ÖEHV Team Leader Roger Bader: “I have to get used to being called Grandpa”

Sometimes it takes the whole summer. To truly understand what happened in the final game of last season. That’s how team boss Roger Bader felt. Although he was able to successfully complete the relegation assignment with Austria at the Ice Hockey World Championships in Tampere. However, the drama of the match against Great Britain (5:3 victory after 0:2 and 1:3 deficit) left its mark. The Swiss later said: “The British did everything well in the beginning. During the second half-time I asked the best performers to take responsibility.” “We were really lucky at that time. On the other hand, we had bad luck on a number of occasions.”

With “Eiskalt” – Ice Hockey Podcast, not only the World Cup’s past is addressed. Bader, himself a former pro, explains why his playing career has not taken off. He studied mechanical engineering and even taught this subject as a university professor. Until he returned to ice hockey and began his coaching career. “I wanted to talk about people, not machines.”

Bader has been working in the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation since 2017. Not only as team president, but also as sports director and interim as U20 team coach. And from day one in charge, he pushed home players and encouraged their rejuvenation. “Some say I’m stubborn. You can also see it differently: I’m persistent,” the 58-year-old confirmed. What Badr also stands for is the constant communication with his most important players, even during the season. “Captains Thomas Ravel and Michael Ravel assured me that they would always play for Austria as long as they were called up,” he said with a smile. And he does not intend to change that at the next World Cup (again in Tampere).

In September his grandfather became proud for the first time. How does the Swiss tick, what fascinates him, what interests him, what can he laugh at, where he pays his taxes, what politics he chooses and who is his role model – you can find out all this in the latest issue of “Eiskalt”.

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