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50 years of Kölner Haie: Krupp reveals youth secret & new jerseys

Sharky (here in September 2021) has every reason to dance in the summer of 2022: The Kölner Haie will be 50 years old on August 10th.

Congratulations! The Kölner Haie are celebrating their 50th birthday. So there will be some celebrations for the club and fans over the next few days.

It’s hard to imagine the German ice hockey landscape and Cologne without them: The Kölner Haie are more than a club. On Wednesday (August 10, 2022) the KEC celebrated its 50th birthday, the founding date was August 10, 1972.

Now we celebrate! The club has put together a big program for its legends and its fans. The Kölner Haie are about to have a real party weekend! An anniversary jersey was also presented for the birthday.

Kölner Haie celebrate their 50th birthday: fan festival and gala in the Flora

EXPRESS.de gives an overview of the celebrations for the great shark anniversary.

On Friday (12 August) there will be a big fan festival at the Tanzbrunnen. There will be a party from 6 p.m. Numerous shark legends from five decades will be there, such as Detlef Langemann, Hans Zach, Andreas Pokorny, Andreas Lupzig, Andi Renz, Udo Kießling or Hardy Nilsson and Peppi Heiss. Of course, the current coach Uwe Krupp is also there.

The trainer on his best Haie moments: “Of course, my best Haie memories include the two championships that I won as a player. That was unforgettable. But also the two vice championships later as a coach are something special. Of course it was ‘bittersweet’ at first, but in retrospect the fact that we had a great season with strong playoffs is more important.”

Krupp also reveals a secret from his KEC youth: “I associate 50 years of KEC with being there from the beginning. I saw the old players from back then, like the ‘Langemann’, play themselves. Before the games I sold the game program booklets on Lentstrasse.” Krupp’s sensational Haie path: from booklet seller to professional, German champion, NHL star, Stanley Cup winner and now KEC trainer.

That’s how the big fan festival of the Kölner Haie goes on Friday

  • Doors open at 5 p.m., admission is free
  • 6 p.m.: Start of the program
  • 6.10 p.m.: 45-minute live concert by Bläck Fööss
  • 6.55 p.m.: Talk with numerous shark legends
  • 19.05: Talk with Haie-Fanprojekt
  • 7.10pm: Miljö live concert
  • 7.30 p.m.: Presentation of the Haie team 2022/23
  • 20.05: Legends and current professionals mingle with the fans
  • 10 p.m. finale

On Saturday it will be a little more festive. After the shirt-sleeved party at the Tanzbrunnen, a birthday gala takes place in the Flora. Numerous invited guests from business, city society, Haie partners and sponsors celebrate with legends of the club.

Cologne Sharks in black and gold: Langemann, Müller and Lunemann in 50th anniversary jerseys.

Detlef Langemann, Moritz Müller and Niklas Lunemann (from left) present the Kölner Haie’s special jersey for the club’s 50th birthday on August 10, 2022.

On Wednesday, the anniversary jersey was also presented. The third jersey for the new 2022/23 season is very classy in black and gold. The original shark can be seen on the chest. A 50 is also emblazoned on the chest. The chic outfit was presented by three Haie generations: Detlef Langemann (75), the current captain Moritz Müller (35) and KEC talent Niklas Lunemann (20).

The highlight of the preparations shouldn’t be in Cologne this time, but in Stuttgart. And there is a historical reason for that: The Haie will play a friendly against the Bietigheim Steelers on September 4, 2022 in the Stuttgart hall, where the Cologne success story began.

In the ice world of Stuttgart (capacity 3000 visitors, built in 1961), the Cologne team made the promotion from the Oberliga to the Bundesliga perfect in the 1972/73 season with a fabulous 17:3 against EHC Stuttgart on March 18, 1973. The current season begins on September 15, 2022 with the home game against RB Munich.

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