Ice Hockey - World Cup begins against Canada - will Olympic Revenge succeed?

HELSINKI (DPA) – The German national ice hockey team awaits the start of the World Cup against Canada in Finland.

In the first seven preliminary round games on Friday (7.20pm/Sport1 and MagentaSport) in Helsinki, the supposedly toughest group rival is dueling: Canada is the record world champion and defending champion. How the coup could be successful:

“You need a goalkeeper who can keep almost everything, and if you have the chance, you have to score your goals,” said champion Eisbren Berlin striker Marcel Knoebbels: “I think it’s going to take a little bit of luck. included.” National coach Tony Soderholm left it open whether he would start the tournament with NHL goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer as expected.

initial situation

The semi-finals were a highlight at the 2021 World Cup, a low point before the quarter-final exit at the Winter Games in Beijing in February. Soderholm’s squad is now aiming for an Olympic reenactment. NHL star Leon Dracitel and other top performers are missing. Eleven players from the Olympic team and 13 World Cup participants from 2021 are in the team.

rival

Canadians compete almost exclusively with NHL professionals. Eric O’Dell Strong is from the KHL and is the player who created an unpleasant scene from a German point of view at the Winter Olympics in February. After an unplayed check by O’Dell against the head of Marko Novak, the German defender was unable to continue playing. Nowak is injured in Finland.

memory

The 1:5 against the Canadians in Beijing, who were almost completely different at the time, was the beginning of a serious setback in the Winter Games. NHL players did not compete in the Olympics. The Canadians avenged South Korea’s Olympic defeat in China. It was spectacular when Germany defeated Canada 4-3 in the Games of the Century to reach the final at the 2018 Winter Games and take Olympic silver. At the 2021 World Cup in Riga, Germany scored 3–1 against Canada for the first time in a World Cup in 25 years.

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Former NHL professional Corbinian Holzer says of the disappointing participation in the Olympics: “I think we’ve learned a lesson from this and learned a lot from the fact that we just have to get 110 percent in every tournament. And in every game we start. Have to be there from the beginning. We definitely have to start the tournament better than in the Olympics.”

landscape

On Saturday (7:20pm/Sport1 & Magentasport) play continues against Slovakia, who came third in the Olympics. In Beijing, the Germans lost 4–0 to the Slovaks and were eliminated before the quarter-finals. The games the Germans really have to win in Finland for the desired quarter-finals are only coming later.