Austrian Workers' Hockey (pre-1934)

Workers' sports evolved very rapidly in the 1920s. In 1928 the first ice hockey teams comprised of working-class individuals were established. They belonged to the Arbeiterbund für Sport und Körperkultur in Österreich (ASKÖ; in English, Workers' Union of Sports and Physical Culture in Austria), which was founded in 1924. The middle classes took little notice of this activity.
The second SLSI Winter Olympiad was held in Mürzzuschlag, Austria. The Austrian selection won the tournament by defeating Germany and Latvia. In the SportTagblatt newpsaper, the results were briefly listed, which was an exception, as the daily games of the workers were never reported by the paper. The SportTagblatt later noted that the Austrian ice hockey team of the workers would be participating in the Latvian Workers' Winter Sports Festival on February 17 and 18, 1934, in Riga. At Engelmann-Platz on January 24, 1934, there was to be a selection of the best hockey players from the workers organizations.
The magazine of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation, Der Eishockeysport, also reported once on the growth of workers ice hockey. By contrast, reported the Arberteirzeitung newspaper from Vienna regularity reported on the workers games.
In January 1934, the ASKÖ announced that a workers' ice hockey team was to participate in the Latvian Workers Sports Festival on February 17 and 18, 1934. A game to determine the composition of the roster was played on January 24, 1934 at 21:00 at the Kunsteisbahn in Engelmann.
*Team A: Goaltender: Immervoll (Favoriten), Halbwittl (Straßenbahn), Defensemen: Peterlik (Zentralverein), Gabriel (Straßenbahn), Mitteregger (Wieden), Forwards: Schauer (ASV Mödling), Schinko2 (Straßenbahn), Amon (Altmannsdorf), Königsberger (Favoriten), Schneider (Wieden), Racek (Zentralverein)
*Team B: Lazar, Samwald, Weigner, Wolf, Czeck, Hanel, Kleinschegg, Brusch and Vitale (all from Brigittenau)
1000 spectators come to the Engelmann, rinkto see the game between the two teams. The surprise A-Team recorded a surprising victory over the B-team of Brigittenau by a score of 3:1 (1:0, 1: 0, 1:1). Racek, Gabriel and Czech were the scorers for Team A.
Those in charge elected to arrange another warm-up game on January 27, 1934, at the Robert-Blum-Platz in Vienna. There were two teams, where the best players were represented.
*Team A: Halbwittl (Straßenbahn), Mitteregger (Wieden), Gabriel (Straßenbahn), Wolf, Czech, Hanek (all from Brigittenau), Schauer (ASV Mödling), Schinko2 (Straßenbahn), Razek (Zentralverein)
*Team B: Immervoll (Favoriten), Samwald (Brigittenau) Seilnacht (Altmannsdorf), Sturma (Zentralverein), Scheider (Wieden), Vitale (Brigittenau), Schinko3 (Straßenbahn), Latta (Favoriten), Amon (Altmannsdorf)
The game ended 7:2 for the B-Team. However, the organizers still has not enough information to select a team. So a third game was arranged for January 30, 1934, at 21:00 in Meidling. The rosters were basically the same as the previous game. The A-Team won the match by a 3:2 score in front of 700 spectators.
Six countries had signed up for the tournament Riga. Before the Austrian team's scheduled departure for Riga on February 13, 1934, a match featuring a Vienna selection against a selection from Lower Austria was scheduled February 10, 1934, by the ASKÖ. The game startsed at 21:00 on the Engelmann ice rink in Vienna. The Latvian Consul was present as a guest. The game ended 1:0 for the Vienna Team.
*Vienna Team: Immervoll (Favoriten), Mitteregger (Wieden), Samwald, Wolf, Czech, Hanek, Vitale (all from Brigittenau), Schinko3, Schinko2 (both from Straßenbahn),
*Lower Austrian Team: Zeilinger, Bohata (both from ASV Mödling), Mowak (Stockerau), Schauer, Kalla, Posovat, Maier, Geydoschek (all from ASV Mödling), Heinzl (Stockerau)
With the ban on the Social Democratic Labour Party in Austria in February 1934, all connected social democratic umbrella organizations of sport, etc. were prohibited. So all workers hockey teams ceased to exist. Some of the workers clubs were later re-founded under different names. The participation of the Austrian worker's team in the Riga tournament was no longer possible due to the ban.
==Workers' Championship winners==
*1929-30: WAT Brigittenau
*1930-31: WAT Brigittenau
*1931-32: WAT Brigittenau
*1932-33: WAT Brigittenau
*1933-34: not completed
==Workers' teams==
===Vienna===
Team 	Abbr. 	Founded 	Notes
Athletiksportverein Einheit XII 	Einheit 12 	1929 	
Arbeiterbildungsverein Alsergrund 	Alsergrund 	1928 	
ASK Meidling 	Meidling 	1931 	
ASK Liesing 	Liesing 	1933 	
Buchdrucker 	Buchdrucker 	1932 	
TG Döbling 	Döbling 	1932 	
TG Donaufeld 	Donaufeld 	1933 	
TG Draschepark 	Draschepark 	1932 	
Eishockeyverein Hernals-Währing 	Hernals-Währing 	01.12.1933	Merger between Hernals and Währing
Eishockeyclub Vindobona 	EKV 	1932 	
E-Werk 	E-Werk 	1933 	
Hauptwerkstätte 	Hauptwerkstätte 	1932 	
Hellas Oberlaa 	Hellas Oberlaa 	1933 	
Phönix 12 	Phönix 12 	1931 	
Phönix Meidling 	Phönix Meidling 	1931 	
Postunion 	Postunion 	1933 	
Technische Union 	Technische Union	1929 	
WAT Augarten 	Augarten 	1931 	
WAT Brigittenau 	Brigittenau 	1928 	
WAT Favoriten 	Favoriten 	1928 	
WAT Floridsdorf 	Floridsdorf 	1929 	
WAT Fünfhaus 	Fünfhaus 	1931 	
WAT Hernals 	Hernals 	1929 	Merged into Hernals-Währing
WAT Kagran 	Kagran 	1933 	
WAT Landstraße 	Landstraße 	1929 	
WAT Margareten 	Margareten 	1928 	
WAT Mariahilf 	Mariahilf 	1928 	
WAT Meidling 	Meidling 	1929 	
WAT Ottakring 	Ottakring 	1928 	
WAT Stadlau 	Stadlau 	1932 	
WAT Währing 	Währing 	1929 	Merged into Hernhals-Währing
WAT Wieden 	Wieden 	1928 	
Sportklub Altmannsdorf 	Altmannsdorf 	1931 	
Sportklub Rote Elf 	Rote Elf 	Nov. 1931 	
Straßenbahnersportvereinigung 	Straßenbahn 	1928 	
Wien-West 	Wien-West 	1929 	
Zentralverein der kaufmännischen Angestellten	Zentralverein 	1928 	On 13.11.1934, became Sportsektion Merkur
===Lower Austria===
Team 	Abbr. 	Founded
Eishockeyverein Hainburg	Hainburg 	1933
ASV Petronell 	Petronell 	1932
ASV Mödling 	ASV Mödling	1929
TG Stockerau 	Stockerau 	1931
ATV Waldegg 	Waldegg 	1933
===Upper Austria===
Team 	Abbr.	Founded
ATV Steyr	Steyr	1933
===Steiermark===
Team 	Abbr. 	Founded
TG Mürzzuschlag	Mürzzuschlag	1931
==Sources==
*Arbeiterzeitung Wien newspaper
*Kleine Blatt newspaper
*SportTagblatt newpaper
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Category:Ice hockey leagues