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EC Red Bull Salzburg and EHC Red Bull München swapped sticks for rackets for a unique padel match on ice at the Red Bull Academy in Salzburg – with some expert help from Premier Padel star Delfi Brea.
SALZBURG, AUSTRIA – Ice hockey met padel in Coldest Court, a unique sporting crossover that saw players from EC Red Bull Salzburg and EHC Red Bull München go head-to-head on a padel court built directly on the ice at the Red Bull Academy in Salzburg.
Here is all you need to know:
EC Red Bull Salzburg’s Luca Auer and Peter Hochkofler faced EHC Red Bull München’s Philipp Krening and Veit Oswald, swapping their hockey sticks for padel rackets while staying on familiar ground – the ice. A purpose-built padel court transformed the Red Bull Academy into the setting for an unusual Salzburg vs. Munich showdown.
Padel itself was far from unfamiliar territory for the four players. All of them are passionate about the sport and regularly play padel as part of their training routines, making Coldest Court an opportunity to put their skills to the test in a competitive setting – and on a surface they know better than most.
Before facing each other in the main match, the four players completed a series of challenges to get accustomed to the unique court and conditions. Before the showdown, they received some final expert advice from world No.1 Delfi Brea, one of the biggest stars on the Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour, the world’s leading padel tour, who shared her tips.
Premier Padel partnered with Red Bull for Coldest Court, bringing the world of professional padel into one of the most unexpected environments for the sport. Bullpadel provided the padel rackets and Wilson the balls, while the International Padel Federation (FIP) supplied the official referee for the match.
Hochkofler said: “We all love playing padel, so we were really excited when we heard about the idea. We’re obviously very comfortable competing on ice, but usually we have sticks in our hands, not padel rackets. Once the match started, the competitive instinct kicked in straight away. We really wanted to beat Munich.”
With the final tips delivered, attention turned to the main event as Auer and Hochkofler took on Krening and Oswald in a competitive padel match. Quick reactions, anticipation, teamwork and communication translated naturally from ice hockey to the padel court, while the unusual setting added another dimension to the contest.
The battle eventually went the way of the home team, with Auer and Hochkofler securing the Coldest Court victory for EC Red Bull Salzburg at the Red Bull Ice Hockey Academy.
Hochkofler added: “Winning Coldest Court here in Salzburg made it even better. We play padel quite a lot, but this was obviously something completely different. Once there was a match to win, we took it seriously.”
Despite ending up on the losing side, Oswald was ready for another shot at the Salzburg pair. He said: “Padel is something we really enjoy and also play as part of our training, so we knew it would get competitive. You need quick reactions, good communication and a strong partner – there are definitely some similarities to ice hockey. We would obviously have liked to beat Salzburg, so I think we’ll have to ask for a rematch.”
Coldest Court brings together two fast-paced sports built around reactions, anticipation, teamwork and competition, while showing how padel has also found its place beyond the professional tour – including as part of the training routines of elite athletes from other sports.
The full Coldest Court clip is available to watch on the Premier Padel YouTube channel.
