ÖEHV clar­i­fi­ca­tion regarding the December Break

The cooperation agreement between the ÖEHV and the ICE Hockey League stipulates that all three International Breaks (November, December, February) may be used for national team activities (team camp, international matches, tournaments).

At the league’s explicit request, the ÖEHV agreed that league play could continue during one of the three International Breaks under certain conditions, in order to enable the league management to schedule additional fixtures if required (for example, due to COVID-19). The agreement between the federation and the league states:

The ICE HL undertakes towards the ÖEHV to ensure that players eligible for the respective Austrian national team are made available for national team preparations and matches for the duration of the periods designated for national teams, as follows:

a) During all mandatory “International Breaks” in accordance with the relevant IIHF regulations; it is agreed that

i. if all 3 IIHF Breaks are used during league play (Nov. Dec. Feb.), a player may only be called up for a maximum of 2 events, and that
ii. league play may also continue during an IIHF Break, provided that the called-up players are released by their respective clubs. Players who fail to comply with a call-up are also ineligible to play for their club during this period. If an ICE HL club has to release more than 3 players to the ÖEHV, that club has the right to request a postponement of a match

The agreement was signed by both parties on 24 June 2022, and its contents were communicated to the league’s executive board and all clubs. At no point did the ÖEHV state or even suggest that it would not hold the December Break. Furthermore, as stipulated in the league agreement, this would have had to be done in writing.

Before the agreement was signed, both parties reviewed its contents from a factual and legal perspective.

Klaus Hartmann, ÖEHV President: “The Austrian Ice Hockey Federation stands for transparency, openness and clarity. During the contract negotiations last spring, it was agreed that the ÖEHV would use all three International Breaks in future. At the league’s request, special framework conditions were created for this, as is evident from the agreement. All parties were aware of the schedule for the new season as early as spring 2022 and, at the latest, when the agreement was signed on 24 June 2022. The ICE Hockey League is responsible to the clubs for compliance with, implementation and any enforcement of the agreement.”

Roger Bader, ÖEHV Men’s Sporting Director: “The December Break is an important building block in our continued development. There was never any doubt that we would use the December Break, as stipulated in the agreement. The only question was whether we would travel to a tournament or, as we are now doing, play friendly matches. We have also accommodated the league by reducing this year’s team camp from seven to five days. All International Breaks are normally scheduled from Monday to Sunday.”

Bernhard Friedrich, ÖEHV Managing Director: “In the spring, we agreed on an agreement stipulating that the ÖEHV may use all three International Breaks for the national team. Any amendments or deviations from the agreement must be made in writing. At no point did the ÖEHV communicate the cancellation of the December Break, either verbally or in writing.”