Captains’ meeting for the first derby: that’s why ZSC-Geering is a fan of Kloten-Kellenberger

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Have you ever had coffee together or is this a first?
Both: Coffee? Never. (Both laugh).

What common points of contact do you have?
Patrick Geering: There are actually not many of us together. But I know Lukas Flüeler and Simon Bodenmann.
Steve Kellenberger: I grew up with both. Even when they later moved to ZSC, we remained good friends. And because of this constellation, Patrick and I kept meeting each other in our private lives or when we were on the road.

Can the ZSC captain have a drink with the Kloten captain on this occasion?
PG: Already allowed. But it’s not like we were looking for this. It just happened.

Ambri coach Luca Cereda said in a Blick interview that it is impossible for him to meet Lugano coach Luca Gianinazzi, although he appreciates him very much. Do Zurich people type differently?
PG: Zurich and Kloten are much closer to each other as the crow flies than Lugano and Ambri.
SK: From my point of view, this also has to do with the gyms here in Zurich. These classes are mixed with ZSC and Kloten players. Nowadays we more or less grow up together. When we were both young players, things were a little different, as these gyms only gradually gained momentum. As a result, players now know each other much better, also in their private lives. Moreover, nowadays when you go out you go to Zurich and meet again there. The people of Kloten used to live in Kloten.
PG: It’s exactly as you say. For example, I went to school with Denis Hollenstein and Reto Suri, who came from Kloten at the time, so you automatically have different points of contact.
SK: For me it was the then ZSC player Matthias Bieber and two others who quit at the time. If you agree on something because you had a good time at school, teammates often join in and everything gets mixed up. And this also happens later when someone moves from Kloten to Zurich and you still stay connected. Then you also see people from his team, like Patrick.

Do you also have your mobile phone numbers?
PG: I think I saved yours.
SK: Yes, I have yours too.

But isn’t this used regularly?
PG: I never called him to ask how he was doing. Not that then.
SK: No, I’m not going to do that either (both laugh).

What do you think of Patrick Geering as a player and boy?
SK: He is a great integration figure for the ZSC. I take my hat off to the fact that he has always stayed at his club and I think it’s great that there are still players like that. And when we met in private it was always funny, I find him very sympathetic.

And vice versa?
PG: I’m also a fan of players who stay with their club and make identification figures. Steve is a perfect example of this, even in difficult times he remained loyal to his club. I have great respect for that. Steve is also someone who always works hard on the ice. That’s why he’s a tough guy to play as an opponent. I can’t say much about him privately. I know that Flüeler and Bodenmann are the gods of one of his children. Or? Correct me if I say something wrong.
SK: That’s right, they are my son’s gods.
PG: That’s why I consider Steve a family man. But to be able to say more about him, I would have to call him more often and ask how he is doing (laughs).

Has there been any direct friction between you on the ice?
PG: I don’t think things ever got ugly between us.
SK: I can confirm that.

How does the ZSC logo that Patrick wears on his shirt make you feel?
SK: I grew up with this rivalry between the two clubs. The fact that, as mentioned earlier, we sometimes grow up almost next to each other has changed everything a bit. But still I think in the derbies you forget this for 60 minutes and it messes up every now and then. Also because of the exciting atmosphere of the fans. That’s how it should be.
PG: There is a play-off atmosphere in the derbies. The duels are much more difficult.

Are you happy if your cantonal rival loses outside the derby?
SK: That depends on the time of the season and the rankings. That may be somewhat the case at the start of the season, although I will certainly not jump in the air if the ZSC loses. But at the end of qualifying, if it would be good for our rankings if ZSC beat their opponents, then I would be a fool to be happy that they lost. Then I’ll be happy if he wins.

What was it like for you, Patrick, when Kloten was relegated in 2018?
PG: To be honest, I thought it was a shame for the entire canton of Zurich that we no longer have these derbies. This very special explosiveness was suddenly gone and I missed it very much.
SK: During the first derby in Kloten last season, the stadium almost exploded after a four-year break. It was very toxic between the two groups of fans on the standing ramps, so both teams were constantly looking up as they entered. It is no longer a problem that you know certain ZSC players well. The only thing that matters is the victory.
PG: Last year we lost this first derby in Kloten. That hurt us enormously. We knew then that there was only one thing left: win the next derby definitively, and fortunately we did that.
SK: It was really special. Before this first derby it was said that everything was bad for us and everything was good for ZSC. Then we won it and after that the perception was the exact opposite. I also received countless text messages from fans telling me how much this win meant to them.

And what was it like for you, Steve, when the ZSC became champions?
SK: There are players on every team with whom you are good friends and whom you would like to treat. Even if they play at ZSC.

But for Kloten fans, ZSC championship titles are bad.
SK: That is undoubtedly the case. But as an athlete I also tell myself that those who finish at the top really deserve it.
PG: If I may say something about this whole subject, in my case it took a learning process. I grew up in Schwamendingen and my father didn’t like Kloten. When players with Kloten DNA such as Domenico Pittis, Cyrill Bühler and Roman Wick joined us in my first years at ZSC, it was a bit strange at first. But they integrated quickly and I learned to appreciate them immensely.

Was it conceivable for you to play for Kloten?
PG: No never.

And for you, for the ZSC?
SK: No never. I never had to think about it, I always signed early in Kloten.

But if top players like Roman Wick move to ZSC, it must be annoying as a Kloten player.
SK: Of course it’s annoying, but when you lose good players like him or Pittis, Hollenstein and Blindenbacher, who were mainstays of the club, it’s difficult. And if you lose out to your cantonal rivals, it’s even harder.

And that’s what people say to someone like Hollenstein?
SK: Denis had to listen to thousands of statements. It makes sense and he was prepared for it. Fan reactions were much worse for those players. But I also think it’s great that there are still people for whom their club means everything. That’s why I think a changing player should be able to deal with that.

Is there a player in your opponent who really irritates you?
SK: Against Chris Baltisberger, when he positions himself in front of the goal, it is always very difficult to get him away.
PG: When I think of last season’s matches, I think of Kloten’s foreigners. They are talented, fast and tricky. As an opponent you must always expect everything.

The ZSC recently swept Lugano and Bern away from home. Are you worried and anxious about Friday night?
SK: No, but we all know that ZSC has enormous quality in the team. If they fulfill their potential, it will be very difficult for any opponent. We know all the more that we have to be ready. We accept our role as outsiders and want to win this game.

From ZSC’s point of view, based on the latest results, you should easily beat Kloten, right?
PG: If only it were that easy. But that is not it. A derby has its own rules anyway. But we will of course do everything we can to ensure that we ultimately score one more goal than Kloten.

Source : Blick