“We’re definitely missing a lot”
Criticism after ice hockey’s early exit from the Olympics
Updated February 19, 2026 – 1:14 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Honest words after the Olympic exit: Sports director Christian Künast explains what sets the German ice hockey men apart from competitors like Canada.
After the disappointing quarter-final defeat against Slovakia at the Winter Olympics, the German ice hockey team wants to conduct an honest analysis of its performance. DEB sports director Christian Künast sees major deficits compared to top nations such as Canada and Sweden and calls for improvements by the 2027 World Cup in his own country.
“It just shows that we’re not quite as far along as the expectations were. Also our own expectations. We were a very, very good team off the ice. We never really got there on the ice,” said Künast in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin”.
The German ice hockey team lost 2:6 to Slovakia in the quarterfinals of the Winter Olympics. Despite the participation of seven NHL stars, the team was unable to meet high expectations.
“We’re definitely missing a lot from the really big nations like Canada, the USA and Sweden, and it’s the breadth. We have very, very good players, but we don’t have them in numbers like these nations,” answered Künast when asked what exactly sets Germany apart from the top nations. “There were little things that were missing. You can’t afford little things at this level and that’s why we deserved to be eliminated in the quarter-finals.”
The entire team, including national coach Harold Kreis, must learn lessons and improve by the 2027 World Cup in their own country. Künast made it clear: “We have to show people: We can deliver when it’s expected and we haven’t done that anywhere in this tournament.”