Hammer Eisbären

Hammer Eisbären (also rendered as Hamm Polarbears) is the brand under which the senior ice hockey team of the Hamm, Germany-based club Lippe-Hockey-Hamm plays. The team is based in Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia, and its home games are played at the Spengel Eissportarena. The Eisbären name was adopted in 2011, when the first team of the Youngstars — organized in a dedicated operating company (Spielbetriebsgesellschaft) — was rebranded as Hammer Eisbären, while the umbrella club continued to be called Lippe-Hockey-Hamm. The team played in the third-tier Oberliga West until the 2014/15 season, then competed in the Regionalliga West of the North Rhine-Westphalia ice hockey association from 2015/16, and was promoted to the Oberliga Nord for the 2020/21 season. The club's history reaches back to the ice hockey department of ASV Hamm, whose team, also called Hammer Eisbären, played in the 1. Liga Nord in the 1990s before financial collapse in 1998. Successor clubs ESC Hamm – Hammer Huskies and later Lippe-Hockey-Hamm continued the sport in the city. Today the Hammer Eisbären brand covers the senior team, fan merchandise, ticketing, and community activities, with regular news, a fan shop, and a newsletter for supporters. The team competes in the Oberliga, one of Germany's top amateur ice hockey tiers, and maintains a strong local following in Hamm.

Ice hockey in Hamm has a long tradition, with the Hammer Eisbären name appearing in different eras. The original Hammer Eisbären were the team of the ice hockey department of ASV Hamm, which played in the 1. Liga Nord (then the second tier) from the 1994/95 season. Home games were usually held at the Maximilian Eissporthalle in Hamm, with larger games occasionally moved to the bigger arena in Unna-Königsborn. The club regularly drew more than 1,000 spectators per home game, the highest attendance for a single club in league play in Hamm. In 1994/95 the team finished 12th in the main round and won the relegation/promotion round. The 1995/96 season ended at the bottom of the table with only 9:43 points, and the club failed to stay in the 1. Liga Nord by one point. After a one-year stint in the 2. Eishockey-Liga in 1996/97, where they finished fourth in the main round and earned direct promotion with fifth place in the promotion round, the 1997/98 season turned disastrous amid growing financial difficulties. The team finished 14th of 18 clubs and could not complete the season; a bankruptcy filing two match days before the end led to the club's dissolution. The successor club was ESC Hamm, whose mascot was a husky, hence the name Hammer Huskies. It took over some of the former Eisbären players and started in the lowest amateur class, quickly rising through the leagues to the Regionalliga. After five successful seasons in the Regionalliga, the Huskies also ceased operations due to financial problems, and ESC Hamm e.V. was dissolved. Lippe-Hockey-Hamm was then founded, primarily to take over the youth work of the predecessor Hammer Huskies. Despite the previous collapses, the club decided to field a senior team again, starting in the Bezirksliga NRW. In three years the Young Stars were promoted to the Landesliga, then the Verbandsliga NRW, and finally the Regionalliga. In 2007/08 the club played its first season in the Regionalliga NRW, the highest amateur class in German ice hockey, finishing eighth and fourth in the subsequent relegation/cup round. In 2008/09 they finished eighth in the Regionalliga NRW final round and won the cup round (first place). In 2009/10 they took third place in the Regionalliga West main round and narrowly missed the play-offs with fifth place in the final round. Since 2010/11 Hamm played in the newly introduced Oberliga West, finishing seventh of nine in the first season. Low attendance and high player turnover led the management to make major changes, and the first team was to compete under a new name and management. After the 2010/11 season, the first team of the Youngstars, organized in an operating company, was renamed Hammer Eisbären, while the umbrella club remained Lippe-Hockey-Hamm. The team played in the third-tier Oberliga West until the 2014/15 season. From 2015/16 the first team competed in the Regionalliga West of the ice hockey association of North Rhine-Westphalia. For the 2020/21 season it was promoted to the Oberliga Nord. The Hammer Eisbären brand now represents the senior team in the Oberliga, with an active fan community, online news, a fan shop, and a newsletter.

• 2020

  For the 2020/21 season the team is promoted to the Oberliga Nord.

• 2015

  From the 2015/16 season the first team competes in the Regionalliga West.

• 2011

  After the 2010/11 season, the first team is renamed Hammer Eisbären.

• 2010

  Hamm plays in the newly introduced Oberliga West.

• 2008

  The Young Stars win the Regionalliga NRW cup round.

• 2007

  Lippe-Hockey-Hamm's Young Stars play their first season in the Regionalliga NRW.

• 1998

  The original Hammer Eisbären file for bankruptcy and the club is dissolved.

• 1994

  ASV Hamm's Hammer Eisbären play in the 1. Liga Nord (second tier).

Local ice hockey brand and community team in Hamm, competing in the German Oberliga.

• Hammer Eisbären senior ice hockey team

• Fan merchandise (caps, jerseys, scarves)

• Tickets and season passes

• Newsletter

1. 1Hammer Eisbaeren – Eishockey in Hammhammer-eisbaeren.de
2. 2Eishockey in Hammde.wikipedia.org
3. 3Hamm Polarbearswikidata.org