From 21 to 23 August, the 20th anniversary edition of the Dolomitencup will take place in Neumarkt/South Tyrol. EV Zug, a major Swiss team, will be competing for the title.
When talking about ice hockey in Switzerland, EV Zug is a name that cannot be ignored. Although the club is relatively young, having only been founded in 1967, it is now one of the big names in the National League, the country’s top division. Need proof? In the past five seasons, Zug has won two championship trophies (2021 and 2022) and reached the semi-finals twice more.
Above all, the championship title in the 2021/22 season will remain unforgettable forever. The Blue and Whites were trailing 0-3 in the best-of-seven final series against the ZSC Lions, but then went on to win four games in a row to become champions. No team in any of the major leagues had achieved such a comeback since 1942, when the Toronto Maple Leafs did so in Canada.
NHL star and cult goalie
Fans of the Dolomitencup can therefore look forward not only to a top club, but also to some star players – such as Tomas Tatar. The 35-year-old winger from Slovakia joined EVZ last summer with almost 1,000 NHL games under his belt. He is one of the big attractions of the National League, as is cult goalie Leonardo Genoni. The 38-year-old has been Swiss champion seven times in his career, won three World Championship silver medals with his ‘Nati’ and also picked up countless personal awards.
Incidentally, this marks a return to the Dolomitencup for EV Zug. The Swiss team already took part in the tournament at the Würtharena in 2009, 2010, 2017 and 2018, winning the title twice (in 2010 and 2017). Will they achieve a hat-trick at the 20th anniversary edition of the prestigious pre-season tournament? The competition will certainly be fierce. In addition to Zug, DEL record champions Eisbären Berlin have already confirmed their participation. The two other participants will be announced in the coming weeks.
Photo: EVZ/Philipp Hegglin
