himself. Twice he witched the Eisbären Berlin to the championship, once our Red Bulls. Not least because of top players like the two-time DEL Goalkeeper of the Year, Hager is optimistic about the new season: "Our team has everything you need. It has proven that in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
"We are already well staffed"
Despite their successes, the players of EHC Red Bull München are still hungry. "If you've never won before, you imagine what it's like to win. And if you've experienced it once, you really want to experience that moment again," says Hager. Our number 52 is in a hurry. He wants to experience that feeling again as soon as possible. The Red Bulls will start a new attempt in mid-September.
"We already have a top line-up. The line-up is balanced. We have young, talented players, plus a lot of experience and guys who know how to win titles - that's a very good mix," says Hager. In the coming weeks, he will lay the foundations for the new season in summer training. The Red Bulls will play their first game after the summer break on August 16 (4:00 p.m.): Swedish top club Växjö Lakers await them at the international invitational tournament Red Bulls Salute. Just over a month later, the project for a fifth DEL title will begin.
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