EV Landshut

EV Landshut is a professional ice hockey team from Landshut, Bavaria, Germany. The club has gone by a few names over the years: it was originally founded in 1948 as Eislaufverein Landshut (EVL), then competed as the Landshut Cannibals from 2002 to 2013, before switching back to EVL Landshut Eishockey to better reflect its history. Today, the team plays in Deutsche Eishockey Liga 2, Germany’s second-tier league. They earned promotion from the third-tier Oberliga in 2019 by winning the Oberliga finals against the Tilburg Trappers.

The team’s professional operations split off as a separate company in 2002. Since then, the non-profit EVL has handled junior hockey and figure skating, while the pro side has operated independently. Landshut was a mainstay in the Ice hockey Bundesliga from 1963 to 1994 and was a founding member of the DEL. They won the West German National Championship twice: in 1970 and 1983.

The team’s home rink, the Eisstadion am Gutenbergweg, has been in use since 1957, after the club left earlier temporary locations. It has undergone several renovations, most recently in 2021, and now seats 4,448 people. Landshut is known for its strong player development program, which has produced several notable players. Among them are Erich Kühnhackl, named Germany’s hockey player of the century; Gerd Truntschka, an All-Star at the 1987 World Championships; and NHL veterans Marco Sturm, Christoph Schubert, Tobias Rieder, and two-time Stanley Cup winner Tom Kühnhackl.

**History**

Ice hockey in Landshut began in 1934, when local Heinz Wittmann organized a team from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. They first played as Team Brauerei Wittmann, named after the Wittmann Brewery, facing squads from Wartenberg and Donaustauf. On February 1, 1934, the team joined the Ski-Club Landshut (SCL) and won the Danube region championship that same season. From 1935–36, they played in the Kreisliga (then the second division) for three years. In 1937, the ice hockey section moved to another club, Turngemeinde Landshut (TGL). Regular league play stopped after the 1938–39 season due to World War II; only a few friendlies took place during the war, such as a game against Straubing on January 10, 1943.

After the war, from 1945–46 to 1947–48, the team played in the newly formed Landesliga, still under TGL. In 1948, a dispute arose over using hockey revenue for other club sections.