A dramatic Wednesday evening in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, ended with a historic moment for both the team and their country.
Fehérvár AV19 finished third in the ICE Hockey League regular season, and, by virtue of Red Bull Salzburg knocking the Vienna Capitals out of the playoffs, were confirmed of a place in the 2022/23 Champions Hockey League. That news came some 20 minutes after the Hungarian side beat fellow 2022/23 qualifiers Villach SV 5-4 in overtime to take a 3-1 lead in their semi-final series.
This will be the first time that Hungary is represented in Europe’s premier ice hockey event and the first time that a Hungarian team takes on Europe’s best since 1996. Fehérvár had already made franchise history this season by winning their first-ever ICE Hockey League quarter-final series since entering the league in 2007, while they now find themselves one win away from their first-ever appearance in the finals.
“It’s awesome to have qualified!” began the team’s General Manager, Viktor Szélig. “I didn’t really think we’d have a chance to play in the Champions Hockey League, especially not this fast, but I’m really happy that we have this spot."
"We dreamed of playing in the CHL... it's come a bit earlier than everyone thought."Viktor Szélig, General Manager
“I say ‘this fast’ because we have an ongoing project here in Fehérvár to have a new building, but that’s still around two years away. We dreamed of playing in the CHL and thought maybe it’ll happen once for the franchise in the future, but it’s come a bit earlier than everyone thought."
Szélig is no stranger to the CHL, having played in the competition for Briançon Diables Rouges in the inaugural 2014/15 season. “It’s a very big thing for Hungary, and I hope that our participation will really bring Hungarian ice hockey fans together," he continued. "We want to do a big campaign over the summer so that it’s not just our unbelievable fans that can come and see us play in the CHL, but everyone in the country that follows ice hockey.”
Fehérvár join Villach and Salzburg as the third qualified team from the ICE Hockey League. Salzburg have already made it to the playoff final, while Fehérvár and Villach will play game five of their series on Friday.