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NEWSLETTER December 2008 I S S U E 9 THE NHL AND THE CHL: A SPECIAL ALLIANCE THE ZSC LIONS Their CHL strategy The CHL arena makeover New Broadcasters 4 14 10 NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008 1
THE NHL AND THE CHL: A SPECIAL ALLIANCE All the games have had positive and enthusiastic reactions from the players, the fans and the media, on everything ranging from the appearance and atmosphere, to the play-off like quality of the games. Ovation Sports, together with the IIHF, is pleased to announce that the National Hockey League, the world s oldest professional hockey league, has entered into a marketing alliance with the Champions Hockey League. For more than a year, Ovation worked together with the IIHF and the NHL on the creation of the Victoria Cup, a historic hockey event in which for the first time an NHL club would play a European club, with a trophy on the line. «The Victoria Cup 2008 was our proving ground. It gave us the unique opportunity to work with the NHL and demonstrate that we were qualified for the challenge,» says Ovation CEO Craig Thompson. «We were most impressed with the execution and organization Ovation Sports provided» said Ken Yaffe, Vice President, NHL International. «It is clear, the Champions Hockey League is well on its way to establishing itself in the first season.» At the end of November, the NHL officially announced their endorsement and partnership with the CHL, a significant moment in a new era of international hockey. We look forward to the unique possibilities that such an important alliance will now bring to the Champions Hockey League. Photo: Getty Images 2 NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008
www.championshockeyleague.com NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 25 th, 2008 NEW YORK The National Hockey League today announced a marketing alliance with the Champions Hockey League (CHL), the newly formed European club championship under the authority of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The CHL began play on October 8, 2008 in 12 European markets. Based on early success, the pan-european league is already scheduled to expand to 22 markets for next season. Following the NHL s participation in September s Victoria Cup, a pre-season tournament in Bern, Switzerland which featured the New York Rangers and two CHL clubs, the two leagues began discussing further cooperation on various marketing initiatives which has led to the new alliance. The leagues have agreed to form a working group to look at the future of the Victoria Cup, explore other competition formats between the leagues, create joint promotional and sales efforts and develop other cooperative initiatives to foster growth in hockey across North America, Europe and worldwide. «We welcome the opportunity to help the Champions Hockey League with all aspects of business development,» said Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner. «We have watched the initial success of the CHL, and the format and infrastructure that have been established provide a good foundation for the growth of international hockey.» «The IIHF and the NHL have had a prosperous relationship for the last 15 years, with regards to the Olympics, the IIHF World Championship, the World Cup of Hockey and lately also the Victoria Cup,» said IIHF President René Fasel.» With the growth of international club hockey and the NHL s 90 years of experience of running the most successful hockey league in the world, a marketing alliance between the NHL and the Champions Hockey League has a potential to develop into something very substantial.» «Everyone in Europe has tremendous respect for the NHL. We are very pleased to open this cooperation and believe that European hockey will benefit from the NHL s great experience. Our goal is to expand and develop the game of club hockey in Europe and the NHL will be a very valuable partner,» said Craig Thompson, Ovation Sports AG CEO. Ovation Sports is the agency responsible for the management of the CHL. NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008 3
SRG & RAI NEW CHL BROADCAST Partners Ovation Sports has entered into a service provider agreement with RayV, a Tel-Aviv based software company that is pioneering new methods for streaming live video content. «From the beginning, our goal was to broadcast all 4 games live on the Web which is why we are excited about the RayV cooperation and the fact that we can provide these games to CHL fans around the world», says Ovation COO Tom Huston. Ovation Sports is pleased to announce that the Italian and Swiss public broadcasters have signed on to carry the Champions Hockey League. RAI Sport will broadcast the Champions Hockey League and Victoria Cup across all media platforms for the next three seasons. They will also show weekly highlights and a monthly magazine program. SRG, Switzerland s public service broadcaster, has formally agreed to broadcast extended news and highlights of the Champions Hockey League in the first season. Since the qualification tournament in Nuremberg, SRG SSR s various TV-Channels SF, TSR and TSI have broadcast enhanced news from every CHL game in which one of the Swiss clubs participated. In addition, the network will broadcast live the decisive Game Day 6 matchup between Zurich s ZSC Lions and Slavia Prague. ALL FOUR GAMES STREAMED LIVE on championshockeyleague.com Ovation Sports is proud to announce that all remaining games of the 2008/2009 season will be streamed LIVE on www.championshockeyleague.com FREE of charge. This is another important step in the development of the new CHL brand. By maximizing the availability of the CHL on the official CHL website, the CHL fan base will grow and expand as will global knowledge of what is happening in European club hockey. The web is an amazing tool for communicating directly with fans and the CHL is taking every opportunity to provide an entertaining and compelling product across all communication media; Live Event, TV and Web. 4 NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008
www.championshockeyleague.com RECAP GAME DAYS 2-5 GD #4: KäRPäT OULU EISBäREN BERLIN 2-3 Penalty Shootout GROUP A GAME DAY RECAPS Photos: Getty Images On Nov. 12 th, Kärpät Oulu had their last chance to prove themselves in Group A, and in front of 4,900 fans they gave it a valiant try but lost even their second clash with the Germans, this time on a penalty shootout. GD #2: GD #3: KäRPäT OULU METALLURG MAGNITOGORSK METALLURG MAGNITOGORSK 0-2 5-2 EISBäREN BERLIN GD #5: METALLURG MAGNITOGORSK KäRPäT OULU 3-1 Russia s Metallurg Magnitogorsk made their CHL debut in Oulu in front of 6,614 fans. In the second period, Jan Marek put the puck top-shelf over a sprawling Finnish goalie Tarkki and the Russian club never looked back. Metallurg came out strong to build an early lead on their home ice against a German club that had also passed its first test against the Finns. Marek continued his brilliant play, scoring a goal and collecting two assists in the game. Kärpät Oulu traveled to Magnitogorsk without five key players, and started young Petri Koivisto in the net and played their best CHL game. However, Magnitogorsk, and especially Jan Marek, found a way to score the goals that clinched its semifinal spot. NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008 5
GROUP B GAME DAY RECAPS GD #2: SC BERN ESPOO BLUES 1-3 A strong showing in the first 20 minutes won the game for the Finns, their first victory in the CHL. «Our goaltender Bernd Brückler was the reason why we won here today, «said Petri Matikainen, the Blues head coach. Photos: Getty Images GD #3: ESPOO BLUES HV71 JöNKöPING 3-2 The home team drew first blood, then made it 2-0 with only half of the first period played. HV71 tied the game, thanks to Jukka Voutilainen and Teemu Laine, two Finnish forwards. Camilo Miettinen beat Stefan Liv with a quick onetimer with six minutes remaining in the third period to win the game. GD #4: SC BERN HV71 JöNKöPING 7-5 GD #5: ESPOO BLUES SC BERN 2-1 GROUP C GAME DAY RECAPS GD #2: CESKE BUDEJOVICE SLOVAN BRATISLAVA 5-2 The Swiss team wanted to avenge the 6-2 loss in Jönköping one month ago. Scoring four (!) shorthanded goals, they did just that. Christian Dubé scored two goals, and Martin Gélinas, a former NHLer on a two-week tryout, collected his first CHL point, an assist in Bern s first CHL win. Espoo Blues needed a win to clinch their semifinal spot, SC Bern a win by about six goals to have a chance to advance. The Swiss scored on their first shot on net, but Blues battled back, and took the win with 20-year-old Juuso Puustinen s first goal in the CHL. After seven straight losses in the Czech Extraliga, the 5,000 Mountfield fans in the home arena hoped that the CHL would bring the good luck. Mountfield scored early and often, and got off to a 5-1 lead. Roman Kukumberg got to score the final goal of the night. 6 NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008
www.championshockeyleague.com GD #3: SLOVAN BRATISLAVA SALAVAT YULAYEV UFA 2-4 Former NHL star Alexander Radulov gave his club the lead at the end of the second period and Salavat forward Kirill Koltsov made it 4-2 in the third. «Slovan played very hard. Their game amazed me,» Salavat head coach Sergei Mikhailev said after the game. GD #4: CESKE BUDEJOVICE SALAVAT YULAYEV UFA 0-3 Entering into this fourth round of games, Salavat had the chance to clinch the semi-final. And they did, shutting out Mountfield, then the last-place team in the Czech Extraliga. «We want to claim the CHL title, «said Salavat forward Andrei Taratukhin. GD #5: SLOVAN BRATISLAVA CESKE BUDEJOVICE 5-3 GROUP D GAME DAY RECAPS GD #2: LINKöPINGS HC ZSC LIONS ZURICH 2-7 The ZSC Lions had the best possible debut on Ocotber 22 nd in front of over 7,900 fans at the Cloetta Center in Sweden. «This win is important for us,» said ZSC forward Sejna, «especially since there might be some people out there who don t think that highly of Swiss hockey.» GD #3: ZSC LIONS ZURICH SLAVIA PRAGUE 4-5 Penalty Shootout The Czech team controlled the game, but ZSC Lions always found a way to come back. The rollercoaster came to a stop with a minute and a half remaining when Ryan Gardner tied the game, 4 4. In the penalty shootout, Jaroslav Bednar ended the Swiss fairytale. GD #4: LINKöPINGS HC SLAVIA PRAGUE 4-5 Linköping tried everything, they gave their best, but Slavia Prague s confident and experienced team found a way to win, scoring the game winning goal shorthanded. «That really hurts,» said Linköping coach Slavomir Lener. GD #5: ZSC LIONS ZURICH LINKöPINGS HC 4-3 Linköping was poised to not leave the CHL without a win, and it took the lead in the first period, but the Lions came back and tied the game a minute and a half later. ZSC s 4-2 goal in the first shift of the third period was too much for Linköping, even if they pushed Lions to the last minute of the game. Slovan Bratislava took a 3-0 lead in the first period and was on the way to a convincing win, but HC Mountfield rallied back to tie the game in the third period. Just 39 seconds after the 3-3 goal, and with less than six minutes remaining, Roman Kukumberg gave Slovan the lead again. Miroslav Lazo made it 5-3 with an empty netter. NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008 7
CLUB NEWS GROUP A EISBäREN BERLIN METALLURG MAGNITOGORSK KäRPäT OULU The German team has slipped to eighth in the DEL, but still just eight points behind the leader, holding on to the playoffs spot. The team s new arena, the O2 World, is a big hit, drawing almost 14,000 people, for example, to the Eisbären s game against the last-place team in the DEL. Forward Matt McIlvane is out for the rest of this season. The 23-year-old tore his anterior cruciate ligament in their DEL game against the Kassel Huskies. The Russian club started the season slowly, but is not steamrolling opponents in both the KHL and the CHL. Jan Marek, the team s leading scorer in the past two seasons, has taken his game to a whole other level, lea ding KHL in scoring. In the Champions Hockey League, he s been just as effective, getting 2+4=6 points in three games. One of the team s highlights this season has been the emergence of 21-year-old goaltender Ilya Proskuryakov. He s played all three CHL games, with a 96.6 save percentage. While Kärpät Oulu finished last in their CHL group, the club s executives were happy with their CHL experience. «We did everything we could, it wasn t enough this time, but I am sure the Champions Hockey League will be a success,» said CEO Juha Junno. On the ice, the team has found its stride in the Finnish SM-liiga, bagging four wins on the road, and clim bing towards the top of the standings and qualification to next season s CHL. GROUP B HV71 JöNKöPING ESPOO BLUES SC BERN Last year s Swedish champion hasn t been its usual self all season, barely hanging on to the playoffs spot in Elitserien, and losing sight of the Champions Hockey League semi-final after a 7-5 loss to SC Bern. In Berne, the team let go of a 3-1 lead. «That s hockey,» says team captain Johan Davidsson on the club s website. «If we just keep focused and do our best, I am sure we ll make the playoffs.» And then anything is possible, as HV71 knows. It s the only team in the Elitserien history to win the title after entering the playoffs seeded eighth. Once again, the Blues finds themselves fighting with injuries, and once again, the team continues to win hockey games despite who suits up in their sweater, both in the Finnish SM-liiga and the CHL. In the Finnish league, they re second, and in the CHL, in the semi-finals. «We are ready to progress to the final,» said Blues coach Petri Mati kainen when his team clinched the semi-final spot, then took it up a notch a moment later. «We have our sights firmly fixed on winning the Champions Hockey League,» he said. The Swiss giant got into the Champions Hockey League by winning the qualification tournament in Nuremberg, Germany, in September. In the group stage, the team seemed overpowered at first, but managed to turn things around in their second home game, as they beat Sweden s HV71 7-5. SC Bern got a boost from a former NHLer, Martin Gélinas, who signed a two-week tryout contract and played two games in the CHL, collecting one assist. In the Swiss National League A, SC Bern has been convincing, currently second in the standings. 8 NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008
www.championshockeyleague.com GROUP C SALAVAT YULAYEV UFA Last year s Russian champions are playing well, currently second in the KHL, with 18 wins and just two losses in 26 games. The team s goalie Alexander Eremenko tops the goals statistics in the KHL, so it s no wonder that the team has also the lowest goals-against in the Champions Hockey League. Salavat was the first team to clinch their semi-final spot, and will now face Metallurg Magnitogorsk, the team from the other side of the Ural, in the semi-final series. SLOVAN BRATISLAVA The team found itself in something of a chaos when head coach Zdeno Ciger decided to step down unexpectedly. However, Robert Pukalovic stepped in and has managed to keep the team afloat, both in Slovakian Extraliga and the Champions Hockey League. Miroslav Lazo, 31, has been the team s top scorer in both leagues, collecting 29 points in 24 games in the Extraliga, and 2+1=3 points in three CHL games. The Czech-Slovakian matchup between Slovan and Mountfield ended in a tie, with both teams winning at home. MOUNTFIELD CESKE BUDEJOVICE Things happen fast in hockey. So fast that a team playing in the Champions Hockey League can at the same time be the last-place team in its domestic league, like HC Mountfield from Ceske Budejovice. «We know why we are last in league standings and all we can do is try to solve it,» says head coach Ernest Bokros. The team s focus is now fully on Extraliga. Salavat beats Slovan Bratislava in regulation time, HC Mountfield fi nishes second, thanks to a better goal differential in their games against Slovan Bratislava. They beat Slovan 5-2, but lost to then 5-3. GROUP D HC SLAVIA PRAGUE ZSC LIONS, ZURICH LINKöPINGS HC The Czech champions is on a roll, topping the Czech Extraliga standings, and Group D in the CHL, with veterans Jaroslav Bednar and Josef Beranek leading the way. «It was important to get to play the first game at home, and win it, so we got more confident,» said team captain Beranek after their game against Linköping in Sweden. Slavia s Bednar and Roman Cervenka are second and third in the CHL scoring race, with six points each, and seven goals in three games between them. With the goalie of the year minding the net, several Swiss and other national team players on the roster, the Swiss champion s strong play in the Champions Hockey League shouldn t be a big surprise. They also currently top the Swiss National League A standings. Defenceman Severin Blindenbacher recently announced his decision to sign with Färjestad Karlstad in the Swedish Elitserien, for next season. Linköping tops the Swedish Elit - serien and is in pursuit to qualify to next year s Champions Hockey League which is just as well, since they are already out of the competition this season. After losing their first game in the Prague, the team collapsed at home and lost 7-2 to ZSC Lions, and never seemed to recover from that. «It seemed that the more we tried to get back to the game, the more mistakes we made,» said Pekka Saravo, Linköping defenceman after their first game against the Lions. Maybe it applies to their whole CHL journey. NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008 9
ZSC LIONS GIVE SWISS FANS A REASON TO THINK GLOBALLY In the Champions Hockey League, the ZSC Lions Zurich have done Switzerland proud and proved to the world that the Swiss know how to play hockey. PETER ZAHNER CEO ZSC Lions Truly great teams win because they always find a way to win. They can outgun their opponent and win 7-2, they can shut a game down at 4-3 and they can rally from behind and tie the game at the last minute. ZSC is getting there; their only CHL loss came in a penalty shootout. «The Champions Hockey League is above other international competitions we have played,» says the club s new CEO Peter Zahner. And with seventeen years of international experience in coaching and leading national teams and four years as head of management of the Swiss Ice Hockey Association, Zahner should know. «When you walk into the arena, you know right away this competition is completely different. The arena is branded in a special way clean boards, clean ice, clean jerseys. And this makes it special for the players too.» Even after an intense game ending in a penalty shoot-out which he lost to Slavia Prague, forward Jan Alston was still smiling when he reflected on the game. «Just the way the venue is all dressed up and different, it just fires you up when you skate out on to the ice.» Alston, who also competed with Germany s Adler Mannheim in the European Hockey League, agrees there is no comparison. «You can tell there has been some serious thinking that has gone into this one. There is a real sense of pride involved in playing such quality teams and all the players have that competitor within who wants to play their very best.» Zahner believes a goal-oriented approach to the CHL has made the difference the Lions needed to prove themselves in the competition. The club did not want to have a second home game without having two options: the chance to be first and the possibility of making money. «Goal #1 was to still be in the race by the second home game and we succeeded. Goal #2 is to make it to the Semi-Finals.» Their last Group Stage game in Prague will determine the outcome. Zahner is thrilled his club has come this far. «The Champions Hockey League is above other international competitions we have played,» Peter Zahner, CEO ZSC Lions «We had to organize these games perfectly and prepare our team perfectly. Our message to our coaches, players and fans was that this new league is important. That this is an excellent product and that we are proud to be a part of it.» That philosophy extends to the ZSC Lions junior program, the largest and one of the best in Switzerland. There are more than 900 players from 5 to 15, at which age the best move up to the elite level comprised of 4 different teams. «We see the CHL as a good motivation for our junior players to perform to the best of their ability,» says manager Richi 10 NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008
www.championshockeyleague.com Jost. «It is a great opportunity for them to see very good European clubs close up.» Most of the kids in the program attended the ZSC-Slavia game together with their coaches. «It was a great game, with good scores and a penalty shootout, so this was great for them to see,» says Jost. The most definitive way in which to spread the message of solidarity with the CHL, was for Zahner, the most obvious. «We have the potential to have 5,700 seats automatically filled so it seemed natural that we include the CHL in our season ticket package.» Getting Swiss fans interested in international competition is a challenge Zahner admits may be more difficult than in other nations. «Here, we love a great derby. What we live for is when ZSC plays Kloten or Bern plays Langnau or Fribourg. The Champions Hockey League, however, is a new and important product and no product can be successful from day one. It needs time to build a history and a fan following.» «It just fires you up when you skate out on to the ice.» Jan Alston, Forward ZSC Lions Which is even more reason why, on the eve of their first CHL home game, coach Sean Simpson made a public appeal to the fans in the newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. «We need the spectators as our 6th man,» read the headline on the front page of the sports section. «It is important to realize that the CHL is not a rival to the local derbies but an additional hockey opportunity,» Simpson stated. Zahner stresses that the ZSC Lions is not a club for rich people, but a «people s club» and during economic periods like these, success should not make one too confident. «We decided not to increase the season ticket price and in addition to include the CHL as part of the package. There is a difference: the CHL is not free, it is included. We have been successful because of our fans and this is our way of thanking them.» Zahner s philopsohy paid off. At the first CHL home game in Zurich s Hallenstadion, 8,200 spectators filled the arena. Even though the CHL game was the 4th home game in a row, the crowd exceeded the ZSC average of 7,000 for a league game. At the second home game, they did the same. «This product has been a highquality one from the very beginning,» Zahner says. «Ovation has done their part, the IIHF too and now it is the clubs turn to do theirs. We must help grow the Champions Hockey League.» Zurich s Jan Alston during the penalty shot out against Slavia Prague Photo: Getty Images NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008 11
Behind the enemy lines Blues Öhman has boldly gone where few men have gone before. Stefan Öhman CHL Meets Espoo s New Forward Stefan Öhman ESPOO Stefan Öhman is a true pioneer. There s no other word to describe a Swede who gets Finnish citizenship. Well, «crazy» is a word some people might use, but that would be just mean. In case you do want to pigeonhole Öhman, there are a couple of other expressions you may want to consider. «Leading scorer» is one. With 2+10 = 12 points in 12 games, he s tied for the lead in team scoring in the Finnish SM-liiga, and Petri Lammassaari, the other player with 12 points, is currently injured. «It s gone well so far,» says Öh man, who s a five-year SMliiga veteran, quickly steering the conversation from his own performance to that of the team s. «We started really well and had a five-game winning streak, but then some of our players got injured and have been in and out of the lineup. But, it s better to get the injuries now than right before the playoffs, like last season,» Öhman says. Finn as he may be these days, the game against HV71 was a very special one for him. You can take the guy out of Sweden, but you can t take Sweden out of the guy. «It s been a long time, we all are getting to be old guys, but I did play junior hockey against Johan Davidsson and David Petrasek, and it feels great to play against a Swedish team. I don t get the chance that often,» he says. That said, there are players on HV71 Öhman knows really well. «It s been a long time, we all are getting to be old guys.» «I know some of their [five] Finns really well. I played with Pasi Puistola on Tappara, and even on the same line with Teemu Laine there,» he says. This is a sign of the times, and a proof of the development of European hockey. And, says öhman, so is the Champions Hockey League. «This is a great opportunity for European hockey, and for all the players and clubs taking part in it. These are real international games, and all the teams are «We started really well and had a five-game winning streak.» really good. It s truly the best of the best this time around,» he says. «It s also a great way to compare the different leagues, and for us to show how good our league is,» he adds. He says it in Swedish this time, but he s talking about his Finnish league. In the Semi Finals, he ll be wearing the blueand-yellow of Sweden, but representing a Finnish club. How fitting. 12 NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008
www.championshockeyleague.com Left: Espoo s Stefan Öhman Photo: Getty Images Taking it to the Mask Espoo blues goalie Bernd Brückler wore a very special design on his mask for the Blues game against HV71 on October 26. The mask, shown here, featured the Champions Hockey League logo and shows how excited players and clubs are about the new premium competition. NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008 13
The Champions Hockey League Arena Make Over «Is this our arena?» It is a question that has been heard around the Champions Hockey League when fans, players, clubs and media enter their home arena for their first CHL game. «The CHL has been packaged beautifully» declared Sweden s Aftonbladet. «I had to pinch my self when I left the Kinnarps Arena last night. I haven t seen a hockey rink that free of advertising and corporate logos since the 1960 s» said the reporter. «The ice, the rink, the jerseys the over all picture. It is a firstclass operation» said the MTV3 Commentator Peter Ahola after his first game. BEFORE «It is these kinds of reactions that confirm our overall brand philosophy that we should have a completely new, professional look and that we are right on track» says Ovation CEO Craig Thompson. AFTER 14 NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008
www.championshockeyleague.com «Of course there is advertising but it s smart, simple and discreet» added COO Tom Huston. «We want people to come away from these games having seen fantastic hockey in a clean environment where they are not barraged with an onslaught of advertising which gets in the way of the game.» The Magic Bullitt Transformation To put this into effect for 33 games at 12 arenas in 7 different nations and 12 cities is a task requiring a small army of dedicated personnel who work with military precision. With over 15 years of experience on technical, production and signage event management from Uefa Champions League to Madonna concerts, Zurich-based Bullitt Productions LLC was the perfect choice to work the CHL magic. «For this new league Ovation wanted the whole arena branded with the CHL look,» says Bullit s CHL Project Manager Christian Vogt. «Usually we focus just on the playing/tv areas themselves, so this was a unique and exciting opportunity.» Vogt started the process in August 2008 by visiting the 12 different arenas participating. He conducted extensive tours of all the facilities and met with club personnel to explain what the production process involved on-site. «I was impressed,» he says «not just by the relationships Ovation had already established with these clubs in such a short time, but also by how excited they were about this new league.» In addition to dressing the arena in the CHL style and all the general directional signage, all logos or other company sponsorship had to be covered. Vogt was amazed by the extent of advertising which already existed in so many of the arenas. «Every space in the arenas that could be covered, was plastered with advertising,» he says. «In Scandinavia, even all the steps and seats are branded. Some sites have up to 250 sponsors in one arena.» Every centimeter calculated Using simple measuring tapes as well as laser equipment, Vogt and two colleagues measured everything: rink boards, penalty boxes, player benches, vomitories, video cubes and zambonis. Every centimeter was calculated and it was decided what would be dressed in the CHL logo and look and what would be covered up in plain black or white to hide regular arena sponsorship. Once the decision had been made, the material, much of it custom made, was ordered and produced with «Swiss quality» by Zurichbased Christinger Partner AG. Prior to the first game, three pallets were delivered to every venue with two sets of signage material. The second set was stored on site for the second home game. The material for each venue includes 190 meters of nonreusable special film to cover the rink boards, 200 meters of 1st tier dressing (for those arenas who have them) made out of PVC, special PVC designs for the penalty boxes and player benches, a fabric screen for press conference backdrops and 150 meters of black and white cover material. As soon as the teams are decided for the semi-finals, Bullitt will produce a third dressing set for those particular venues. Through the night The company sends a signage manager and two graphic operators to every game and also hire several local support staff. They arrive on the Sunday night before the game and work on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday by which time everything has to be ready. It takes approximately 48 hours to get everything done and about 12 hours to take it all down. «Like a five-course meal, it takes longer to prepare then to eat and clean up!» «What is new for us, is that in ice hockey we have to access the ice so that we can work on the rinks boards» says Vogt. The rinks are used in the days prior to the games, so Vogt and his team have to organize a very strict schedule with the club and manage it pro perly with all the different partners needing ice access. The team works at least 16 hour days and often through the night. «We put the same effort into every game, into every venue we treat them all the same.» That effort has proved worthwhile. The look is uniform whether the arena is in Siberia or in the North of Finland. For TV zappers, Champions Hockey League games immediately stand out from other hockey coverage and for the fans on site it is a brand new experience. NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008 15