Posi­tive talks

The Executive Committee of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation (ÖEHV) welcomed the newly founded EishockeyspielerInnen UNION sports union, represented by chairman Alexander Tomanek and his deputy Patrick Harand, to its offices in Vienna on Tuesday. Together with Philipp Lukas, these three former professional players form the board of the ice hockey players' representative body.

This initial meeting covered the ÖEHV's current issues, as well as its long-term plans and the national teams' training camps and international matches for both women and men, scheduled for April and May later this season. It quickly became apparent that the ÖEHV and the UNION share a common goal: to serve Austrian ice hockey as a whole.

Regular dialogue and continued cooperation between the ÖEHV and the players' representative body are planned for the future. "Our initial talks revealed a good foundation and a positive atmosphere on which we can build further cooperation. We all stand for the continued development of domestic sport and would like to see greater professionalisation in ice hockey," said ÖEHV President Dr Klaus Hartmann.

About the EishockeyspielerInnen UNION
The UNION is led by the three former professional players Alexander Tomanek, Patrick Harand and Philipp Lukas under the umbrella of younion_ Die Daseinsgewerkschaft and, alongside the footballers' specialist group (VdF) and basketball players (dBV), forms another pillar of the sports union. Members of the EishockeyspielerInnen UNION include players active in domestic leagues, as well as all Austrians playing abroad.