the Swiss ice hockey is the week of truth. With the decision, the Playoff-Start from 7. on the 17. To move in March, gave the club some time. In order to observe how the spread of the Coronavirus in Switzerland and to develop measures against it. The different variants should be investigated. And also, with the scenario that nobody actually wanted to step closer to a Playoff in front of empty stands.

On Tuesday at 10 a.m., the National - and Swiss-League Clubs meet to further extraordinary League Assembly. Since you will compare their findings and discuss how it should proceed. "Basically, there are three scenarios," says Peter Zahner, the CEO of the ZSC Lions. "That from the age of 17. March with viewers, the Playoff will be played. The Playoff will be played in empty stadiums. Or that the season is canceled." Hope to variant 1 diminishes by the day, Yes every hour. So the Clubs are trying to determine how the damage can better limit: with variant 2 or 3.

55'000 Swiss francs cost per mind game

Sued the National League Clubs at the beginning, the primary source of the Revenue shortfalls in the spirit of play, between 100'000 and 300'000 Swiss francs per game, is now a different number in the focus: the cost per home and away game without spectators. So you can estimate how expensive a Playoff would be in empty stadiums. The number varies depending on the Club strong. Zahner calculated with around 55’000 Swiss francs cost per home - and 5000 Swiss francs per away game. The Zurich should reach the semi-final, which they budget each, it would cost around 300’000 Swiss francs.

the people of Zurich is the weight that you have to pay for each Playoff home game in the indoor stadium rent. The HC Davos about paid a rent for the Season and per Playoff home game without spectators, only around 5000 to 10'000 Swiss francs in additional cost. In addition, everyone has the Playoff premium designed differently – both those that he paid to the player, as well as those that flow thanks to the sponsors.

how Much is the Playoff value?

The cost for a Playoff without an audience, the fact that TV-Partner UPC could reduce the TV money, if the Clubs in the playoffs can be. How much this value is, is a matter of opinion. 300 of a maximum of 375 Games (including placement round, Playout-Final and League qualification) are played. Each National League Club will receive CHF 1.8 million TV money. One would expect the percentage would be the rest of the games, some 300'000 Swiss francs value. But Playoff games are games as a valuable classified as the Regular Season.

The "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" quantified their value to 600'000 Swiss francs. Zahner says: "For me, this amount is too high." He sees between 350'000 and 500'000 Swiss francs as realistic. He stressed that this was not an admission of guilt. It is important to choose the words Carefully. Should there be a dispute that could end up in court. No one wants to. The contract with UPC will run until 2022. And the League is interested in, that the cable network bids provider again.

"It's a financial decision at the end. And also, how to treat a Partner."HCD President Gaudenz Domenig

So Gaudenz says Domenig, the President of HC Davos: "from a Purely sporting, I am of the opinion that it is stupid to play in the empty stadium. It is a financial decision. And also, how to treat a Partner. Reason moderately, I think that the Chance tends to be greater, that we let us to play on as a we cancel. Purely because of the TV-Partners. This partnership is important to us, it brings us a lot of money – and we don't get him in trouble, when we play."

Also with the players, the view seems increasingly to impose, a Playoff without an audience is better than no Playoff. Biel's Damien Brunner about this opinion quite clear. But what if during the Playoff, a player or coach with the Coronavirus infected? "Then this team would have to be taken immediately out of the championship," says Zahner. "And her opponent also. The season would be over then. It can't be that the master is not attached. That would be a lottery." So how in the French Ligue Magnus, where Mulhouse in the quarter-final with the score 2:3 against Amiens was excluded due to the number of corona cases in the city in the Alsace region. The Playoff, however, goes further.

"The short-term consequences, we are not able to calculate more or less, the long-term."ZSC-CEO Peter Zahner

Zahner to bear in mind that you have to weigh the short-term and long-term consequences. "The short-term, we can calculate, more or less, the long-term. That makes it difficult." Would react to the audience with withdrawal of love, if you could not cheer at least on the television with your Team? And what should be the National League is the only hockey League that waived the Playoff? The NHL, which annually receives over $ 500 million from the TV contract that will surely play – whether with or without an audience.

to make matters worse, that no one knows how long the Coronavirus remains. It should be in the summer or autumn there, would that affect the sale of season tickets. These are difficult times for the Swiss ice hockey. In the short term, the Clubs are likely to do, after all, soon again, what you can play best: hockey.

The Tamedia-Hockey-Podcast "icebreaker"

Created: 08.03.2020, 20:34 PM