Meet Maciej from Poland, a supporter of two-time CHL participants GKS Tychy, but also a supporter of ice hockey wherever it may be played! We met Maciej ahead of this season's all-or-nothing game in Geneva, Switzerland where he casually revealed this is his fourth CHL Final in a row!

"Yeah, Geneva is my fourth Final in a row after Hradec Králové in Czechia, Ängelholm and Luleå in Sweden," he started, "though getting tickets was tough this year, I really had to be ready!"

We're surprised he got any as the tickets were all gone in under three minutes and Geneva had to build up a fanzone outside of the arena to house hundreds, even thousands of fans that didn't make the cut.

Since the CHL Final is played in a different venue each year, no Final is the same not just in terms of the teams but in atmosphere, build-up, city, fans, etc. Who better to ask than Maciej, whose three-season comparison allowed him to compare the Finals back-to-back!

"Luleå stands out - the audio-visual setting of the event was amazing. The arena was full, including many Tappara fans, so the atmosphere was fantastic. The game was just great and was open down to the final seconds," he said. 

How did the 2024 Final compare?

"The 2024 Final was amazing," he started, "the quality of the game was at the very top level, the goals were beautiful and the Geneva fans created an incredible spectacle. Winning the CHL for them was a huge achievement!"

As we've mentioned, Maciej is a supporter of GKS Tychy in his native Poland, how did he enjoy the club's two seasons in the Champions Hockey League? "It was fantastic. I loved seeing my team face all these teams from across Europe and I really enjoyed supporting my team on all six of their away games. I got to see Skellefteä, Helsinki, Bolzano, Mannheim, Stockholm and Vienna!"

Until 2023/24, we'd had a Polish team in the CHL for many many seasons, with GKS Tychy, JKH GKS Jastrzębie, Comarch Cracovia and GKS Katowice all given the chance to square up with the Europe's best. As a fan of Polish ice hockey, what has Maciej thought about them participating?

"Polish teams have played some great and close games in the CHL over the years like when Katowice defeated ZSC Lions Zurich and Cracovia beat then-SHL champions Färjestad Karlstad. There were also many close games against teams from Austria, Italy, Norway, Germany, Sweden and so on," he explained.

"I think Polish teams and players have really made use of their opportunities and gained experience which has helped our national team also! In 2022/23 there were even two teams from Poland in the CHL so I hope that maybe a Polish team could return to the CHL again next year," he added.

Ahead of the Final in Geneva, Maciej said that he would be supporting home team Genève-Servette and predicted a near-perfect score of 4-2 to the reigning Swiss champions: "I'll be supporting Geneva, I'm glad they'll have the opportunity to win the trophy for the very first time as a Swiss club," he explained, adding, "I especially wish well to Valtteri Filppula, who is a hockey legend, member of the Triple Gold Club!"

As we know, Filppula did go on to lift the European Trophy and Maciej has already thought of how this, somewhat lonely club given that the Finn is the only TGC member to ever win the CHL, club will be called: Quadruple Gold Club!

After many years of hockey travels, Maciej has just recently started an Instagram page where he takes people along to games across the globe and shares his experiences! You'll find CHL, NHL, European leagues, international games and so much more so be sure to give him a follow.