The Champions Hockey League has given players across Europe the chance to explore this wonderful continent that we live on. However, as was the case for Red Bull Salzburg back in 2018/19, things don’t always go to plan!
In the latest edition of #MyCHLMoment, we want to take you to November 2018, when Red Bull Salzburg were scheduled to play the first leg of their Round of 16 clash against French side Rouen Dragons. The game was set to take place in the northern French city, and we look back on a journey that the players will likely never forget.
#MyCHLMoment – Alexander Pallestrang, Red Bull Salzburg
On 5 November, the Red Bull Salzburg players gathered in preparation for their trip to France. The team was booked on a flight from Vienna to Paris, although many were shocked to hear that their flight, and almost air traffic entering the Austrian capital, had been cancelled due to fog.
"When the news came through that their flight was definitely cancelled, the only other option for us to make the game in time was to take the train."
"In the end it was pretty much like any other away trip, only one we won't forget in a hurry"Red Bull Salzburg's Alexander Pallestrang
The players grabbed their bags and hopped on the TGV high-speed train to Paris, by way of Nuremberg. From the French capital, the team travelled by bus to Rouen, arriving well past midnight after more than 15 hours on the road and rails.
"On the train we did the usual; played cards, read, slept, some played games or watched movies on their laptops, and when you've got so much time on your hands you tend to just fool around. In the end it was pretty much like any other away trip, only one we won't forget in a hurry."
The trip by train was especially tough on goalies Lukas Herzog and Steve Michalek, whose gear takes up significantly more space than that of the outskaters.
"As well as our massive kit bags we also had to carry bags with our personal items. It wasn't easy to stow everything away on the train and we got some really strange looks from the other passengers when we arrived on board with all our gear."
Even if the team was fatigued after the arduous journey, the players took to the ice for morning skate the next day. At the sold out Île Lacroix arena that same evening, both teams played out a 3-3 draw leaving it all to play for in the return game in Austria.
"To come away with a draw is a good result for us. We're now in a very good position for the return game,” Red Bull Salzburg's head coach at the time, Greg Poss, said following the game.
Two weeks later, on 20 November, it was Rouen’s turn to hit the road for the return leg. A pair of first period goals put Red Bull Salzburg in the driving seat, and the Austrian club never looked back, taking a 5-1 victory on their way to becoming the country's first ever representative to reach the CHL Quarter-Finals.
A pair of incredible games followed against Finnish powerhouse Kärpät Oulu... But we think that’s a story for another time!
Take a trip down memory lane with the rest of our #MyCHLMoment series