Honorary President Hans Schmid

Before tomorrow's match against EC-KAC, spusu Vienna Capitals will pay tribute to its honorary president Hans Schmid. The successful businessman, who actively ensured the well-being of the capital club for more than two decades and who won the two championship titles in the club's history, retired from his position in the summer and was appointed as the club's first honorary president. Without Hans Schmid, spusu Vienna Capitals might no longer exist, so we'd like to express our gratitude over the past two decades, especially for tomorrow's home game. Therefore, we invite our fans to be in their seats ten minutes before the start of the match to be part of the tribute.

Honorary Chairman Hans Schmid addressed the Caps in personal words in the current issue of onFIRE magazine. Below you will find the full version of this message.

Dear Capps Family,

The new board of directors of spusu Vienna Capitals has officially taken office since the end of June. With the handover of power to my successor, President Martin Rees, my term came to an end after more than two decades.

Many of you will still remember the state of ice hockey in Vienna in 2000. But there was a group of ice hockey fans who decided to form a team for the federal capital. They started out with big ambitions and a lot of commitment, but like their predecessors, they had to suffer from financial problems. I happened to take over the presidency myself shortly afterwards (actually against my intention) and actively supported the club in all matters for over two decades.

However, there were eventful years! In 2005 we were able to win the Austrian Championship for the first time, sparking enthusiasm throughout the club that continues to this day. For the first time in 43 years, the championship title was returned to Vienna. In the 2016/17 season, we won our second championship title, this time after historically perfect qualifications. The spusu Vienna Capitals also played ice hockey successfully outside the tournament. 19 straight playoff appearances and three runner-up finishes speak for themselves. As is usual in sports, we had to go through some bitter moments together. For me, this includes losing in the final to the Kuwaiti club in the 2018/19 season with controversial refereeing decisions undoubtedly playing a role.

We have also achieved a lot in youth work over the past two decades. Countless players have gone through the youth section of spusu Vienna Capitals and are now well-known players in the professional team, in other clubs in the league or in the national team. At the same time, CAPS youth teams have achieved great success, as evidenced by a number of tournaments in various age groups. Boys are our future, in many ways. This is also the opinion of the new club's board and management, who will work together to continue to offer a platform and home for young ice hockey players from Vienna and the entire Eastern region. Ultimately, all of Austria benefits from this.

But to reduce the past two decades to sports alone would be extremely short-sighted. We have successfully re-established the Vienna Ice Hockey Club, which is now one of the top three players in this city of two million. With the generous support of the City of Vienna, we were able not only to renovate and expand what was then the Albert Schulz Hall, but also to transform it into the largest ice sports center in Austria as the STEFFL Arena.

Finally, I would like to say a very personal word to our fans. We didn't make the playoffs last season for the first time in 20 years. However, you stood by our side, and the hall was even sold out in the penultimate match! As the Roman Quintus Ennius said so wonderfully: “It is in adversity that you recognize a true friend.”

I would like to thank all our comrades, partners, employees, players and especially our loyal fans. Let's look forward to a successful future for our hats together.

Yours, Hans Schmid