Two familiar sports produced an entirely unfamiliar playing surface.
SALZBURG, AUSTRIA
Four professional ice hockey players exchanged their sticks for rackets in the Coldest Court, a specially constructed padel court installed directly over the ice at the Red Bull Hockey Academy. The exhibition brought together representatives of EC Red Bull Salzburg and EHC Red Bull Munich under conditions never used in an official padel competition.
Luca Auer and Peter Hochkofler represented Salzburg against Munich’s Philipp Krening and Veit Oswald. All four already played padel recreationally and incorporated it into their physical preparation, but none had previously attempted the sport on an ice rink. Preliminary challenges allowed them to adjust their movement and understand how the unusual surface affected positioning.
Premier Padel star Delfi Brea provided technical advice before the match. The Argentine player helped the hockey professionals adapt padel fundamentals to an environment in which they possessed greater experience moving on ice. Bullpadel supplied the rackets, Wilson provided the balls and the International Padel Federation assigned an official referee.
Auer and Hochkofler ultimately defeated Krening and Oswald, giving Salzburg victory at home. Public accounts of the promotional event confirmed the winning pair but did not publish a complete score. Oswald immediately suggested a rematch, indicating that the players’ competitive instincts remained intact despite the experimental format.
The challenge exposed qualities shared by both sports. Rapid reactions, anticipation, positioning, communication and coordination with a partner are essential whether players are controlling a puck or defending a padel court. Hockey experience offered familiarity with the surface, while padel demanded different movements, tactical decisions and racket control.
Created with support from Red Bull and Premier Padel, the Coldest Court was primarily a promotional crossover rather than a new competitive discipline. Its significance lies in how naturally elite athletes from another sport have adopted padel as part of their training. The spectacle turned that growing relationship into a visible demonstration of padel’s expanding cultural and commercial reach.
Más allá de la noticia, el patrón. / Beyond the news, the pattern.