Season commencement for DEG on December 17th
The 2021-2022 season of the German ice hockey championship is underway, featuring a well-balanced format designed to foster regional rivalries while maintaining a unified playoff system.
14 Teams Compete in the DEL
The league, known as the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), is the top-tier professional ice hockey league in Germany, with 14 teams competing this season.
Regional Matchdays
The regular season is divided into two phases. Initially, teams play multiple matchdays within their regional clusters, which are generally divided into northern and southern groups. The exact number of matchdays varies, but all teams face each other several times during these rounds, encouraging local rivalries and reducing travel.
Breakout Games
After regional matchdays, the schedule transitions to "breakout" games, where teams play cross-regional opponents. This phase ensures that all teams face each other at least once or twice, keeping the competition fair and balanced in terms of opponents.
Playoffs
The top 10 teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the playoffs. The playoff format includes a preliminary knockout round for those ranked 7th to 10th, where these teams play best-of-three series to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. The higher-ranked teams (positions 1 to 6) directly qualify for the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final series are played in best-of-seven formats to determine the league champion.
No Relegation
For the 2021-2022 season, there is no relegation from the DEL to the lower-tier leagues. This stability provides financial and organizational security for the clubs. However, teams finishing at the bottom of the standings may face other sporting and financial consequences depending on licensing.
This format aims to balance regional rivalry games and fair competition across the whole league while ensuring excitement through a multi-tiered playoff system. Many people have worked hard over the past weeks and months to make the positive outcome of the 2020-2021 German ice hockey championship possible. The games will be broadcast live on "Magenta Sport," with all teams playing each other twice during the breakout games. Harald Wirtz, CEO of DEG Eishockey GmbH, expresses gratitude to the players, shareholders, partners, sponsors, and fans of DEG, as well as all involved parties of other clubs for their hard work in making the season with all 14 teams possible.
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