Mathias Seger is not blinded by his current success
Image: Keystone
Andres Ambühl takes center stage again on Sunday
Image: Keystone
Mathias Seger is not blinded by his current success
Image: Keystone
Andres Ambühl takes center stage again on Sunday
Image: Keystone
Andres Ambühl and Mathias Seger are among the greatest legends in Swiss ice hockey. While Ambühl will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday, the already honored Seger issues a warning.
26.05.2026, 04:16
26.05.2026, 07:06
SDA
Andres Ambühl is known not to like being the center of attention. But he will be once again next Sunday at the ceremony for his induction into the International Ice Hockey Federation's Hall of Fame. Among other things, he earned his induction with a record 20 World Championship appearances. Is he looking forward to it? "Momol, it's only an hour away," says Ambühl in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. First and foremost, however, the 42-year-old is looking forward to the games; he has been invited for the entire final weekend. So far, he has only been on site for the first day of the Swiss game against the USA.
With the exception of 2018, this is the first World Championship since his debut in 2004 where Ambühl will not be on the ice. Doesn't the great atmosphere appeal to him? "Of course it would be cool with this atmosphere, but I'm pretty much done with it. I was able to experience something similar in Bern (at the 2009 World Championship), it's nice that the younger players can do that now."
Ambühl regrets leaving Fischer
When asked about his incredible records during his career, Ambühl always said that he might later realize what he had achieved. When asked about this, he explains: "I don't think too much about that today. Whether I've competed in 20 or twelve world championships, it doesn't matter. Meeting good people, having collected cool moments and memories, that's the most important thing in the end - even if you logically want to win."
An important companion of Ambühl's was long-time national team coach Patrick Fischer, who was sacked shortly before the home World Cup due to the affair surrounding his forged Covid certificate. Fischer was not only Ambühl's coach, they also played together in the national team. "I felt extremely sorry for him," said the three-time World Championship silver medalist and six-time Swiss champion. "He played a big part in Switzerland getting to where they are now. I was amazed that there was still such a big wave. In my eyes, it would have been very nice if he could have stopped with the home World Cup."
As strong as the national team is at the moment, there are also clouds on the horizon. While six Swiss players were selected in the first round of the NHL draft between 2008 and 2017, only one has been selected since then (Lian Bichsel in 2022). The U18 national team was relegated from the top division a year ago, which should have been an alarm signal, even though they were promoted straight back up in April. Is Ambühl worried? "The generation around Josi is certainly exceptional, but worry is the wrong word." However, you have to be aware that things have to continue after this generation. It is important to integrate the youngsters.
Seger chooses clear words
The reticence on this topic suits Ambühl, who is not a man of big words. For another legend in Swiss ice hockey, it's a completely different story: Mathias Seger, who has been inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2022, addresses the shortcomings very clearly to Keystone-SDA.
For the long-time captain of the national team and the ZSC Lions, one of the main problems is that the breadth of ice hockey is being lost. "You can see that small clubs are going under, they no longer have the financial means to hire professional coaches. This leads to an early exodus of talent to the big clubs." The clubs in the National League are decisive in the whole development. After splitting from the association, they must be aware that they are not only responsible for themselves, but for Swiss ice hockey as a whole. Due to the weakening, the association has far too few tools to intervene decisively. "But everyone is only looking at their own backyard, it's primarily about quick profitability."
The 48-year-old Seger, who ended his career in 2018, fears that the negative trends are being reacted to too late. "The National League is doing well, but if you look at the Swiss League, Swiss ice hockey is actually not doing well. We have such good conditions here, such a passion for the sport, and then there's this miserable fight between the National League and the association. It's sad as hell." The conflicts are not yet noticeable, the golden generation is still to be seen, but perhaps in ten years' time. Then it will be too late to react.
But back to the home World Cup. "The team looks incredibly solid," says Seger. "It's a feast for the eyes to watch them." The tournament is also very well organized. The resulting euphoria is incredibly important to him for Swiss ice hockey - he hopes for a big upswing. After all, despite all the problems, there should be more Ambühls and Segers inducted into the Hall of Fame.
