News :
Ice Hockey - Flowers free to Bad Tölz - Sports in the region
The Lions commit Canadian defender Matt MacKenzie as the "last piece of the puzzle for the defense". For the attack further reinforcements should follow.
The elders will start to hum when they hear the name MacKenzie: "If you're going to San Francisco ..." These are the words that begin the chorus of the title San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair), a hymn of hippie culture. Their interpreter was Scott McKenzie, but this is not the point here. First - attentive readers will have noticed - writes Scott McKenzies last name without a between M and c; secondly, one should not expect Matt MacKenzie, to be here, to have flowers in his hair when he comes to Bad Tölz. Matt McKenzie is an ice hockey pro and, according to a press release from the DEL-2 club on Friday, represents the "latest piece of the lion-defense puzzle piece" in the new season.
The 27-year-old is thus without a flower chain on the forehead, but "with an impressive Vita in the back," as the statement goes on. Born in New Westminster, British Columbia, the Canadian was drafted in the third round in 2010 by the Buffalo Sabers. In the NHL, the 1.85-meter-tall and 85-pound defender never came to the job. For this he played 244 times in the second-rate American Hockey League (ten goals, 33 assists). In 2017/18 he played for the Florida Everblades in the ECHL together with Stephen MacAulay, last season's Tölzer top scorer, who moved to the title favorite Frankfurt. "I do not know anyone who has played with him and ever said a bad word about him," MacAulay says of MacKenzie. "He is a playful strong defender, runs well skate, has a great shot and a good understanding of the game." With its versatility, MacKenzie is outnumbered and outnumbered.
Coach Kevin Gaudet had clear ideas for the position of the contingent, says Löwen CEO Christian Donbeck: "Matt MacKenzie meets them all." The Canadian is physically present, playfully strong and success-oriented. "Kevin Gaudet made his excellent contacts play, showing once again how important Kevin is for us," says Donbeck. Last season, MacKenzie played for HC Bolzano in the Austrian EBEL and in the Champions League. "I really enjoyed my first season in Europe," says the family man. "Life is a bit different here, but my family and I love it."
Meanwhile, Donbeck is promising further reinforcements. "I am aware that our sponsors and fans have had to be patient in recent months," says the CEO. "There were many conversations needed." To be excluded Matt McKenzie (without a between M and c in the last name), an American actor; MacKenzie Bezos, the wife of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos; as well as Philip Wallach Blondheim. That was the bourgeois name of Scott "San Francisco" McKenzie.