–Munich is fighting for the title with three other top teams
The international ice hockey invitation tournament Red Bulls Salute 2021 will take place on August 14th and 15th in Kitzbühel, Austria. The two host teams Red Bull Salzburg and Red Bull Munich are fighting for the title against the top international teams HC Košice from Slovakia and Bílí Tygři Liberec from the Czech Republic. After 48 games without a spectator, the Munich ice hockey fans can finally look forward to seeing their team again, because the Red Bulls Salute 2021 can be played in front of an audience. As soon as the responsible authorities in Austria announce how many spectators are admitted to the encounters, there will be more information and ticket offers.
“Real yardstick”
“Great news to finally be able to play in front of spectators again,” explains Munich coach Don Jackson. “We are really looking forward to this international invitation tournament. Top teams, top location, top games. A first real yardstick. Of course we want to show ourselves from our best side right away and bring the first title of the season to Munich, ”continued Jackson.
22 national championship titles
The four participating clubs have already won a total of 22 national championship titles. The international invitation tournament starts on August 14th at 5:00 p.m. with the duel between Liberec and Salzburg. The second semi-final takes place on the same day at 8:30 p.m. This is where the two teams from Košice and Munich meet. The winners of the two semi-finals will then determine the tournament winner in the final on August 15 at 7:00 p.m., before the game for third place rises at 3:00 p.m.
The tournament
Between 2005 and 2009 the Red Bulls Salute took place as an international invitation tournament (with LA Kings, SKA St. Petersburg and ZSKA Moscow, among others); between 2010 and 2013 it was the final tournament of the European Trophy. In 2014 it gave way to the newly founded Champions League (CHL), followed in 2017 after a four-year break. Last year, the EC-KAC from Klagenfurt won the Red Bulls Salute after a 2-1 final win over Red Bull Munich. Red Bull Salzburg secured third place ahead of spusu Vienna Capitals.
The opponents
HC Košice is the record champion of the Slovak Tipos Extraliga. In addition, before the division of the Czechoslovak Federation into two independent states, Košice won the Czechoslovak title twice in 1986 and 1988. The team of Kalle Kaskinen (FIN) celebrated the last of the eight Slovak championships so far in 2015. Last season Košice failed after finishing eighth in the main round in the pre-playoffs and thus missed the finals. Fun fact: The Slovaks were the first opponent at the premiere of Red Bull Munich in the 2015 Champions League. The German representative decided both duels for himself (4: 2/1: 0). Overall, Košice has already been represented three times in the European premier class.
The Bílí Tygři Liberec trace their history back to Lokomotiva Liberec, a team that was founded in 1956 as part of a merger. In 2016, the “white tigers” won the championship in the local Tipsport Extraliga for the first time and so far only. In the following years, the five-time Champions League participant had to admit defeat in the final three times. This was also the case last season, when the Czechs trained by Patrik Augusta (CZE) were left behind in the final against HC Ocelari Trinec.
Like Košice, Red Bull Salzburg has already won eight national championship titles. By moving into the Champions League semi-finals in the 2018/19 season, the Austrians achieved one of their greatest international club successes. In the past season of the bet-at-home ICE Hockey League, Salzburg lost to the eventual champion EC-KAC in the semi-finals, but qualified for the Champions League for the seventh time when they moved into the semi-finals.
The games at a glance
Half-length 1 | 14. August 2021 | 17:00 | Red Bull Salzburg – White Tigers Liberec
Semifinals 2 | August 14, 2021 | 8:30 p.m. | Red Bull Munich – HC Košice
Small finale | August 15, 2021 | 3:00 p.m. | Loser HF 1 – Loser HF 2
Final | August 15, 2021 | 7:00 p.m. | Final: Winner HF 1 – Winner HF 2
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