Christian Feichtinger has been part of the process of founding an elite European ice hockey competition from the very start. As president of Hockey Europe, he oversaw the first meetings almost two years ago when first ideas for the Champions Hockey League were introduced. Nowadays, the league manager of the Austrian-based EBEL is also a member of the CHL board.

by Lukáš Peroutka

Christian, the inaugural season of the Champions Hockey League is getting closer. Is this like a dream come true for you?
Absolutely, it is a dream come true. Everybody's worked really hard for the last two years since our first meeting in Barcelona and it is a big honour for me to be part of the CHL Board and to represent the EBEL there. On the day of the Draw, it felt a bit like the UEFA Champions League with all 44 teams represented, teams seeded in groups and so on. I am really looking forward to the start of the league in the middle of August and to all EBEL teams competing against the best in Europe.

Can you describe the way from the first meeting in Barcelona to the official Draw in Minsk? What did it take for the idea to become reality?
Sometimes it needs passion, sometimes it needs a brain. During this time, both came together: passion for hockey and a sort of realistic approach about what to do to help each national league. The easy formula was to bring together the best teams, regular season winners and national champions. It was the process that took approximately one and a half years from the basic idea to a realistic approach of connecting with sponsors, TV stations and others. But all is nothing without mutual trust. The IIHF, six founding leagues, founding clubs, national champions and regular season winners from 11 European hockey leagues are now pulling in the same direction. That is the biggest achievement.

Where do you see the Champions Hockey League five years from now? What is your vision for the project?
I hope that when we talk again in five years’ time, the Champions Hockey League is an established project spanning the whole of Europe and that there is some link to the NHL and KHL. When it comes to vision, I think that one is ready to be fulfilled already in August 2014. The first vision was to bring 24 or 30 European clubs together. Now we have 44 and a good cooperation among them off the ice. I can see this competition has a fixed place not only for the next five years, but also for the next 20 years.

Apart from the involved clubs, do you think this competition could also help some of the smaller ice hockey leagues around Europe?
Yes, absolutely. Even for the clubs of EBEL it is a big challenge to play against teams from Sweden, Finland or Switzerland. Competition is a powerful engine for development. That’s why we opened our league to international teams some years ago. Now this is happening on an even bigger scale. I think it is going to thrill leagues in Denmark, France, Norway and other countries. I am extremely happy to be part of this whole story.

Can the CHL also help raise the profile and general awareness about those leagues that may be a little underestimated in the hockey world, such as EBEL?
Yes, it is a challenge for the clubs. It all depends on their results and how well they establish themselves in the competition. That sets the tone for everything else.

What was the feedback from EBEL clubs like?
Very positive. There was no doubt that we should be part of this European competition.

What are your comments on the most recent EBEL season and what are your goals for next season?
We are happy with this past season. It was a tough season with lots of games in short period of time because of the Olympic break and early ending due to the start of World Championship Division I in South Korea, where Austria and Slovenia took part. So it was a challenge. But for the first time ever, we have an international champion from Bolzano, which is a good sign for everybody outside Austria competing in our league. Znojmo from the Czech Republic had an outstanding season and showed us what speed and skill mean and we're looking forward to another season with them, as well as with teams from Italy, Hungary and Slovenia. We are an international league, I am convinced this is the right way to go, and I am looking forward to seeing four of our clubs competing internationally on a bigger scale, in the CHL.

What are your expectations as far as attendance? Many games are going to be played in August in summer weather.
For sure, this is a challenge. But it is the first time when Europe comes to play in Austria and Bolzano and I am sure fans will appreciate that these are not meaningless games. Teams will fight for promotion, to be part of the playoffs and be among the top 16. With the right promotion from the clubs and from the league, I am convinced that hockey fans who normally come to see league games will give their team the backing at home and maybe also on the road.