Ultras are a type of ice hockey fans mainly in European ice hockey culture who are known for their fanatical support of a club. The term originated in Italy and comes from the Latin word ultra, meaning "beyond" or "farther", but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of sports clubs. Ultras fans in ice hockey are known for organised chants, tifo choreographies, flags and sometimes flares.[1][2][3]

French ice hockey fans with tifos in a 2008 French Cup game.

Ultras in ice hockey are known for violence and hooliganism.[4][5][6] Some ice hockey teams have association football sections and share fans and fan groups with them. Some ultras groups are linked to far-right ideologies and fascism.[7][8]

Europe

edit

Finland

edit
 
2,000 Ilves fans marching into the arena in Vaasa

The first ultras groups in Finnish hockey were HC TPS' Sissiryhmä founded in the early 2000s, Helsingin Jokerit's fan group Ultras Jokerit[9] and Vaasan Sport's Ultras 06 founded in 2004, and Lahti Pelicans' Ääriliike founded in 2005,[10] and Porin Ässät's fan group Pataljoona founded in 2008.[11]

Most of the first wave ultras groups no longer exist. HC TPS supporters go by the name Mutka. Since 2023 the ultras section of Jokerit went by Katupojat until being disestablished in 2024.[12] Pelicans' different supporter groups have united as Lahen Turkoosi.[10] Among the second-wave ultras groups activated during the 2010s are Ilves' Osasto 41,[13] Poromafia of Oulun Kärpät,[14] Raumam Boja of Lukko Rauma,[15] Men Behaving Badly Kouvola of KooKoo,[16] Viikinkiveljet of Jukurit[17] and Hermes Loyals of Hermes.[18][19] Porin Ässät used to have an ultras group called Etulinja.[20]

Germany

edit
 
ETC Crimmitschau fans

Since the early 2000s, the ultras ieology has also become established in the German ice hockey fan scene, and various ultra groups can be found in many ice rinks and arenas from the DEL to the minor leagues.[21] However, the first ultra-similar groups formed earlier. In the mid-1990s the first choreographies were seen in Munich and the Munich Supporters were formed. The ultras group Red Line was founded in Krefeld in 1996. Groups also formed in Augsburg and Schwenningen before the turn of the millennium. Choreography and other ultra features were viewed very skeptically at the time, but are now common practice in many arenas. In the relatively small scene there are a lot of contacts between the active people of the various groups. Violence occurs irregularly between ultra groups in various clubs.[22][23]

Sweden

edit

Two of the biggest ultras groups in Swedish ice hockey belong to rival teams Djurgårdens IF and AIK IF.[3][24][25]

Switzerland

edit
 
ZSC Lions fans with a tifo

The most common violations of law by ultras and hooligans in the 2019–20 ice hockey and football season were infringements of the explosives law, not adhering to the ban on face-coverings and engaging in violence or intimidation towards authorities.[26]

Some ultras groups in Switzerland include the Friburgensis of the Fribourg-Gotteron[27] and the ZSC Lions ultras groups.[28]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Interview mit ZSC-CEO Peter Zahner – «Jetzt gibt es keine Choreos mehr, keine Fahnen, keine Trommeln»". Der Landbote (in German). 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  2. ^ "Häikäisevä tifo! SaiPa-faneilta upea kunnianosoitus seuralegendalle – "Ikuinen kapteeni"". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  3. ^ a b "Vierasfanit aiottiin jo kieltää, odotettavissa soihtuja ja jännitteitä – Huomenna räjähtää pohjoismainen jääkiekkoruutitynnyri". Jatkoaika.com - Kaikki jääkiekosta (in Finnish). 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  4. ^ "Ilveksen faniryhmä tuomitsee tiukasti viimeaikaiset ylilyönnit: "Tällainen käytös ei ole hyväksyttävää"". Aamulehti (in Finnish). 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  5. ^ "Kolumni: Kiekkohuumassa pelottava puoli". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2012-05-16. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  6. ^ "Hockey and football fans fight in Geneva". WRS. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  7. ^ "Kan stoppas – från matchen i Leksand". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  8. ^ "Efter "avslöjandet": "Vi är inte fascister"". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  9. ^ "Jokerit ja kannattajat murroksen tiellä | Faneille.com". faneille.com (in Finnish). 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  10. ^ a b "Pelicansin kannattajat keräävät tunnelmapaloja". Uusi Lahti (in Finnish). 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  11. ^ "Ässien faniryhmältä ulosmarssi kesken avauserän – katsomoon jätetty kyltti kertoi olennaisen". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 2021-10-16. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  12. ^ "Katupojat". katupoj.at. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  13. ^ "Osasto 41 sytyttää hurmoksen sekä koti- että vieraskentillä". Tampereen Ilves (in Finnish). 2022-04-04. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  14. ^ "Katso: Kärpät-faneilta huomattava kannanotto runkosarjan päätöskierroksella". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  15. ^ "Raumam Boja". Kouvolan Sanomat (in Finnish). 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  16. ^ "Kaakon parhaat jääkiekkojoukkueet pelaavat Kouvolassa - Lappeenrannasta tulee junallinen SaiPan faneja jäähalliin". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2016-01-09. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  17. ^ Jalonen, Krister (2017-10-05). "SM-liigaseuran faniryhmillä erikoinen riita – kiistakapulana suhtautuminen kehitysvammaisiin ja vanhuksiin". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  18. ^ "Topias Liljamon huikea yksilösuoritus paketoi pelin jatkoajalla – Katso videolta kannattajaryhmä Hermes Loyalsin tunnelmia". Keskipohjanmaa (in Finnish). 2022-12-30. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  19. ^ "Stor dramatik när Hermes slog JoKP - Takala avgjorde 13 sekunder före fulltid". osterbottenstidning.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  20. ^ "Ässien tosifaneille oma katsomo". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  21. ^ "Polizei-Präsenz bringt Ruhe in die Scheune". www.merkur.de (in German). 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  22. ^ "Reaktion auf Fan-Krawalle im Eishockey: "Hooliganismus gegenüber haben wir null Toleranz"". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  23. ^ "Nach den Winter-Games: Massenschlägerei zwischen Eishockey-Ultras aus Köln und Mannheim". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (in German). 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  24. ^ Bexell, Patrik (2019-03-05). ""If there's no fans, there's no game": The relationship between team and supporter". Habs Eyes on the Prize. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  25. ^ Staff, BarDown (2019-05-03). "Fans of SHL's Djurgarden responded to finals loss with an incredible show of support - Article". BARDOWN. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  26. ^ swissinfo.ch, S. W. I. (2020-10-01). "Violence still affects Swiss football and ice hockey games". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  27. ^ Liberté, La (2019-11-27). "After harsh sanctions - Fribourg-Ultras want to file an appeal". swisshockeynews.ch. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  28. ^ "«Das ist nicht akzeptabel» – ZSC Lions verbieten Trommeln und Fahnen". 20 Minuten (in German). 2023-01-17. Retrieved 2024-08-27.