- Oberliga (ice hockey)
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Oberliga 
Sport Ice hockey Founded 1948 No. of teams 19 Country(ies) 
GermanyMost recent champion(s) Heilbronner Falken Related competitions Deutsche Eishockey Liga
2nd BundesligaOfficial website Official ESBG website The Oberliga (English:Premier League) is currently the third tier of ice hockey in Germany. In the 2007-08 season, the Oberliga is split in a northern and a southern group.
Contents
History
1948-58
The ice hockey Oberliga is the oldest continuously operating league in this sport in Germany. The league was formed in 1948, then as the highest level of play in the country. It started out with six teams who played a home-and-away season to determine the German champion. The founding members were:
- EV Füssen (became first champion of the league)
- Preußen Krefeld
- SC Riessersee
- VfL Bad Nauheim
- HC Augsburg
- Kölner EK
The league expanded to eight clubs for the second season and twelve in the third. From 1952 onwards the league operated with eight clubs again. The 1957–58 season was the last one for the league as the highest level of play in the country. It was decided to form the Eishockey Bundesliga. The best eight clubs from the Oberliga, which then operated with twelve clubs again, qualified for the new first division.
1958-73
The Oberliga remained in existence however, now as the second tier of German ice hockey. Starting out with eight clubs in the league again, it expanded to twelve in the coming seasons. The year 1966 saw the league split into a northern and a southern group. The two separate leagues were called Oberliga Süd and Oberliga Nord. The winners of the two divisions would determine the Oberliga champion in a home-and-away series.
The league reunited in a single division in 1970, now with a strength of 16 teams and direct promotion to the Bundesliga.
The 1972-73 season was the last one as a tier-two league. With the foundation of the 2nd Bundesliga, the Oberliga fell to tier three. While the league champion moved up to the Bundesliga and the teams placed two to nine gained entry to the new second division, only the bottom seven clubs remained in the league.
1973-94
The Oberliga was now again divided into a northern and a southern group. The top two teams out of the two divisions originally played out a promotion round to the 2nd Bundesliga which also served to determined the Oberliga champion. While the modus and number of teams in the league continued to fluctuat, the overall situation remained the same.
1994-99
The year 1994 saw major changes in the German league system. The Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga merged to form the new DEL, an independently run league consisting of 18 clubs in its foundation years. Those second division clubs that did not elect to join the DEL were integrated into the new 1st Liga, which had replaced the Oberliga and operated in a northern and a southern group. The best teams of each of the two divisions played out a DEB championship, similar to the old Oberliga championship.
The 1998-99 season was very much a transition season. The DEB had reintroduced a single-division, nationwide league, titled Bundesliga to compete with the DEL. The league below was now the 1st Liga, which was made up of those clubs from the 1st Liga not admitted to the new Bundesliga and 2nd Liga clubs. However, this situation existed for only one season.
1999-present
From 1999, the league returned to its traditional name Oberliga, with two regional groups, north and south. In turn, the league above it took the name 2nd Bundesliga. The DEL renamed itself DEL - Bundesliga.
Due to a lack of interest, the Oberliga Nord dissolved after the 2000-01 season. The three clubs from this region which were still interested in playing on Oberliga level joined the southern division.
The Oberliga Süd, largely made up of Bavarian clubs, continued to operate successfully in the coming season, usually including a couple of northern clubs, while the Oberliga Nord was not reestablished until 2007.
The ESBG, now operating the 2nd Bundesliga and Oberliga for the DEB decided to reform an Oberliga Nord in 2007. The two separate divisions of the league were however not completely independent of each other, like in the past. Teams from the same league would meet each other four times now, while clubs from different divisions would only meet twice in the regular season. At the end of this, a combined play-off round would determine the Oberliga champion.
The ESBG plans to extend the league from 19 to 20 clubs for the 2008-09 season, to run two regional divisions of ten clubs.[dated info]
Season 2007–08
- For main article, see 2007–08 German ice hockey league season
The Oberliga was split in a northern and a southern group for the first time in years. The northern group contains nine, the southern ten clubs. The four best-placed teams from each group will be entering a best-of-five play-off round to determine the Oberliga champion and the two promoted teams to the 2nd Bundesliga. The bottom four in each group enter a play-down round to determine the relegated teams.
Champions
1949-58
- From 1949 to 1958, the Oberliga champions were also the German champions.
Season Club 1948-49 EV Füssen 1949-50 SC Riessersee 1950-51 Preußen Krefeld 1951-52 Krefelder EV 1952-53 EV Füssen 1953-54 EV Füssen 1954-55 EV Füssen 1955-56 EV Füssen 1956-57 EV Füssen 1957-58 EV Füssen 1959-73
- From 1959, the league was the second tier of German ice hockey.
Season Club 1958-59 VfL Bad Nauheim 1959-60 TuS Eintracht Dortmund 1960-61 ESV Kaufbeuren 1961-62 EV Landshut 1962-63 EV Landshut 1963-64 TuS Eintracht Dortmund 1964-65 Preußen Krefeld 1965-66 Berliner Schlittschuhclub - League played in a northern and southern division.
Season Oberliga Nord Oberliga Süd 1966-67 VfL Bad Nauheim Augsburger EV 1967-68 Eintracht Frankfurt SC Riessersee 1968-69 Kölner EK ESV Kaufbeuren 1969-70 EC Deilinghofen EV Rosenheim - Bold denotes Oberliga champion.
Season Club 1970-71 Preußen Krefeld 1971-72 Berliner Schlittschuhclub 1972-73 Kölner EC 1973-94
- From 1973, the Oberliga was now the third tier of German ice hockey.
Season Oberliga Nord Oberliga Süd 1973-74 EC Hannover EC Peiting 1974-75 Herner EV EHC 70 München 1975-76 1976-77 1977-78 1978-79 1979-80 Hamburger SV VER Selb 1980-81 Hamburger SV Augsburger EV 1981-82 Eintracht Frankfurt EC Peiting 1982-83 ESG Kassel SV Bayreuth 1983-84 EC Bad Nauheim VERE Selb 1984-85 SC Solingen EHC 80 Nürnberg - In 1975, the TSV Straubing won the title, having come second in the regular season.
- For two seasons, the league was split into three divisions.
Season Oberliga Nord Oberliga Mitte Oberliga Süd 1985-86 Neusser SC EV Stuttgart EHC 80 Nürnberg 1986-87 EC Ratingen EV Stuttgart ERC Ingolstadt Season Oberliga Nord Oberliga Süd 1987-88 Westfalen Dortmund ERC Sonthofen 1988-89 ECD Sauerland Iserlohn Augsburger EV 1989-90 Grefrather EV EV Ravensburg 1990-91 EC Bad Nauheim SC Memmingen 1991-92 ETC Timmendorfer Strand TuS Geretsried 1992-93 Frankfurter ESC EV Landsberg 1993-94 ESC Wedemark Heilbronner EC - In 1994, the EC Bad Tölz won the Oberliga championship, having finished third in the regular season.
- Bold denotes Oberliga champion.
1994- present
- The league was renamed and became the second tier of German ice hockey.
Season 1st Liga Nord 1st Liga Süd Championship 1994-95 ERC Westfalen Dortmund SC Riessersee EHC Freiburg 1995-96 ESC Wedemark Heilbronner EC ESC Wedemark 1996-97 EHC Neuwied EC Bad Tölz EHC Neuwied 1997-98 EHC Neuwied Heilbronner EC EHC Neuwied 1998-99 REV Bremerhaven SC Bietigheim-Bissingen REV Bremerhaven - The league returned to its old names and became the third tier of the league system again.
Season Oberliga Nord Oberliga Süd 1999–2000 EV Duisburg EHC Straubing 2000-01 EHC Wolfsburg EV Regensburg - The Oberliga Nord folded and the southern division became the only German Oberliga.
Season Oberliga Süd 2001-02 EV Landshut 2002-03 1. EV Weiden 2003-04 REV Bremerhaven 2004-05 Dresdner Eislöwen 2005-06 EV Landsberg 2000 2006-07 Heilbronner Falken - The league is split into two groups with a joint finals round.
Season Oberliga Nord Oberliga Süd Championship 2007-08 Dresdner Eislöwen Tölzer Löwen Dresdner Eislöwen 2008-09 Hannover Indians ESV Kaufbeuren not determined External links
See also
Sources
- Hockey Archives - International ice hockey website with tables and results (in French)
- Official website of the ESBG for the 2nd Bundesliga and Oberliga
Teams for the 2008-09 season: Rote Teufel Bad Nauheim · Eisbären Juniors Berlin · Deggendorf Fire · EV Füssen · Saale Bulls Halle · EC Hannover Indians · Herner EV · EV Landsberg 2000 · Blue Lions Leipzig · ESV Kaufbeuren · EHC Klostersee · TEV Miesbach · EHF Passau Black Hawks · EC Peiting · Starbulls Rosenheim · Piranhas RostockRelated articles: · DEL · 2nd Bundesliga · Oberliga Categories:- Ice hockey leagues in Germany
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