On April 6, 2010, the family bianconera mourns instead for a tragedy. The body of athletic trainer Tiziano Muzio is found under an avalanche on his beloved Mount Bar. A special man who traversed the life of the club for 30 years, earning everyone's esteem and respect for his competence, but even more so for his sensitivity and generosity. His name will forever evoke in Lugano values such as the spirit of sacrifice and passion for one's work.
The 2010/2011 season coincides with the 70th year of the foundation ofHockey Club Lugano. An anniversary that is being celebrated with various initiatives over the months, culminating on 29 January 2011 with the championship match at the Resega against Bern wearing a 'vintage' jersey in the presence of most of the players who have worn the prestigious 'C' over the decades.
On the sporting side, the technical leadership is entrusted to Philippe Bozon, head coach, and Sandro Bertaggia, assistant coach. Several departures for different reasons: Romano Lemm, Alessandro Chiesa, Jeff Hamilton, Johan Akerman, Evgeni Chiriajev.
During the traditional maccheronata at the end of August, the jersey number 44 of captain Andy Näser, the protagonist of thirteen generous championships with the colors bianconeri. Among the newcomers, besides the return of Sébastien Reuille and the signing of young defenders Lorenz Kienzle and Stefan Ulmer, a battery of foreigners, most of them quite young, stands out. With arrival staggered over the months thus donned the Lugano jersey as "Import Players" are goalkeeper Sébastien Caron (alternating with the inconstant David Aebischer), Petteri Nummelin (often injured), defenseman Mark Popovic and forwards Josh Hennessy, Chris Bourque (son of the famous Ray Bourque) and Colby Genoway.
During the months of September, October and November, Lugano bloody well struggled to find an acceptable cruising speed. The team never manages to win two consecutive games, the defensive phase is not convincing and the presumed Swiss leaders make themselves wanted. The foreign players do not give the expected impulses and too often end up in anonymity.
The line to qualify for the playoffs became more and more distant and so, on 29 November 2010, Philippe Bozon and Sandro Bertaggia were relieved of their duties. In their place, initially ad interim, actually until the end of the regular season, the society gave confidence to two men of the club: Mike Mc Namara and Patrick Fischer, until then brilliant head coach and assistant coach of the Juniores Elite. With the new duo at the helm, the team seemed at first to benefit from a positive shock. Some success deluded about the possibility of climbing up the classification but the two pre-Christmas defeats against direct rivals such as Lakers and Ambrì almost definitively jeopardised the comeback. For the first time in its history, Lugano is practically out of the playoff already at Christmas!
There is apprehension for the playout. With three days to go, the club decided to put a new face at the head of the coaching staff. Mc Namara and Fischer remain as assistants and the 46 years old Canadian Greg Ireland, with a significant experience in the AHL, takes the leadership of the coaching staff. The move turns out to be the right one if it is true that Lugano liquidates the feared playout with four deserved consecutive successes against the Lakers. The right attitude, a simple and effective game, the growth of some elements compared to a dull regular season guarantee the salvation, sealed at the overtime of the fourth challenge by a slapshot of captain Vauclair.
On June 22, 2011, the shareholders' meeting elects Vicky Mantegazza to the presidency ofHockey Club Lugano SA in the Lugano City Council chamber. Daughter of President Geo, who grew up with DNA bianconero in her blood and architect of the Ladies Team's successes, Vicky sets two goals for her debut season at the club's helm. The first of a sporting nature is to qualify as quietly as possible for the playoffs. The second is to bring back the enthusiasm of the people bianconero to the Resega.
For the 2011/12 season, the purchase campaign is noisy. Above all, the battery of foreigners undergoes major changes. Caron, Bourque, Hennessy, Genoway and Popovic are dismissed. At Nummelin's side, come Jaroslav Bednar, spectacular Czech topscorer of the Swiss champion Davos, the forward Kimmo Rintanen, guarantee of class and goals after ten seasons at Kloten and Rob Niedermayer, eighteen seasons in the NHL as precious two-ways centre. Unfortunately, the latter will be victim of a knee injury and, after about twenty games, will leave the stage. He will be replaced after Christmas by Canadian Brett McLean, a great all-rounder, while Canadian defenceman Jordan Hendry will complete the Imports' package. Once Aebischer has left for North America, there is great excitement for the new extreme defenceman, the talented 20-year-old Benjamin Conzinon one year loan from Mc Sorley's Geneva. The young Schlumpf and the roughed-up Blatter and Steiner constitute further reinforcements.
Barry Smith, a 60-year old American coach with extensive experience in the NHL, was called in to lead this extremely renewed team. However, Smith struggled to get to grips with the dynamics of Swiss hockey from the outset, and on 21 October 2011, after a humiliating defeat in Kloten (9-1), he abandoned ship and returned to North America, not without attacking the players and the club.
As chance would have it, Bern fired Larry Huras the very same night, guilty of not proposing a sufficiently lively game. After an interlude of two contests of the Fischer/Mc Namara duo, Larry the demanding re-embraces Lugano and does so with his typical energy, daily dedication and attention to details. And under his baton, the team gradually finds its own identity and the acceptance of its role for each actor.
Moments-clou of a regular season marked by fickleness but closed quite fluently in sixth position are undoubtedly the six derbies all won against Ambrì - a record - and the constant employment of youngsters Dario Simion and Diego Kostner, an important achievement for the Youth Section of the Club. However, it is the playoffs that will make fans savor again the real emotions and get the adrenaline flowing that accompanies the most balanced challenges. Opponent of the bianconeri is that Fribourg that in the summer had bluntly declared that it was aiming for the title, securing the likes of Dubé, Gamache and Rosa. The men of Huras and Fischer repeat their exploit of conquering the BCF Arena with two tactically and agonistically perfect performances. However, they are unable to repeat themselves at the Resega where they bow out on three shots. Thus it is the Burgundians who pass the quarterfinal series with an overall score of 4-2. For club, staff and players the satisfaction of coming out with their heads held high to the warm applause of the Resega. And to embody the renewed gladiatorial spirit of Lugano is undoubtedly Sébastien Reuille, heroic and stoic best scorer of the team in the playoffs after suffering the beauty of 80 stitches to the palate.
The team led by Larry Huras presents some significant novelties for the 2012/2013 season. The foreign pool is made up, besides Nummelin, McLean and Bednar, of the highly acclaimed Glen Metropolit and the Finnish defenceman Ilkka Heikkinen, bought to increase the offensive production, as well as defenceman Johann Morant and forward Thomas Rüfenacht, hired to increase the aggressiveness potential. Among the poles instead, once Conz's loan from Mc Sorley is over, Daniel Manzato and Michael Flückiger (both 28 years old) will prove up to expectations by alternating in the defence of the cage. Young Jordy Murray completes the attack package.
The performance up to Christmas is up and down. Brilliant home performances are often followed by narrow defeats on the road. However, the 2012/2013 championship will be inscribed in large letters in Swiss field hockey history. Indeed, the legendary NHL remains embroiled in the lockout until mid-January. On the Swiss ice, fans can thus admire stars of the caliber of Zetterberg, Tavares, Kane, Seguin, Spezza but also the prodigy sons Streit, Diaz, Weber, etc. In this race for the phenom, Lugano draws quite well. In defense strengthens the team the young defenseman Luca Sbisa, coming from Anaheim, but especially in attack celebrates his full-track class Patrice Bergeron, strong point of the Boston Bruins and really exquisite person. In 21 games with the colors bianconeri, Bergeron scores 11 goals and 18 assists, works like crazy and teaches field hockey to his teammates.
In spite of the NHLers' contribution and accomplices heavy injuries (Hirschi, Domenichelli, Brady Murray in primis) Lugano arrives at the Christmas break not among the first four as hoped in August but, unexpectedly, below the line. The separation in November from Jaroslav Bednar is much discussed. The Czech proves impatient and does not accept the cohabitation of five foreigners. Huras does not 'see' him and, after one too many interviews, the club agrees to his immediate release. In retrospect, probably a mistake.
Thanks to an excellent month of February, Vauclair and his teammates ended the regular season in sixth place and optimistically faced Zug in the playoff quarter-finals. However, in a series of seven drawn games, Doug Shedden's boys passed. Much used during the regular season, some of Lugano's key men failed to make the difference and the Swiss centre players used the whole staff in a smarter way.
None of the set sporting goals were therefore achieved. Neither the fourth rank in the regular season, nor the playoff semi-final. Some youngsters from the youth sector profiled well as starters (Kostner, Simion, at times Fazzini), but it was not enough. The company's long and thorough technical analysis therefore left no escape for Larry Huras who was exonerated and replaced in view of the new season with his assistant Patrick Fischer (new head coach) and with Peter Andersson (new assistant coach).
On the 31st of August 2013 after a friendly game at the Resega against the TPS Turku the HCL retires the jersey no. 33 of Petteri Nummelin as a sign of gratitude towards the protagonist of two extraordinary five years of inspiration, fantasy and spectacle.
A few days later the 2013/2014 season begins. It's the Lugano of Patrick Fischer and Peter Andersson who don't delay to make clear that they have clear ideas. With courage and supported by the society, the two coaches start what is called the "Fischerrevolution". Over the course of months, the club parted ways with Johann Morant, Jordy Murray, Dan Fritsche, Hnat Domenichelli and Glen Metropolit. The aim is to build a fast team capable of playing with intensity, but also to reduce the budget. Also in the process, the national team forward Julian Walker and the powerful defenseman Marco Maurer reached the Resega. On the foreigners' front, the adventure of the Canadian defenseman Chris Campoli lasted for a short time, while the compatriot forward Jacob Micflikier disputed a good regular season but didn't affect the playoff.
The real acquisition is Swedish world champion Fredrik Pettersson. Talented, tireless, a true leader, Pettersson quickly became the added value of the team. Disappointing instead is the contribution of Mikko Lehtonen who landed in Ticino in February. I bianconeri start off poorly from the point of view of results but then grow to greatness and win the warmth of the fans. Fifth at the end of the regular season, they face Mc Sorley's hostile Geneva in the playoffs. The games are tight but the physical superiority of the Grenadians, who win 4-1 in the series, prevails. The positive notes to note at the end of the season, however, are several. The steady inclusion of youngsters from the youth sector including Giacomo Dal Pian, Luca Fazzini and especially Latvian goalkeeper with Swiss license Elvis Merzlikins. Agile and endowed with a strong personality, 19-year-old Elvis played 22 official games, was drafted in the summer by the Columbus Blue Jackets and won the Swiss Ice Hockey Award for the best Rookie in the league.
The following season, 2014/2015, was also launched on August 6, 2014 by the retirement of a historic jersey, that of Flavien Conne. After 14 championships in bianconero, two Swiss titles, five World Cup appearances and two at the Olympic Games, center no. 40 closes his exemplary career in Lugano. The spring 2014 market hit is called Linus Klasen. Endowed with talent and flair like few in Europe, the darting winger will enchant the Swiss league audience, inspiring especially his "different twin" Fredrik Pettersson. The Swedish duo will occupy the top two spots on the regular season scorers' list, with 69 and 55 points, respectively. The team's strengthening effort is completed by the signing of Finnish center Ilari Filppula, the return to the fold of the increasingly solid Alessandro Chiesa, and the signing of defensive center Janick Steinmann. In the process, in exchange for departing players Dominik Schlumpf, Brady Murray and Eric Walsky, 20-year-old defenseman Calle Andersson, prodigal son Alessio Bertaggia and other forward Jurai Simek will arrive on the shores of the Ceresio.
But the name Lugano will be on the lips of the whole hockey world in the middle of December, when the club announces the arrival at the Resega, with a four-year contract, of Damien Brunner after his decision to end his NHL adventure (Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils). For his accelerations on the ice and his speed of execution, the MVP and top scorer of the 2011/2012 season with Zug is considered by the insiders as the most spectacular Swiss forward around. The regular season is extremely positive with the third final rank, the best placement since 2006, more than 4'000 subscribers and an average spectatorship of 5'559. A testimony of the growing passion towards an HCL finally stable at all the levels.
Unfortunately, the playoffs brought little satisfaction. The Geneva nightmare materialised for the second consecutive year. Although the series (lost 4-2) was much more drawn than the previous one. In the end, the Davos of the everlasting Del Curto will lift the cup. In the women's field, the highest national laurel remains at Lugano thanks to the umpteenth enterprise of the Ladies Team, Swiss champion for the sixth time in history.
