HC Davos misses its 32nd championship title on the home stretch. For the players, this failure in extremis is difficult to digest, while the coach is already looking ahead again.
01.05.2026, 02:45
01.05.2026, 07:36
SDA
Every step, every word is visibly agonizing. The Davos players don't feel like talking after the narrow 3-2 defeat in overtime of the decisive Game 7 in the playoff final against Fribourg. "There's just a big void," says defenceman Sven Jung, swallowing empty. "It's bitter, every game was so close. In the end, we just didn't score enough goals."
The World Cup silver medallist with the Swiss national team also recalls that for some it was their last game together. "I'm proud of the team, they're such great lads. It's like a real brotherhood that we have here together."
Knak thinks of the fans
Among those who are now leaving Davos without a title is Simon Knak, who is moving to the ZSC Lions after a stellar season. He is thinking above all of the fans. "We would have owed it to them to bring home the win," says Knak. "We didn't manage it, and that's annoying. Because they put so much heart and soul into the club."
Coach Josh Holden is already very sober in his analysis of what was actually an extremely successful Davos season that just lacked the crowning glory at the end. In all gentlemanly fashion, the Canadian-Swiss first of all praises his opponents. "Congratulations to every single Fribourg player. They got the job done," explains Holden. "And a very special congratulations to Julien Sprunger. To end his career with a win, and even more so with a championship, is a dream come true."
Davos on the brink of upheaval
He said he was "extremely proud" of his team and the season they had played. The HCD won the qualifiers with 117 points, the second-highest total in the history of the National League, and marched through to the play-off final. There, however, the Grisons lost three of four overtime games, including the last two, when the 32nd title for the record champions was so close. "We didn't back down," emphasizes Holden. "We played to win. It could have gone either way. Our players left their hearts on the ice, so of course the disappointment is huge."
The head coach, who has now progressed one step further after reaching the quarter-finals in his first year and the semi-finals in his second, is already looking to the future. In contrast to this season, when he was able to count on a well-coordinated ensemble right from the start, he will have to moderate a small upheaval. With captain Matej Stransky, the recently injured Michael Fora and Rico Gredig, the defensemen Klas Dalbeck and Davyd Barandun as well as the aggressive leaders Chris Egli and Knak, several key players are leaving the club. National team center Ken Jäger, Dominik Egli, who most recently played in Sweden, and Canadian defenseman Frédéric Allard have been confirmed as additions.
Holden takes a philosophical view of the changes. "I see it in two ways," he explains. "On a personal level, I'm going to miss these guys. But as a field hockey coach, you know that's the way it goes. It was the same when Büeli (Andres Ambühl) and Marc (Wieser) left. We'll find a way to do it again with the new guys."
Finally, Holden has a hint for other teams. In the final games, it was noticeable how Davos and Fribourg played very consistently with four lines, even in the decisive phases, and were thus able to keep the pace high until the end in the enormously energy-sapping series. "Maybe Fribourg and we were rewarded for that." In today's field hockey, you can no longer have players on the ice for 25, 26, 27 minutes. "You have to spread out the ice time, maybe that should be a lesson for everyone in the league," said Holden.
