Dominik Kahun doesn’t wish to assume an excessive amount of concerning the 2018 Olympics, although it marked the top of German hockey.
The top to date.
4 years after an unbelievable run to the Olympic remaining that ended with a silver medal, Germany is again at one other Winter Video games with out NHL gamers trying to duplicate that effort. Often the underdogs however now buoyed by the expertise in Pyeongchang, the Germans count on to depend on the identical recipe of familiarity and construction on this match.
“We by no means wish to speak about that we gained silver final Olympics, that we’re going to win it once more. We simply go step-by-step,” Kahun mentioned. “Everybody is aware of who performs in opposition to Germany that we’re onerous employees, we by no means surrender and we’re going to do this once more.”
Beijing was speculated to be the Olympic debut of Edmonton Oilers star and 2020 NHL MVP Leon Draisaitl, who at 26 already is the very best hockey participant in German historical past. It additionally would have featured Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer, one of many nation’s greatest at that place.
However Germany would have been overmatched in opposition to star-studded U.S., Canada, Russia, Sweden and others. Present Los Angeles Kings assistant Marco Sturm, who coached Germany in 2018, believes the dearth of NHL expertise opens the door once more for a shock run, a perception shared on the opposite aspect of the world by a few of his outdated gamers who’re again for extra.
“We did it as soon as — why shouldn’t we get it twice?” veteran goaltender Danny aus den Birken mentioned. “We nonetheless have this yr a terrific group once more, possibly even stronger. We’re a very good group for all of the years. We’ve new gifted guys, younger guys arising, so I believe we’re once more a very good group and we’re prepared for one thing.”
Germany was 56 seconds away from gold in Pyeongchang, main the closely favored Russians till Nikita Gusev’s short-handed tying aim within the remaining minute of regulation. Kirill Kaprizov, now an All-Star with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, scored in time beyond regulation at hand the Germans a brutal defeat.
After all, even being that near gold was momentous for Germany, which had not medaled in males’s hockey on the Olympics since unification and by no means had gained higher than bronze, doing so in 1976 and 1932. More moderen historical past had not been type to Germany, because the older gamers on the roster know very effectively.
“All of us skilled the time when we now have been No. 14 on the planet, and we went to tournaments simply to take part,” defenseman Moritz Muller mentioned. “We train the youthful guys that we don’t wish to return to that period. We did construct one thing in our minds, and we begin to imagine in ourselves — one thing that we haven’t accomplished in a very long time. I believe that’s the candle we’ve received to maintain burning.”
Muller is one among 10 returning gamers from the 2018 group, which put a uncommon highlight on hockey again dwelling. Draisaitl’s emergence helps that effort, and the run in Pyeongchang was one thing of a constructing block for this system.
“This gave us loads of confidence, I believe, (and) respect from different nations,” aus den Birken mentioned. “We sort of constructed from that, even for hockey in Germany, for teenagers, followers. It was a very good step.”
Within the eyes of Kahun and others, it was a primary step and much sufficient within the rearview mirror to not dwell on an excessive amount of this time round. However, prefer it or not, Germany is the newest silver medalist in a match that appears simply as large open, and that comes with a specific amount of stress.
“Isn’t it at all times stress in skilled sports activities?” common supervisor Christian Kunast mentioned. “However it’s 4 years and it’s historical past, so now it’s a brand new group and a brand new problem.”
That problem contains preliminary video games in opposition to Canada on Thursday and the U.S. subsequent Sunday. In contrast to 2018, this match is happening on NHL-sized ice that’s 15 ft narrower than worldwide rinks, however Germany has greater than 20 gamers again from the world championships and the identical taking part in fashion to remain aggressive when dealing with extra gifted opponents.
“We glance similar to 4 years in the past, in order that’s a very good factor,” Sturm mentioned. “Guys already performed on this setting. Guys already performed these sort of tight video games and essential video games. I actually like our group. They’re going to be good, I do know that. They’re going to be structured very effectively and so they’re going to offer another groups a tough time.”
Whether or not Germany can pull off sufficient upsets to win one other medal depends upon the combination of returning gamers, younger expertise and new additions from the NHL. Ahead Tom Kuhnhackl and Tobias Rieder had been taking part in in North America as just lately as final season and wish to be a part of one other spectacular chapter of their nation’s sports activities historical past with one other deep Olympic run.
“The final years we’ve taken an enormous step ahead and we’re bettering and the younger gamers and the event has been nice, so it might be big for German hockey,” Kuhnhackl mentioned. “We received to go on the market and play our strengths, play as a unit, and if we try this, we will be profitable once more.”
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