Kari Jalonen plans to return to the championship with the Sharks!

Kari Jalonen plans to return to the championship with the Sharks!

Kari Jalonen, the head coach of the Kölner Haie, was recently in Cologne to prepare for the coming season together with assistant coach Frederik Norrena. During their visit to the Haie center, the main focus was on future plans, including a training camp in Austria and the organization of away games. Jalonen, who spent the summer at his home in Turku, Finland, reflected on an intense past season that was extremely challenging with 17 playoff games in 60 days. When he looked back at the end-of-season celebration in the LANXESS arena, he felt the positive mood of the fans, who provided great support. Haie.de reports that Jalonen had a lot of contact with sports director Matthias Baldys to discuss squad planning and possible lineups, while he described the past few months as instructive and formative.

The Kölner Haie look back on a long and eventful history in ice hockey. The ice hockey department was founded in 1972, but found its permanent place in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) in 1994. The first DEL championship title was won by the Kölner Haien in 1995, and since then the team has experienced ups and downs. After eleven years without taking part in the final, the Haie are now back in the final, where they face the Eisbären Berlin. This development is due not least to coach Jalonen, who brings experience and success in other leagues and unites the team in the current playoff motto “Mit Hätz un’ Siel” (With Heart and Soul). Süddeutsche.de emphasizes that the Kölner Haie successfully mastered the playoffs against Bremerhaven and Ingolstadt this season and are now heading into the final full of energy. Captain Moritz Müller describes the past few years as “hard times”, but the current form shows that the club is on the right track.

Challenges of the past few years

After the last championship title in 2002 and the runner-up title in 2012, the Kölner Haie had to struggle with numerous challenges. They repeatedly failed in the crucial phases of the playoffs and finally lost their last final series against Ingolstadt in 2014. The relief and joy of being in the final again is all the greater. Justin Schütz, Cologne's top scorer in the main round with 26 goals, will play a key role in the final. In the decisive game against Ingolstadt, he scored the wonderful goal to win in extra time, which rekindled the hopes of winning the championship. Wikipedia.de documents the eventful history of the club and the importance of the coach, who has now taken a new path with Jalonen to leave the past behind and shape a promising future.

With the new chemistry and structures that Jalonen wants to build in the team, it will be exciting to see how the Kölner Haie do in the new season. After all, the fans in Cologne are known for their passion and loyalty, and the players know that they can count on the support of their supporters. It remains to be seen whether this symbiosis of experience, talent and unwavering commitment can ultimately bring them the long-awaited championship title. Until then it's time to fight with heart and soul on the ice for the sharks!