Richard "Bibi" "Riccardo" Torriani (1 October 1911 – 3 September 1988) was a Swiss

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player and coach, and

luge A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh for s ...

athlete. He played for

HC Davos Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos plays in the National League (NL). The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team players and ...

from 1929 to 1950, and served as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the

Switzerland men's national ice hockey team The Switzerland men's national ice hockey team (german: Schweizer Eishockeynationalmannschaft; french: Équipe de Suisse de hockey sur glace; it, Nazionale di hockey su ghiaccio della Svizzera) is a founding member of the International Ice Hock ...

from 1933 to 1939. He scored 105

goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer to: Sport * Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs ** Goals, the goal frame in ...

in 111 international matches for the national team, won two bronze medals in

ice hockey at the Olympic Games Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games program in 1924, in France. The women's tournam ...

and won an additional four medals at the

Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annua ...

. Playing for HC Davos, he won 18 Swiss championships and six

Spengler Cup The Spengler Cup is an annual invitational ice hockey tournament held in Davos, Switzerland. First held in 1923, the Spengler Cup is often cited as the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world. The event is hosted by the Swiss tea ...

s. He was chosen as the

flag bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a f ...

for Switzerland at the

1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (german: V. Olympische Winterspiele; french: Ves Jeux olympiques d'hiver; it, V Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, V Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. Moritz ...

, and recited the

Olympic Oath The Olympic Oath (distinct from the Olympic creed) is a solemn promise made by one athlete, judge or official, and one coach at the Opening Ceremony of each Olympic Games. Each oath taker is from the host nation and takes the oath on behalf of al ...

at the same games hosted in St. Moritz. He later served as

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of the Switzerland and

Italy men's national ice hockey team The Italian men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Italy, and is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio (FISG), a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Tournament record Olympic Gam ...

s, and led

EHC Visp EHC Visp is a Swiss professional ice hockey team based in Visp and competing in the Swiss League (SL). The club was founded in 1939 and became Swiss champion in 1962. Visp has also won the league title in NLB three times; 1960, 2011 and 2014. The ...

to a

National League A The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and is the top tier of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league ha ...

championship. He won a silver medal competing in men's singles at the

FIL World Luge Championships 1957 The FIL World Luge Championships 1957 took place in Davos, Switzerland. It marked the first time the event was held under the auspices of the International Luge Federation The International Luge Federation ( French: Fédération Internationale d ...

held in

Davos , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch , twintowns = } Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alpine resort town and a municipality in the Prättigau/Davos R ...

, Switzerland. He is considered the best Swiss ice hockey player ever, and was inducted into the inaugural class of the

IIHF Hall of Fame The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the Interna ...

in 1997. He is the namesake of the

Torriani Award The Torriani Award is given annually by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to an ice hockey player with an "outstanding career from non-top hockey nation". It was inaugurated in 2015, and is awarded alongside the annual IIHF Hall of Fa ...

, given by the

International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...

since 2015 to recognize a player for a great international playing career.

Early life

Torriani was born on 1 October 1911, in St. Moritz, Switzerland. He was nicknamed "Bibi" as a youth, due to being the youngest child and baby of his family. He played youth hockey in St. Moritz as a

right winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, and was also known by the name "Riccardo".

Playing career

Torriani's professional career began as a member of

EHC St. Moritz EHC St. Moritz is a Swiss ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In i ...

during the 1927–28, and 1928–29 seasons. In his first season with St. Moritz, he won the 1927–28 Swiss National Ice Hockey Championship. Torriani was selected to play for the

at age 16, since the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (french: IIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; german: II. Olympische Winterspiele; it, II Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, II Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. M ...

were hosted in St. Moritz and the national team did not incur extra expenses to include exceptional local talent. He scored one

goal A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...

in four games played in

ice hockey at the 1928 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, was the third Olympic Championship, also serving as the third World Championships and the 13th European Championships. Canada, represented by the Univer ...

, and won a bronze medal with the national team. His appearance in the Olympics made him the youngest person to compete at a senior

Ice Hockey World Championship The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annua ...

. Torriani joined

after his father died in 1929, and remained with the team until 1950. He made his

debut in 1930 with Switzerland, and scored one goal at the

1930 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1930 Ice Hockey World Championships were held between January 30 and February 10, 1930, in Chamonix, France, Vienna, Austria, and Berlin, Germany. This event was the first world championships independent of hockey at the Olympics. Canada, ...

, and won a bronze medal. Switzerland opted not to participate in

ice hockey at the 1932 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States, was the fourth Olympic Championship, also serving as the sixth World Championships. Canada, represented by the Winnipeg Hockey Club, won its fourth cons ...

. Torriani and the national team participated at the

Ice Hockey European Championship 1932 The 1932 Ice Hockey European Championship was the 17th edition of the ice hockey tournament for European countries associated to the International Ice Hockey Federation. This was the last time it was played independent of the World Hockey Champions ...

instead, and Switzerland won the bronze. Torriani served as the Switzerland national

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

from 1933 to 1939. He played on a

forward line In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team is assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. These positions describe both the player's main role and by implication their location on the gro ...

known as "The ni-storm" (german: Der ni-sturm), with brothers

Hans Cattini Hans Cattini (24 January 1914, Grono, Switzerland – 2 April 1987, Lausanne, Switzerland) was a Swiss ice hockey player who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics and 1948 Winter Olympics. He was the brother of Ferdinand Cattini. Persona ...

and

Ferdinand Cattini Ferdinand "Pic" Cattini (27 September 1916 in Grono, Switzerland – 17 August 1969 in Davos, Switzerland) was a Swiss ice hockey player who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics and 1948 Winter Olympics. Personal life Cattini was born o ...

. The line was named for the last syllable (''-ni'') of players' surnames. The ni-storm was regarded as the top line of HC Davos and Switzerland's national hockey team from 1933 to 1950. On this line, he scored five goals in six games at the

1933 Ice Hockey World Championships The 1933 Ice Hockey World Championships were held between February 18 and February 26, 1933, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. By winning its first-ever world championship, the United States deprived Canada of the world title for the first time in tourn ...

, 14 goals in seven games at the

1934 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1934 Ice Hockey World Championships were held from February 3–11, 1934, at the Palazzo del Ghiaccio in Milan, Italy. Canada won its seventh world championship, defeating the United States in the final. The World Championship bronze medal a ...

, and eight goals in eight games at the 1935 Ice Hockey World Championships. Torriani led Switzerland to a silver medal at the 1935 championships, and a bronze medal at the

1939 Ice Hockey World Championships The 1939 Ice Hockey World Championships were held between February 3 and February 12, 1939, in Zürich and Basel, Switzerland. Austria had been annexed by Germany in 1938, and four Austrians played this tournament in German jerseys. The fourteen ...

. He also competed in

ice hockey at the 1936 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, was the fifth Olympic Championship, also serving as the tenth World Championships and the 21st European Championships. The British national ice h ...

, playing in three games with no goals scored. Luftbild Eisstadion Davos

Torriani also played with HC Davos in international ice hockey competitions. The hosted the annual

tournament, which he won six times, in 1933, 1936, 1938, 1941, 1942 and 1943. HC Davos placed third at the Winter Sports Week held in February 1941, in

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...

. HC Davos and Torriani won the Grand Prix of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

in March 1941, which included other club teams from Europe. HC Davos defeated

Berliner Schlittschuhclub Berliner Schlittschuhclub, also known as Berliner SC or BSchC, is an ice hockey club based in Berlin, Germany. They currently play in the Landesliga, the fifth and lowest tier in their region. The ice hockey section was founded in 1908. The club ...

and Rotweiss Berlin, and then defeated

Hammarby Hockey Hammarby IF Ishockeyförening (''"Hammarby IF Ice Hockey Club"'', or simply Hammarby Hockey) is an ice hockey club founded as "Bajen Fans IF" in 2008 by supporters of the previous incarnation of Hammarby Hockey which went bankrupt that same year ...

by a 4–2 score in the championship game. In 1943, HC Davos participated in a

Gebirgsjäger ''Gebirgsjäger'' () are the light infantry part of the alpine or mountain troops (''Gebirgstruppe'') of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The word '' Jäger'' (meaning "hunter" or "huntsman") is a characteristic term used for light infantry in ...

tournament, versus other players from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. Torriani was chosen as the

for Switzerland at the

hosted in St. Moritz. He was also chosen to recite the

on behalf of all athletes participating, and became the first hockey player to do so at the Olympic Games. He then scored two goals, four assists, and six

points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

in five games, and led Switzerland to the bronze medal in

ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, was the sixth Olympic Championship, also served as the 15th World Championships and the 26th European Championships. Canada won its fifth Olympic gold me ...

. Torriani retired from playing in 1950. During his career, he won 18 Swiss championships with HC Davos, and played 111 international matches for Switzerland's national team and scored 105 goals. His ni-storm line had played 239 international matches together and combined for 246 goals scored.

Coaching career

Torriani served as

of the Switzerland men's national ice hockey team in 1946–47, and again from 1948–49 to 1951–52. Under his leadership, the national team finished fourth in Group A at the 1947 Ice Hockey World Championships, fifth in Group A at the

1949 World Ice Hockey Championships The 16th Ice Hockey World Championships and 27th European Hockey Championships was held from February 12 to 20, 1949, in Stockholm, Sweden. The event was the first World Championships during the presidency of Canadian W. G. Hardy. The Internation ...

, third in Group A at the

1950 World Ice Hockey Championships The 17th Ice Hockey World Championships and 28th European Championships were held from 13 to 22 March 1950 in London, England. Canada, represented by the Edmonton Mercurys, won its 13th World Championship. Highest ranking European team Switzerla ...

, third in Group A at the

1951 Ice Hockey World Championships The 1951 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 18th World Championship and the 29th European Championship in ice hockey for international teams. The tournament took place in France from 9 to 17 March and the games were played in the capital ci ...

, and fifth overall in

ice hockey at the 1952 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, was the seventh Olympic Championship, also serving as the 19th World Championships and the 30th European Championships. The tournament was mainly played at the Jorda ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway. From 1954–55 to 1955–56, Torriani coached the

. He led to team to a first-place finish in Group B at the

1955 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1955 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 22nd edition of the Ice Hockey World Championships. The tournament was held in Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Krefeld and Cologne, West Germany from February 25 to March 6, 1955. A total of 14 nations par ...

, and a promotion to Group A.

Cortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo (; lld, Anpezo, ; historical de-AT, Hayden) is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomitic) Alps in the Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the Boite river, in an alp ...

, Italy, hosted

ice hockey at the 1956 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, was the eighth Olympic Championship, also serving as the 23rd World Championships and the 34th European Championships. The tournament was held at the Ol ...

. Before the games, his team was strengthened by players of Italian descent who had trained in Canada. Torriani led Italy to a third-place finish and Group A, and seventh place overall by winning the consolation round. Torriani coached in the European professional leagues from 1957 to 1971. His first team was

SC Riessersee SC Riessersee is a professional ice hockey team based in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberbayern, Germany. They currently play in The Oberliga, the third level of ice hockey in Germany. Prior to the 2013–14 season, they played in the 2nd Bundesliga ...

during the 1957–58 season, which he led to an undefeated regular season and a first-place finish in the South group of the German Oberliga, and a second overall finish in the champions pool. He remained in Germany for the 1958–59 season, and coached

Mannheimer ERC The Adler Mannheim (English: ''Mannheim Eagles'', formerly Mannheimer ERC) is a professional ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest-level ice hockey league in Germany. The team is based in Mannheim, a city in the northern par ...

to a third-place finish in the

Eishockey-Bundesliga The Eishockey-Bundesliga ("Federal Ice Hockey League") was formed in 1958 as the elite hockey competition in the Federal Republic of Germany, replacing the '' Oberliga'' in this position.Klein, p. 12 From the 1994-95 season, it was in turn repla ...

. He moved to Italy in the 1959–60 season to coach

Diavoli HC Milano Diavoli HC Milano was an ice hockey team in Milan, Italy. The club was formed in 1958 as the successor to Milan-Inter HC. They competed in the Serie A in most years from 1958 to 1979. Diavoli won the championship in the 1959–60 season, and were ...

. He led Diavoli to a first-place finish in the

Italian Hockey League - Serie A Italian Hockey League - Serie A, formerly known as Serie A, is the top tier of professional ice hockey in Italy, which first began play in 1925. They are conducted under the authority of the Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio (FISG). The leag ...

during the regular season. Torriani returned to coaching in Switzerland in 1960, and led

for five seasons in

until 1965. His first year coaching resulted in a second-place finish in the 1960–61 season. In the 1961–62 season, he led EHC Visp to a first-place finish in the standings, and captured the National League A championship. His team followed up the championship finishing second place in both the 1962–63 season and the 1963–64 season. In his fifth year coaching, EHC Visp dropped to seventh place in the 1964–65 season. After one year away from coaching, Torriani led

HC Lugano Hockey Club Lugano, often abbreviated to HC Lugano or HCL, is a professional ice hockey club based in Lugano, Switzerland. The team competes in the National League (NL) and has won seven Swiss championships. History The founding of HC Lugano took ...

during the 1966–67 season, finishing the season third place in the east group of

National League B The Swiss League is the second tier of the main professional ice hockey league in Switzerland, behind the National League. The winners of the league each season plays a best-of-seven series against the bottom team of the NL, and if they win, the ...

. He returned to HC Lugano for the 1969–70 season, and led the team to another third-place finish in the east group of National League B. Torriani's final season coaching was with HC Davos in the 1970–71 season. He led the team to a second-place finish in the east group of National League B.

Personal life

Torriani's older brother Conrad also played for EHC St. Moritz and the Switzerland men's national ice hockey team. The brothers were teammates at the Ice Hockey World Championships in 1930, 1933, 1934, and the 1932 Ice Hockey European Championship. Torriani won a silver medal competing in men's singles at the

held in

, Switzerland. Two of Torriani's sons were involved in Swiss hockey. Romano Torriani played for

EHC Basel EHC Basel known as Eishockey Club Basel are a professional Swiss ice hockey team. They are based out of the St. Jakob Arena in Basel, Switzerland. EHC Basel was founded on October 14, 1932. Were promoted to the Nationalliga A for 2005–06 aft ...

and HC Davos, and Marco played for EHC Basel and SC Langnau Tigers, and later became president of

Genève-Servette HC The Genève-Servette HC (also called Servette or GSHC) is a professional ice hockey club based in Geneva, Switzerland and competing in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. The team plays their home games at the ...

. As a manager, Marco helped Geneva earn a promotion from Swiss League 1 to

. Torriani died on 3 September 1988, in

Chur , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers , twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembourg), ...

, Switzerland at age 76.

Honors and legacy

Torriani is considered the best Swiss ice hockey player ever, and has been inducted into the HC Davos Hall of Fame. He was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the

in 1997 as a player, and was the first Swiss to be honored. He is the namesake of the Bibi Torriani Cup, an annual competition for players aged 14 representing various

Cantons of Switzerland The 26 cantons of Switzerland (german: Kanton; french: canton ; it, cantone; Sursilvan and Surmiran: ; Vallader and Puter: ; Sutsilvan: ; Rumantsch Grischun: ) are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Con ...

. The event is used to identify future players for the national team program. The

(IIHF) established the

in 2015, named after Torriani. When the new award was announced, the IIHF president

René Fasel René Fasel (born 6 February 1950) is a Swiss retired ice hockey administrator. He served as president of the International Ice Hockey Federation from 1994 to 2021. He started his ice hockey career as a player for HC Fribourg-Gottéron, in 1960, ...

said; "We wanted to create a trophy which honours players for a great international career irrespective of where they played. Nowadays, with NHL players and international players often being the same, we feel that there are so many top players to honour. Still, we wanted to ensure we recognized players who didn't necessarily win Olympic and World Championship medals but who still had remarkable careers. As a result, we created the Torriani Award, and

Lucio Topatigh Lucio Topatigh (born 19 October 1965) is a former Italian ice hockey player. Born in Gallio, Vicenza, Topatigh spent all his career in Serie A league, with Asiago Hockey A.S., HC Devils Milano and Hockey Club Bolzano-Bozen. He won seven ti ...

is a very worthy first recipient". For the 100th anniversary of the Ice Hockey World Championships in 2020, Torriani was named to the IIHF All-time Switzerland team.

Notes

References

External links

*
The Ni-Storm photo gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torriani, Bibi 1911 births 1988 deaths HC Davos players HC Lugano Ice hockey players at the 1928 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 1936 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 1948 Winter Olympics IIHF Hall of Fame inductees Italy men's national ice hockey team coaches Medalists at the 1928 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1948 Winter Olympics Oath takers at the Olympic Games Olympic bronze medalists for Switzerland Olympic ice hockey players of Switzerland Olympic medalists in ice hockey People from Maloja District Serie A (ice hockey) coaches Sportspeople from Graubünden Swiss expatriate ice hockey people Swiss ice hockey coaches Swiss ice hockey right wingers Swiss male lugers Switzerland men's national ice hockey team coaches