2007–08 German ice hockey league season
Encyclopedia
| German ice hockey season 2007-08 |
|---|
| Nation |
| Levels |
| DEL |
| 2nd Bundesliga 2nd Bundesliga (ice hockey) The 2nd Eishockey-Bundesliga is the second tier of Ice hockey in Germany. It is organised by the DEB, the German Ice Hockey Federation. In the 2007-08 season, it features 14 teams.- History of the 2nd Ice Hockey Bundesliga :... |
| Oberliga Oberliga (Ice Hockey) The Oberliga is currently the third tier of ice hockey in Germany. In the 2007-08 season, the Oberliga is split in a northern and a southern group.-1948-58:... |
| Number of leagues |
| 3 |
| Number of teams |
| 48 |
| Champions |
| Eisbären Berlin Eisbären Berlin ' are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga , the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members... |
The DEL, 2nd Bundesliga and Oberliga are the first three levels of ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. All three leagues operate nationwide. While the DEL is an independenty operated league, the other two are run by the German ice hockey federation, the DEB
Deutscher Eishockey-Bund
The German Ice Hockey Federation , commonly abbereviated as DEB, has been the responsible federation of ice hockey associations since its establishment on June 16, 1963, for the sport of ice hockey in Germany...
, through the ESBG. The leagues below the Oberliga are operated by the state federations (German:Landesverbände) and don't run nationwide. The 2007-08 season for the three top leagues started on 6 September 2007 with the first round in the DEL and finished on 25 April 2008 with the fifth and last game of the 2nd Bundesliga finals.
Champions
- DEL: Eisbären Berlin
- 2nd Bundesliga: Kassel Huskies
- Oberliga: Dresdner Eislöwen
Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the DEL
- For main article, see Deutsche Eishockey Liga
The DEL is the highest tier of German ice hockey. The league was played with 15 clubs in the 2007-08 season, one more than the previous season, because the 2006-07 2nd Bundesliga champion EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams
EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams
EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams are a professional ice hockey club of the German professional ice hockey league Deutsche Eishockey Liga. They play their games at Eisarena in Wolfsburg...
had joined the league. The modus however remained the same. Each club played the other four times, resulting in 56 regular season games per club. The top six clubs at the end of the regular season are qualified for the first round of the play-offs. The clubs seven to ten play a preliminary round to determined the last two places for the first round. For the teams placed eleven to fifteen, the season has ended. No club will be relegated from the DEL this season. The league will however expand and admit a sixteenth team for next season.
The league was won, for a third time in four years, by the Eisbären Berlin.
Final table
The final table operates under the following points system: Three points for a win, two for a win after overtime or penalties, one for a loss after overtime or penalties and no points for an outright loss.| Position | Name | P | Won | OTW | PW | OTL | PL | Lost | GF | GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinupret Ice Tigers Sinupret Ice Tigers The Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Nürnberg are a professional ice hockey club located in Nuremberg, Germany. They play in the country's premier league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-History:... |
56 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 206 | 144 | 115 |
| 2 | Eisbären Berlin Eisbären Berlin ' are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga , the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members... |
56 | 33 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 231 | 165 | 113 |
| 3 | Kölner Haie Kölner Haie The Kölner Haie are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.The team colours are red and white.... |
56 | 28 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 192 | 146 | 109 |
| 4 | Frankfurt Lions Frankfurt Lions The Frankfurt Lions were a professional men's ice hockey club from Frankfurt, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club ceased operations in 2010 due to financial difficulty.-History:... |
56 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 188 | 172 | 97 |
| 5 | Iserlohn Roosters Iserlohn Roosters The Iserlohn Roosters are a professional ice hockey team based in Iserlohn, North-Rhine-Westphalia. They are members of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga since 2000 and play their home games at the Eissporthalle Iserlohn which is also known as Eissporthalle am Seilersee. Playing nine years in the DEL the... |
56 | 25 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 208 | 196 | 96 |
| 6 | Adler Mannheim Adler Mannheim Adler Mannheim are an ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest ice hockey league in Germany. The team is from Mannheim, a city in the north of Baden-Wurttemberg... (C) |
56 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 180 | 174 | 92 |
| 7 | Hamburg Freezers Hamburg Freezers The Hamburg Freezers are a member of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga that play their games in Hamburg, Germany. Originally known as the Munich Barons from 1999 until 2002, team owner Philip Anschutz relocated the franchise to Hamburg for financial reasons on 3 June 2002, and renamed the team the... |
56 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 20 | 194 | 171 | 87 |
| 8 | Hannover Scorpions Hannover Scorpions The Hannover Scorpions are a professional ice hockey team founded in 1975 as ESC Wedemark. The team was renamed Wedemark Scorpions in 1996 after the rock band Scorpions, who also call Hanover, Lower Saxony their home. Their games are played at TUI Arena of the Expo Plaza... |
56 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 171 | 171 | 86 |
| 9 | DEG Metro Stars DEG Metro Stars The DEG Metro Stars is a German professional ice hockey team in Düsseldorf. It was Germany's most successful hockey club for a long time and had many international players... |
56 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 169 | 173 | 85 |
| 10 | ERC Ingolstadt ERC Ingolstadt The ERC Ingolstadt are a member of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Commonly known as the Panthers, they play their games in Ingolstadt, Germany at the Saturn Arena. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Ingolstadt signed NHLers Marco Sturm, Andy McDonald, Jamie Langenbrunner and Aaron Ward... |
56 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 180 | 190 | 83 |
| 11 | Krefeld Pinguine Krefeld Pinguine The Krefeld Pinguine are an ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. They play in Krefeld, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany at the KönigPALAST. Founded first in 1936, the pro team became a limited liability company in 1994 and joined the top tier Deutsche Eishockey Liga... |
56 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 191 | 193 | 80 |
| 12 | Augsburger Panther Augsburger Panther The Augsburger Panther are a professional ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team is based in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. They play their home games at the Curt Frenzel Stadion.... |
56 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 158 | 187 | 67 |
| 13 | EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams are a professional ice hockey club of the German professional ice hockey league Deutsche Eishockey Liga. They play their games at Eisarena in Wolfsburg... (N) |
56 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 152 | 202 | 55 |
| 14 | Straubing Tigers Straubing Tigers The Straubing Tigers are a professional men's ice hockey team in the German Ice Hockey League . They play out of Straubing, Germany, and they play their home games at Eisstadion am Pulverturm, which can hold 5,800 spectators.... |
56 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 34 | 132 | 197 | 50 |
| 15 | EV Duisburg | 56 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 36 | 142 | 213 | 45 |
- Abbreviations: P = Games played, OTW = Overtime win, PW = Win after penalty shootout, OTL = Overtime loss, PL = Loss after penalty shoutout, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, (C) = Defending champion, (N) = New club
- Source:
Play-offs
The four rounds of the 2007-08 play-offs were played under the following system:- Preliminary round: Best-of-three
- First round: Best-of-seven
- Semi finals: Best-of-five
- Finals: Best-of-five
Unlike the regular season, in the play-offs games will not be decided by penalty shoot-outs but in overtime (OT) sudden-death. In all play-off rounds the higher placed team from the regular season has home advantage in the uneven numbered games (Game 1, 3, 5, 7) and the other team in the even numbered games (Game 2, 4, 6).
Preliminary round
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Hamburg Freezers ERC Ingolstadt 3-5 5-4 OT 4-3 Hannover Scorpions DEG Metro Stars 4-3 2-4 1-2 OT
First round
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Sinupret Ice Tigers DEG Metro Stars 3-2 1-3 1-2 3-6 2-3 — — Eisbären Berlin Hamburg Freezers 2-4 7-4 6-1 6-1 4-3 OT — — Kölner Haie Adler Mannheim 4-3 1-2 5-4 OT 4-3 OT 4-1 — — Frankfurt Lions Iserlohn Roosters 4-3 OT 2-3 OT 3-4 OT 1-5 4-2 4-0 4-3
Semi finals
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Eisbären Berlin DEG Metro Stars 4-1 3-4 4-3 OT 1-5 3-1 Kölner Haie Frankfurt Lions 7-1 4-5 OT 2-1 OT 3-4 3-2
Finals
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Eisbären Berlin Kölner Haie 3-2 OT 1-2 4-3 2-1 OT —
Play-off tree
Regular season
Player Club Games Goals Assists Points 
Germany Robert HockIserlohn Roosters 56 24 63 87 
Canada Steve WalkerEisbären Berlin 53 27 58 85 Canada Peter SarnoPeter SarnoPeter Sarno is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for Alleghe Hockey in the Italian Serie A. He was selected in the sixth round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, 141st overall, by the Edmonton Oilers....Hamburg Freezers 56 26 48 74 Germany Michael WolfIserlohn Roosters 56 44 27 71 
Slovakia Ivan ČiernikKölner Haie 56 38 28 66
Play-offs
Player Club Games Goals Assists Points Canada Nathan RobinsonNathan RobinsonNathan Robinson is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with Espoo Blues of the SM-liiga in Finland.-Playing career:...Eisbären Berlin 13 4 11 15 Slovakia Ivan CiernikKölner Haie 14 11 2 13 Canada Chris TaylorFrankfurt Lions 12 5 8 13 Canada Peter SarnoHamburg Freezers 8 4 9 13 Germany Sven FelskiEisbären Berlin 13 3 10 13 Canada Jason YoungFrankfurt Lions 12 3 10 13
2nd Bundesliga
- For main article, see 2nd Bundesliga2nd Bundesliga (ice hockey)The 2nd Eishockey-Bundesliga is the second tier of Ice hockey in Germany. It is organised by the DEB, the German Ice Hockey Federation. In the 2007-08 season, it features 14 teams.- History of the 2nd Ice Hockey Bundesliga :...
The 2nd Bundesliga is the second highest tier of ice hockey in Germany. The league played with 14 clubs in the 2007-08 season, the same number it had since 2001. Each club played each other four times during the regular season. The top eight teams in the league qualified for the play-offs to determined the 2nd Bundesliga champion who also has the opportunity to gain promotion to the DEL this season. For the clubs placed nine and ten, the season has finished after the regular round. The bottom four clubs play out the two relegated teams from the 2nd Bundesliga. However, due to the later insolvency of two of the leagues team, only one club, the EV Landsberg, was relegated.
The league was won by the Kassel Huskies who thereby earned the right to apply for a DEL licence and return to the league they played in until 2006.
The Moskitos Essen and Eisbären Regensburg both declared insolvencyInsolvencyInsolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
on 15 April 2008, being unable to meet their debts. Both clubs are immediately relegated from the 2nd Bundesliga. The two relegated clubs, Lausitz and Landsberg, are the first replacement for the two. The EV Landsberg is in financial trouble themselves and will probably not take part in the next 2nd Bundesliga season, therefore the Wölfe Freiburg become the next replacement as best placed semi final loser from the Oberliga. Should Regensburg be able to survive the insolvency, the team could enter in the Oberliga for the 2008-09 season, this is however seen as unlikely by the club. If not it will take up the place of its reserve team in the Bavarian Landesliga (Tier V). Which league the Moskitos Essen will be playing in in 2008-09 is not yet clear but it will not be the 2nd Bundesliga. Like Regensburg, the team could take the place of the reserve side which won promotion to the Regionalliga (Tier IV) this season.
Due to the structure of the 2nd Bundesliga, where all teams playing are separate companies operated by the mother club, the insolvency of one of those does not mean the club itselve becomes insolvent. Reserve teams are usually operated by the mother club and therefore unaffected by any insolvencies.
Regular season
The final table operates under the following points system: Three points for a win, two for a win after overtime, one for a loss after overtime and no points for an outright loss.Position Name P Won OTW OTL Lost GF GA GD Points 1 Kassel Huskies 52 36 6 2 8 186 114 72 122 2 Landshut Cannibals Landshut CannibalsThe Landshut Cannibals are a professional ice hockey team based in Landshut, Bavaria. Currently they are members of the 2nd Bundesliga. The team was founded in 1948 as Eislaufverein Landshut , but since 2002 the professional team is organised as “Landshut Cannibals”. The EVL is still responsible...
52 28 4 3 17 171 128 43 95 3 Heilbronner Falken (N) 52 27 4 3 18 171 132 39 92 4 SERC Wild Wings 52 25 5 6 16 185 153 32 91 5 SC Riessersee (N) 52 23 4 8 17 176 175 1 85 6 Moskitos Essen 52 24 4 2 22 196 184 12 82 7 SC Bietigheim-Bissingen 52 22 2 7 21 130 129 1 77 8 ETC Crimmitschau 52 19 5 7 21 125 140 -15 74 9 EHC München 52 19 4 5 24 150 169 -19 70 10 Eisbären Regensburg 52 18 5 4 25 134 162 -28 68 11 EV Ravensburg Tower Stars (N) 52 17 7 2 26 168 178 -10 67 12 REV Bremerhaven 52 20 2 2 28 148 164 -16 66 13 Lausitzer Füchse Lausitzer FüchseThe Lausitzer Füchse is a German ice hockey team, based in Weißwasser, Saxony.- History :The team was founded already in 1932 but is most significant for its remarkable domination as SG Dynamo Weißwasser in the GDR ice hockey league with over 25 championships...
52 16 1 4 31 149 184 -35 54 14 EV Landsberg 2000 52 13 4 2 33 137 214 -77 49 - Abbreviations: P = Games played, OTW = Overtime win, OTL = Overtime loss, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, GD = Goal difference, (N) = New club
Play-offs
The three rounds of the 2007–08 play-offs were played under the following system:- First round: Best-of-seven
- Semi finals: Best-of-five
- Finals: Best-of-five
In all play-off rounds the higher placed team from the regular season has home advantage in the uneven numbered games (Game 1, 3, 5, 7) and the other team in the even numbered games (Game 2, 4, 6). Should a game be undecided after regular time, there will be one overtime (OT) in sudden death format. Should there still be no winner, the game is decided through penalties (P).
First round
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Kassel Huskies ETC Crimmitschau 4-2 3-7 4-2 0-3 4-1 4-1 — Landshut Cannibals SC Bietigheim-Bissingen 3-2 5-0 5-2 1-3 2-1 OT — — Heilbronner Falken Moskitos Essen 2-6 4-3 P 6-7 OT 5-4 P 6-3 4-3 — SERC Wild Wings SC Riessersee 2-3 2-4 4-1 2-3 4-1 2-1 4-1
Semi finals
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Kassel Huskies SERC Wild Wings 4-1 1-3 3-0 5-3 — Landshut Cannibals Heilbronner Falken 5-3 4-2 4-3 — —
Finals
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Kassel Huskies Landshut Cannibals 0-1 6-0 5-0 4-5 OT 3-2 OT - The Kassel Huskies are the 2nd Bundesliga champions and gained the right to apply for a DEL licence.
Play-downs
The play downs consists of only one round, played in a best-of-seven format. The two loser of this round are nominally relegated to the Oberliga.
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 EV Ravensburg EV Landsberg 2000 5-4 OT 7-4 7-2 4-3 — — — REV Bremerhaven EHC Lausitzer Füchse 5-0 2-3 6-3 3-2 OT 1-2 2-3 P 6-4 - The EV Landsberg and EHC Lausitzer Füchse are relegated. Due to the insolvency of Essen and Regensburg, the Lausitzer Füchse remain in the league. The EV Landsberg could also stay in the 2nd Bundesliga but was in financial trouble themselves and will play in the Oberliga next season.
Play-off tree
Oberliga
- For main article, see OberligaOberliga (Ice Hockey)The Oberliga is currently the third tier of ice hockey in Germany. In the 2007-08 season, the Oberliga is split in a northern and a southern group.-1948-58:...
The Oberliga is the third tier of ice hockey in Germany and as such the lowest nationwide level; below it are currently the LEV's (Landesverbände). In the 2007–08 season the league played with 19 clubs. For the first time since 2001, the Oberliga was split into a northern and a southern group. Unlike until 2001 however, when the top teams of the two divisions only met in the finals, games between the two groups are already staged in the regular season, when teams from the same division met each other four times while teams from opposite divisions only met twice.
The first four clubs in each group qualified for the Oberliga play-offs to determine the two promoted clubs to the 2nd Bundesliga. An Oberliga final is not played as the two semifinal winners are both promoted. The regular season results between the two semifinal winners determined the Oberliga champion instead. The two fifth-placed teams and the sixth from the south finished their season with the end of the regular season. The bottom four clubs of each division played out one relegated team each, independently of each other. In turn, the three regional champions will gain promotion to the Oberliga with the possibility of more clubs moving up should the DEL, as planned, expand or a club in the top three divisions fold or withdraw.
The league was won by the Dresdner Eislöwen who are, together with the runner-up Tölzer Löwen, promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga. Due to Kassel gaining entry to the DEL, the Wölfe Freiburg were also promoted. Of the bottom two clubs, only Erfurt was relegated. Weiden withdrew from the league for financial reasons.
Regular season
The regular season saw the league split into two groups, the Oberliga Nord and Oberliga Süd, a separation which had existed until the 2000–01 season.
North
Position Name P Won OTW OTL Lost GF GA GD Points 1 Dresdner Eislöwen (R) 52 33 5 4 10 240 144 96 113 2 Blue Lions Leipzig (N) 52 28 6 6 12 248 170 78 102 3 EC Hannover Indians 52 28 6 6 12 219 160 59 102 4 Blue Devils Weiden 52 22 7 7 16 215 192 23 87 5 Piranhas Rostock (N) 52 18 7 5 22 184 210 -26 73 6 Saale Bulls Halle (N) 52 14 6 3 29 167 227 -60 57 7 Rote Teufel Bad Nauheim (N) 52 15 2 7 28 185 220 -35 56 8 Eisbären Juniors Berlin 52 8 5 9 30 136 187 -51 43 9 Black Dragons Erfurt (N) 52 7 3 4 38 136 293 -157 31
South
Position Name P Won OTW OTL Lost GF GA GD Points 1 Tölzer Löwen 54 41 2 3 8 254 128 126 130 2 Wölfe Freiburg 54 34 3 2 15 241 160 81 110 3 EV Füssen 54 35 1 1 17 283 217 66 108 4 ESV Kaufbeuren (R) 54 29 5 2 18 210 155 55 99 5 EHC Klostersee 54 27 5 5 17 209 194 15 96 6 EC Peiting 54 27 3 4 20 216 179 37 91 7 Starbulls Rosenheim 54 22 3 6 23 179 200 -21 78 8 Deggendorf Fire (N) 54 18 5 2 29 207 244 -37 66 9 TEV Miesbach 54 8 5 3 38 156 278 -122 37 10 Passau Black Hawks (N) 54 8 3 3 40 126 253 -127 33 - Abbreviations: P = Games played, OTW = Overtime win, OTL = Overtime loss, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, GD = Goal difference, (R) Club relegated from the 2nd Bundesliga, (N) = New club
Play-offs
The Oberliga play-offs are operating on a best-of-seven modus. The winning teams of the semi finals are promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga. Should the DEL expand to 16 teams, the best placed club of the two semi final losers will also gain entry to the 2nd Bundesliga.
First round
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Dresdner Eislöwen ESV Kaufbeuren 6-1 2-1 4-3 P 1-2 5-2 — — Tölzer Löwen Blue Devils Weiden 4-0 3-1 6-1 8-1 — — — Blue Lions Leipzig EV Füssen 6-8 5-7 6-3 3-4 OT 4-2 1-4 — Wölfe Freiburg Hannover Indians 2-1 4-8 3-5 3-5 4-2 6-4 6-3
Semi finals
Winners promoted to 2nd Bundesliga.Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Dresdner Eislöwen EV Füssen 6-1 3-5 5-4 4-0 5-4 OT — — Tölzer Löwen Wölfe Freiburg 5-0 6-3 7-2 6-4 — — —
- The Tölzer Löwen and Dresdner Eislöwen are both promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga. The Dresdner Eislöwen are the 2007-08 Oberliga champions.
Play-downs
The Oberliga play-downs are also operating on a best-of-seven modus. The two groups determind separatly one relegated team each, this being the losing teams of the second round.
First round
- North
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Saale Bulls Halle Black Dragons Erfurt 12-4 6-1 6-2 7-2 — — — Rote Teufel Bad Nauheim Eisbären Juniors Berlin 2-1 0-1 4-3 OT 2-1 2-3 2-1 OT — - South
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Starbulls Rosenheim EHF Passau Black Hawks 3-2 0-1 2-1 1-3 3-2 1-4 5-0 Deggendorf Fire TEV Miesbach 6-2 3-4 5-3 3-2 OT 3-2 OT — —
Second round
Losing teams relegated to the LEV's.- North
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Eisbären Juniors Berlin Black Dragons Erfurt 6-3 6-2 5-1 6-0 — — — - South
Team Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 TEV Miesbach EHF Passau Black Hawks 6-2 2-5 5-1 1-3 4-1 6-3 — - The Black Dragons Erfurt and EHF Passau Black Hawks are relegated to the LEV's. Due to the insolvency of Essen and Regensburg in the 2nd Bundesliga, Passau will remain in the league.
Play-off tree
- * Finals not played, the Dresdner Eislöwen declared champions due to winning both regular season games versus Tölzer Löwen.
Leagues below the Oberliga
The levels below the Oberliga are not administrated by the DEB but rather by the local federations, the LEV's. With the ESBG's intention to increase the number of clubs in the Oberliga from 19 to 20 to balance both leagues, three promotion places will be available from the LEV's to this league in 2007-08. Should the DEL expand as well, another promotion spot would become available and it is planned to hand this one to the Regionalliga West. Only the three regional champions had the right for promotion but all clubs but the Herner EV declined:
- Regionalliga West: champions: Herner EV 2007, runners-up: EHC Dortmund
- Regionalliga Nordost: champions: EHV Schönheide, runners-up: ECC Preussen Juniors Berlin
- Bayernliga: champions: EHC Waldkraiburg, runners-up: EC Pfaffenhofen
Regionalliga West
The Regionalliga West is actually not quite a league but rather a promotion round. It contains the best six teams of the Regionalliga Nordrhein-Westfalen, and the top two teams of the Regionalliga Hessen and the Baden-Württemberg Liga each. The winner of this league is promoted to the Oberliga but this seasons runner-up, the EHC Dortmund may gain promotion to. As such, the league covers the German states of Baden-WürttembergBaden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Hessen, SaarlandSaarlandSaarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
, Rheinland-Pfalz and Nordrhein-Westfalen.
Regionalliga Nordost
This league covers the north and north east of Germany. Again, it is more of a promotion round, compromising ten teams from two groups, the northern and the north eastern group. The Regionalliga Nordost covers the German states of Niedersachsen, BremenBremenThe City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, HamburgHamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Sachsen-Anhalt, Sachsen and ThüringenThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
.
Bayernliga
- Main article see 2007–08 Bavarian ice hockey season2007–08 Bavarian ice hockey seasonThe Bavarian ice hockey league season 2007-08 started on 19 October 2007 with the first round in the Bayernliga and finished on 14 March 2008 with the third league final. It saw the EHC Waldkraiburg take out its second Bavarian title, having previously won it in 1987-88, then under the name of VfL...
The Bayernliga is the only single-state league of the three, covering just BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. The reason for this is that the state holds approximately one third of all ice hockey clubs in Germany and 18 of the 48 clubs in the first three divisions are from this federation.