The
2004–05 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season was the 11th season since the founding of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (German Ice Hockey League). The
Eisbären Berlin' are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga , the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members...
(Polar Bears Berlin) became first time German Champion, a feat they will repeat a number of times in the next seasons. The
Kassel HuskiesThe Kassel Huskies were a professional ice hockey team based in Kassel, Hesse, Germany. They played the majority of their seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.The club was founded as ESG Kassel in 1977 and was renamed into EC Kassel in 1987...
was allowed to stay in the league, despite losing the play-down, as Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg lost its DEL license.
The season was significant, due to the NHL lockout. 22 NHL players came to play the season in the DEL, with the
Iserlohn RoostersThe Iserlohn Roosters are a professional ice hockey team based in Iserlohn, North-Rhine-Westphalia. They are members of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga since 2000 and play their home games at the Eissporthalle Iserlohn which is also known as Eissporthalle am Seilersee. Playing nine years in the DEL the...
making the first move by signing up
Mike YorkMichael York is an American professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga .-Playing career:...
. Several German national team players came as well --
Marco SturmMarco Johann Sturm is a German professional ice hockey winger with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League . Sturm began his career with EV Landshut of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, playing with the team from 1995 to 1997. Selected 21st overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose...
,
Jochen HechtJochen Hecht is a German professional ice hockey player for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
and
Olaf KölzigOlaf Kölzig is a retired German professional ice hockey goaltender and associate goalie coach for the Washington Capitals. With the exception of 8 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he played his entire 14 year career with the Capitals...
. Other significant signings included
Stéphane RobidasStéphane Robidas is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
and
Doug WeightDouglas Daniel Weight is a retired American professional ice hockey player who is currently an Assistant Coach and Special Assistant to the General Manager for the New York Islanders. During his 19-year National Hockey League career, he played for the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina...
midseason signups for the previous season champion the
Frankfurt LionsThe Frankfurt Lions were a professional men's ice hockey club from Frankfurt, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club ceased operations in 2010 due to financial difficulty.-History:...
.
Erik ColeErik Cole is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . He has played most of his career with the Carolina Hurricanes. He also played a brief stint with the Edmonton Oilers before returning to Carolina in 2009...
, who would have been playing with the
Carolina HurricanesThe Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
, became MVP of the playoffs with the
Eisbären Berlin' are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga , the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members...
.
Regular season
The regular season was played from September 17, 2004 to March 13, 2005.
|
Team |
GP |
Won |
Lost |
GF:GA |
Points |
| 1. |
Frankfurt LionsThe Frankfurt Lions were a professional men's ice hockey club from Frankfurt, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club ceased operations in 2010 due to financial difficulty.-History:...
(M) |
52 |
35 |
17 |
197:124 |
103 |
| 2. |
Eisbären Berlin' are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga , the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members...
|
52 |
32 |
20 |
166:141 |
101 |
| 3. |
Nürnberg Ice Tigers The Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Nürnberg are a professional ice hockey club located in Nuremberg, Germany. They play in the country's premier league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-History:...
|
52 |
33 |
19 |
188:131 |
95 |
| 4. |
Kölner HaieThe Kölner Haie are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.The team colours are red and white....
|
52 |
29 |
23 |
146:120 |
92 |
| 5. |
ERC Ingolstadt The ERC Ingolstadt are a member of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Commonly known as the Panthers, they play their games in Ingolstadt, Germany at the Saturn Arena. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Ingolstadt signed NHLers Marco Sturm, Andy McDonald, Jamie Langenbrunner and Aaron Ward...
|
52 |
31 |
21 |
149:139 |
91 |
| 6. |
Adler MannheimAdler Mannheim are an ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest ice hockey league in Germany. The team is from Mannheim, a city in the north of Baden-Wurttemberg...
|
52 |
26 |
26 |
151:150 |
80 |
| 7. |
Augsburger Panther The Augsburger Panther are a professional ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team is based in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. They play their home games at the Curt Frenzel Stadion....
|
52 |
24 |
28 |
150:154 |
76 |
| 8. |
Hamburg Freezers The Hamburg Freezers are a member of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga that play their games in Hamburg, Germany. Originally known as the Munich Barons from 1999 until 2002, team owner Philip Anschutz relocated the franchise to Hamburg for financial reasons on 3 June 2002, and renamed the team the...
|
52 |
26 |
26 |
133:148 |
76 |
| 9. |
Krefeld PinguineThe Krefeld Pinguine are an ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. They play in Krefeld, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany at the KönigPALAST. Founded first in 1936, the pro team became a limited liability company in 1994 and joined the top tier Deutsche Eishockey Liga...
|
52 |
25 |
26 |
145:159 |
73 |
| 10. |
DEG Metro Stars The DEG Metro Stars is a German professional ice hockey team in Düsseldorf. It was Germany's most successful hockey club for a long time and had many international players...
|
52 |
24 |
28 |
139:152 |
71 |
| 11. |
Iserlohn RoostersThe Iserlohn Roosters are a professional ice hockey team based in Iserlohn, North-Rhine-Westphalia. They are members of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga since 2000 and play their home games at the Eissporthalle Iserlohn which is also known as Eissporthalle am Seilersee. Playing nine years in the DEL the...
|
52 |
21 |
31 |
138:156 |
64 |
| 12. |
Hannover Scorpions The Hannover Scorpions are a professional ice hockey team founded in 1975 as ESC Wedemark. The team was renamed Wedemark Scorpions in 1996 after the rock band Scorpions, who also call Hanover, Lower Saxony their home. Their games are played at TUI Arena of the Expo Plaza...
|
52 |
21 |
31 |
133:175 |
60 |
| 13. |
Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg (N) |
52 |
19 |
32 |
134:174 |
58 |
| 14. |
Kassel Huskies The Kassel Huskies were a professional ice hockey team based in Kassel, Hesse, Germany. They played the majority of their seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.The club was founded as ESG Kassel in 1977 and was renamed into EC Kassel in 1987...
|
52 |
17 |
35 |
127:173 |
52 |
GP = Games Played; GF:GA = Goals for and against
Color code: = Direct Playoff qualification, = Playoff qualification round, = No playoff
Playdowns
The two lastplaced Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg and
Kassel HuskiesThe Kassel Huskies were a professional ice hockey team based in Kassel, Hesse, Germany. They played the majority of their seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.The club was founded as ESG Kassel in 1977 and was renamed into EC Kassel in 1987...
played a "playdown" in a Best-of-seven series starting March 18, 2005.
| | | | | | | Serie | | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | 5 | | 6 | | 7 |
| Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg |
– |
Kassel Huskies |
4:3 |
2:0 |
0:3 |
7:0 |
2:4 |
0:2 |
4:1 |
3:2 |
While the Kassel Huskies should have been relegated to the
2. BundesligaThe 2nd Eishockey-Bundesliga is the second tier of Ice hockey in Germany. It is organised by the DEB, the German Ice Hockey Federation. In the 2007-08 season, it features 14 teams.- History of the 2nd Ice Hockey Bundesliga :...
but due to the Grizzly Adams losing their DEL license, they were allowed to stay. The Grizzly Adams lost the license as their new Arena was not finished in time, and the old one did not conform to the DEL rules.
Playoffs