EC VSV

EC VSV are an ice hockey team in the Austrian Hockey League. They play their home games at Stadthalle (capacity approximately 4500 specatators) in Villach, Austria. The team colors are blue and white. Their mascot is an eagle - Villach's coat of arms represents an eagle's claw.

Honours

 * Austrian Championships:
 * Winners (6) : 1981, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2006

Promotion to the top division and first successes
By winning the second divisions title in the 1976/77 season the EC VSV acquired the right to ascend to Austria's highest league and stayed there eversince. Following the EC KAC the team is second oldest in this league. Although the team became last in their first season (one of the reasons why trainer Karol Havasi Last was replaced by player-coach Ryan D'Arcy by the end of the season), some of their young players, led by Leo Sivec, already showed good performance here. In their second season they took the fifth place, the main problem was the vacant coaching job, which was initially filled by Adalbert and Saint John, by the end of the season by injured Bart Crashley.

First title win
Missing the Masters three times in a row the 1980/81 season of the Austrian Hockey League finally brought the first success. Thanks to the youth training under Hermann Knoll and an increased incorporation of the young players (Sivec the oldest residents at that time was just 23 years of age) the EC VSV struggled in the regular season up to second place. The Final round against the Wiener EV could be won narrowly. The following year, however Sivec missed due to injury most of the season, and conditional problems did the rest. Both the regular season and Final round ended on a disappointing fifth.