Wednesday, 01. July 2026 |
Kölner Haie introduced
It seems like a curse hangs over the club. The Cologne Sharks have consistently been among the best DEL teams for decades, but have only managed to win the championship twice (in the inaugural DEL season of 1994/95 and in 2002). The Sharks have reached the finals seven other times but have always come up short. Most recently, in the 2024/25 season, they lost to the Berlin Eisbären in the playoffs. Last season, they finished the regular season at the top of the standings with a 13-point lead over Mannheim, only to be defeated once again by Berlin in the semifinals. Six other championship titles in the era before the DEL – the club was founded in 1972 – attest to the consistently high quality of work in the Rhine metropolis.
Only second CHL appearance
This is only the second appearance for the Cologne Sharks in Europe's premier league. In the inaugural CHL season of 2014/15, their run ended after the group stage – back then, the preliminary round was played in groups of four – with two wins and four losses.
New head coach despite record winning streak
Despite a strong regular season last year – the Cologne Sharks set a new DEL record with 16 consecutive wins – the Cologne Sharks will start the next season with a new head coach. Swede Thomas Berglund takes over from Kari Jalonen and will be coaching outside of Sweden for the first time. The 57-year-old brings many years of experience in the SHL and led Luleå HF to the championship in 2025. He was also named Swedish Ice Hockey Coach of the Year in 2017 and SHL Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2020.
Star Player Moritz Müller
What Thomas Raffl is to the Red Bulls, Moritz Müller is to Cologne. The 39-year-old defenseman is entering his 24th DEL season (!) with the Sharks, the last eight as captain. He currently has 1,183 DEL games played, a record surpassed only by his former teammate Mirko Lüdemann, who ended his career ten years ago with 1,197 games. For comparison: Thomas Raffl, the 40-year-old captain of the Red Bulls, currently has 1,017 league games played.
Müller's greatest achievements include the silver medal at the 2018 Olympic Games and the silver medal at the 2023 World Championships with the German national team. A national title has so far eluded the defenseman.
Cologne sets a new attendance record
In addition to their strong on-ice performance, the Cologne Sharks also set a new attendance record last season. In the 2025/26 season, an average of 18,112 spectators attended the Sharks' 26 regular-season home games in Germany's largest ice hockey arena, the Lanxess Arena, which has a capacity of 18,600 – a European record!
The Red Bulls have not yet played in the Lanxess Arena, but they hosted the Cologne Sharks twice many years ago. In 2008, Salzburg lost 3-4 SO at the Red Bulls Salute, while in 2009, the Sharks won 5-1 in Salzburg during the preseason.
Alan Letang, Head Coach EC RedBull Salzburg
"Playing our Champions League opener in our own arena in front of our fans is a great privilege. The message to our team is: We have to show our identity from the very first shift. We respect Cologne for their style of play and their pace, but the first game is about us and our performance."
Kölner Haie | Factbox
Founded: 1972
League: PENNY DEL
Stadium: Lanxess Arena | 18,600 spectators
2025/26 Season: Semifinals
Track Records: Eight-time German Champion
CHL 2025/26: –
Head Coach: Thomas Berglund (SWE)
WEB: www.haie.de
CHL | Regular Season of the Red Bulls
Thu, 3 Sep | 7.15 p.m. | EC Red Bull Salzburg vs. Kölner Haie
Sat, 5 Sep | 7.15 p.m. | EC Red Bull Salzburg vs. Bílí Tygři Liberec
Fri, 11 Sep | 7 p.m. | Växjö Lakers vs. EC Red Bull Salzburg
Sun, 13 Sep | 3 p.m. | Rögle Ängelholm vs. EC Red Bull Salzburg
Wed, 7 Okt | 8.20 p.m. | EC Red Bull Salzburg vs. Eisbären Berlin
Tue, 13 Okt | 7 p.m. | Skellefteå AIK vs. EC Red Bull Salzburg
Red Bulls kick off CHL season with home doubleheader// CHL | REGULAR SEASON
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Red Bulls impress with victory against Ingolstadt despite CHL elimination// CHL | PLAYOFFS