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The sad news was also a surprise to Walter Frey that his longtime partner, Simon Schenk, died at the age of 73 on Friday night. “I knew I had to have heart surgery,” said ZSC Lions President. But I didn’t expect that. Its a big lost. We all mourn Simon.
The former professor had shaped three Swiss hockey institutions. His SC Langnau, with whom he became a striker in 1976, the Nati, whom he led from 1985 to 1990 and from 1995 to 1997, and the ZSC Lions, which he did great.
Schenk and Frey had linked not ice hockey, but politics. Emmental and Zürcher sat together for SVP at Nationalrat. In 1997, Schenk had to emphasize that “there was no vitamin B involved” when he became head of sports and soon became the managing director of the ZSC Lions.
“It could have been someone from SP”
Simon was a very direct guy who defended his cause. It was a coincidence that we belonged to the same party. It could have been someone from SP, “says Frey.
The engagement of the chosen candidate turned out to be a direct hit. “A few years ago, when I was asked in an interview what was my best transfer, I called Simon,” says the 76-year-old man.
At that time, the Lions were far from being the great, well-structured sports company they are today. The waves that the merger between the financially debilitating ZSC and Freys GC had thrown in the spring of 1997 had yet to soften. “Schenk helped them grow together, resolved the tensions,” says the car importer.
Conversations on breaks
Back then it was closer to the front, Frey said. “During breaks, I met Simon in a small room in the old covered stadium, where there were weights and a couple of chairs. We argue at eye level. Once I caught it, it reassured me again.
Over the years, “friendly cooperation” had developed between them. Even if Schenk “was not a great diplomat,” there was almost no heated discussion between the two SVP politicians. Schenk was “someone who said a lot when he said nothing”, Frey looks back. “When he was silent, you knew something was wrong.”
“Simon was a great guy”
Already in Schenk’s second full season, the Lions surprisingly achieved great success with the championship title in the final against Lugano, the first in 39 years. The celebrations took place in Zurich twelve months later. And Frey recalls a mischievous statement from his smart sports coach: “Simon told me, ‘We are a great management team now because Morgan Samuelsson scored on goal and not on the post.'” It was the Swede who Finalissima »in Lugano in overtime. The Zurich team had previously been seen as the sure loser when they were 1: 3 behind in the series and coach Larry Huras showed up in VISTA with a mounted clown nose …
Without Schenk, the Lions organization “could not have consolidated so quickly and built the pyramid,” Frey believes. He was the builder. He was the right man in the right place at the right time. And how do you describe the manufacturer of Emmental? «He was a good connoisseur of people. He was able to speak to everyone and found the correct language. Everyone respected him very much. You knew you could trust him. He was a practitioner with borders. And it brought us a lot of hockey knowledge. And the Lions chief says wistfully: “Simon was a great guy. It hurt.
