Magglingen instead of New Jersey: Nico Hischier is currently in the military. Image: MARCEL BIERI
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Eismeister Zaugg
Nico Hischier – an NHL star as an internet and sports soldier
No NHL hockey and no World Cup: Nico Hischier graduates from the Swiss Federal College of Sport in Magglingen.
Lake Biel flashes below. The view extends far across the country to the eternal snow mountains of the Bernese Oberland. Is there a nicer spot? Is there better weather? No. All the perils of life seem far away.
This idyll is also a little compensation for Nico Hischier (21). He has been on dry land since March 12th. Instead of playing for the Stanley Cup or for the World Cup title in a knight-like outfit, he serves in the tracksuit as an Internet and sports soldier at the Federal University of Sport in Magglingen.
Kurt Henauer is responsible for communication up here and has moved the tables and chairs outside on the terrace in such a way that we can have a relaxed chat while keeping the distances.
In conversation with Nico Hischier. Image: MARCEL BIERI
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Season break just before a game
But let’s go one by one. On March 12th, Nico Hischier was on ice for the last time in ice skates. «There have been rumors of a season break. As usual, we prepared for the game by warming up in the morning. In the afternoon came the announcement that the game against Carolina had been canceled. » Since then, Nico Hischier has been dry. It is the longest time without ice that he can remember.
A few days later, New Jersey allowed players to go home. On March 20, Nico Hischier flew back to Switzerland just in time. «I live alone in New Jersey and immediately decided to return. It was still easy to book a flight. »
Since then, the season has been suspended in the NHL and the World Cup in Zurich and Lausanne has also been canceled. That is why we are now sitting up here in Magglingen and our conversation is not initially about ice hockey. It’s about the military.
This spring, Nico Hischier was unable to play in a national dress. Image: KEYSTONE
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«See military service as a duty for me too»
Nico Hischier is an internet and sports soldier. He says there have been ways to get around military service. He lives abroad (in New Jersey) and he could just pay the military service fee. Therefore, he would not have to limit himself. His new contract runs from next season and will bring him $ 50.75 million in seven years.
but that is not the point. “I have colleagues who do military service, and I see it as a duty for me as for any other Swiss.” He had passed the levy and it was clear from the start that he was allowed to serve as a sports soldier in Magglingen. It was just about the right time. And that is now due to the special circumstances.
For Nico Hischier it was clear that he wanted to join the military. Image: MARCEL BIERI
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Whether dollar millionaire or athlete in a «breadless» discipline – there are no differences in the athlete RS. Like everyone else, Nico Hischier receives a salary of 4 francs a day as a recruit, which is raised to 5 francs after being certified as a soldier, in addition to the income compensation (EO) of 68 francs a day.
Training in the home office
Nico Hischier started his military service as an Internet soldier. And this is how it happened: On April 14, the sports recruit school should have started by moving into the barracks in Wangen an der Aare. In the first phase, the service in the morning consists of military training in the barracks down in Wangen, and only in the afternoon is sports on the program in Magglingen.
Because of the virus crisis, life in the barracks and wearing military clothes was not possible. Nico Hischier had to stay at home. But the 18-week recruit school still started on April 14th. In the home office. He had had theoretical military training on the Internet. “I was able to stay at home and what I learned was tested in tests.” He passed all the tests and so he moved to Magglingen on May 11th.
The striker still has no national armed forces uniform. Military clothing is not yet available due to the virus crisis. Only the “Swiss Army” print on the tracksuit indicates that he is on duty for the fatherland.
Due to the corona virus, Hischier is not currently wearing a uniform. Image: MARCEL BIERI
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The peace never lost
Nico Hischier is not a man of dramatic words and big gestures. He accepts things as they are. This inner peace is also one of his strengths. I have seen how the media hype after the historic draft (the first Swiss to be number 1) in the summer of 2017 in Chicago, after his first NHL game in New Jersey or later after his first international match in Sierre did not upset him left.
Now on the garden terrace in Magglingen in a tracksuit as a sports soldier, he also provides information about his longest ice-free spring and his impressions from military service.
He enjoyed spending time with his family and mostly training with his brother (Luca Hischier plays for HC Davos). «We had to improvise. We took the hockey goal out of the garage and played on the tarmac like we once did as boys. We moved the strength training to the balcony. »
Nicos brother Luca Hischier storms for HC Davos. Image: KEYSTONE
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Military in the sign of the virus
Soldier life in Magglingen now consists of training in the morning and in the afternoon. Taking into account the special circumstances during the virus crisis. After two hours everyone has to leave the weight room. Because everything is disinfected. Showering is only possible in the room.
After all, because of the virus crisis, there is now a single room for all sports soldiers. In normal times, the recruits share a room with two other people. There is once a week a detailed online survey about any symptoms and if only one question is answered with “yes”, the doctor will report.
The dry training runs according to the specifications of his employer New Jersey and his personal fitness coach Samuel Boehringer. The training conditions are also optimal under the special circumstances. “Only the ice is missing.” Ice training will probably not be possible before June 8th.
This is what other Swiss NHL players say about the interruption:
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Never got out of the crisis
Despite everything, ice hockey is also a topic of conversation. It was simply no longer possible to make up for the weak start to the season. And so last season Nico Hischier experienced the whole “crisis program” in New Jersey with a change of coach, transfer of important teammates (Taylor Hall) and finally the general manager was removed from office.
This season, Hischier’s Devils often had to go through below. Image: AP
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He tells it again with his own composure. It was his third NHL season and it wasn’t because of his performance that New Jersey failed to live up to expectations. He scored 14 goals and 22 assists in 58 games.
He doesn’t know whether and how things will continue in the NHL. Before a possible continuation of the season, the contingent would come for a short training camp. “In this case, I might have to leave from one day to the next.” Which would not be a problem. It is agreed with the school command.
RS degree possible in New Jersey
The missing days until the completion of the athlete RS would count towards the resumption of work in New Jersey. No special regulation. Put simply, after the basic military training, sports missions are taken into account. In terms of military theory, so to speak, as a “transfer”.
For example, individual athletes can take part in competitions and training camps abroad during the recruit school. For Nico Hischier, the contingent in the NHL camp would be an induction into a much stricter service. “I wouldn’t say it that way. But it is true that an NHL training camp is exhausting … »
Incidentally, Nico Hischier does not aspire to an officer career. But he can count on a promotion over time. Anyone who wins medals in title fights as a sports soldier is promoted to private. That would be the case when winning the Stanley Cup or a World Cup medal with the national team.
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