Champion flags hoisted

KAC glory dates soon to be on display in the Horten Arena

Ice hockey championship titles preferably end up in Klagenfurt.(Bild: Florian Pessentheiner)

Record champions KAC have a tradition like no other ice hockey club in Austria. Soon the 32 championship flags will also be hung in the new Heidi Horten-Halle. "KAC stands for success - that must be visible everywhere," says Mayor Christian Scheider. KAC is simply a myth.

Record champions KAC have had a tradition for many decades _ like no other ice hockey club in Austria. Soon the 32 championship flags will also be hung in the new Heidi Horten Hall. In the old Stadthalle they were already stuck under the roof.

Mayor Christian Scheider (with Thomas Koch) is an ardent KAC fan.(Bild: Krone Archiiv)

The NHL Hall of Fame, which is located in Toronto, is the most famous ice hockey hall of fame in the world; KAC legend Sepp Puschnig, like all ice hockey stars, was inducted there. Long-time ÖEHV President Dieter Kalt is also in the Hall of Fame. Now Puschnig and Kalt are also being honored in their hometown. After all, Puschnig won the title twelve times with KAC. The big ceremony will be held in the Heidi Horten Hall on September 26, with the city and state each bearing 50 percent of the costs for the flag campaign.

Even though the seventh and last final game against Salzburg was lost in April, nothing changes in the KAC legend. 61 titles have been won in Austria so far, more than half of them by the Red Jackets. Rivals VSV have won six championship trophies.

"We need to bring more club life and identity into the arena, and the opportunities for the fan clubs will also be improved in the coming season," promises Mayor Christian Scheider, who has been an ardent KAC fan for decades.

The Red Jackets are also fighting for the fan clubs. The Red White Dragons have just disbanded after 33 years. "Stiege 19 and the Vikings have a lot of tradition. That must also be continued," says Scheider.