RITTEN, Italy – One of Italy’s most experienced international players is retiring. Roland Ramoser’s career ended when his hometown team Ritten Sport was eliminated from the playoffs.

The 38-year-old might not have had the same talent as Canadian-trained Italians such as Gaetano Orlando or Bruno Zarrillo. He might not have been as tough as Anthony Iob, and his name may not sound very Italian as he comes from South Tyrol, the predominantly German-speaking area in Northeastern Italy, but Roland Ramoser left his mark as a hard worker with good leadership. He was known as a true champion and sportsman both on and off the ice, and he wore the C many times in the final years of his career.

“Rolly”, as he’s called, represented Italy in no less than 17 World Championships – 13 of them in the Top Division – and two Olympic Winter Games. The only player who participated in more World Championships is Norwegian Tommy Jakobsen, who has 18 World Championships to his name and remains active.

Ramoser’s career ended where it began: in Ritten. As an 18-year-old he left home to play junior hockey in Canada, for the QMJHL’s Hull Olympiques and the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. He returned to Europe to play in Italy in Milan, Bolzano, Gherdeina, Ritten, and Bolzano again before returning to Ritten once more for his final season.

He also played in the German DEL for four years, defending the colours of the Nuremberg Ice Tigers and the Kassel Huskies.

Ramoser represented Italy at every opportunity he could. The only tournament he missed was, of all events, the 2006 Olympics on home ice in Turin. “Not being called to the roster was the biggest disappointment in my career, but this defeat helped me grow as a person, and I worked harder on myself,” Ramoser told Südtirol Online.

Apart from that there were many happy moments both with the Azzures and with his clubs. Ramoser won five Italian championships with the Milano Devils (1993, 1994) and the Bolzano Foxes (1995, 2008, 2009).

Ramoser had his most productive years when he returned from Germany to play two years in Ritten. In 2001, he led the Serie A in scoring with 85 points in 43 games.

Ramoser played 625 games (690 points) in the Serie A and 212 games (124 points) in the German DEL.

In naming his career highlights, the winger recalled finishing second place with Nuremberg in Germany (1999) as a memorable experience. He also named the Olympic Games (Lillehammer 1994, Nagano 1998) and the many World Championships he played for Italy among his best moments. Especially the one in 1994 when the Italians played on home ice in Bolzano and Milan, and Ramoser made his international debut.

“Representing your country in such events is the ultimate benchmark for any athlete,” Ramoser said.

At the highest level he appeared in 70 games (16 points) in the Top Division of the IIHF World Championship and in 11 games (5 points) in the Olympics. In 2005 and 2009 he won Division I gold with Italy and the promotion back to the Top Division. In 2009 he was the overall scoring leader and top goal scorer of the tournament – potting the game-winning goal in the deciding 2-0 victory against Ukraine.

Including exhibition games he played for the men’s national team in about 200 games.

In 2002 and 2010, however, he had to swallow the bitter pill of relegation with Italy. Last year in Cologne and Mannheim Italy had three one-goal games in the relegation round, winning only one, against Kazakhstan, while losing the others against France and the United States.

After a fourth-place finish in the regular season with Ritten Sport and losing the quarterfinal series to HC Valpellice, 4-1, the season is over for Ramoser, as is his career.

He will keep up to his promise and resign from hockey. And Italy will play its next World Championship event – the Division I Group A in Budapest, Hungary – without Ramoser for the first time since 1994!

“There are so many things in life I want to do now,” said Ramoser, who will take over his parents’ guesthouse and farm in Oberbozen nearby Ritten. “This will be a task that fills me with pride.”

Safe to say, nobody who has seen him play will doubt the enthusiasm with which he will take on his new tasks.

MARTIN MERK