comment
At the Ice Hockey World Cup, a disappointing German team suffered its next setback. The early end is also a result of technical errors.
Faith and hope have a firm place in competitive sports. But they only form a supposed pair of siblings. Because whether I believe in something or hope for something makes a huge difference. And so my thoughts turn to the German national ice hockey team, which traveled to Zurich with a lot of hope.
But now the team of national coach Harry Kreis is doing the same thing as the American statesman Bejamin Franklin wrote a few centuries ago: “Whoever lives by hope dies by disappointment.”
Fight instead of creativity
The early departure from this World Cup had already become apparent after the first three games, after expected but still disappointing defeats against Finland and Switzerland and the groundbreaking 0-2 against Latvia. Without a firm belief in one’s own quality, with antiquated dump and chase, which in football roughly corresponds to the British kick and rush, i.e. a shot deep and then quickly after, it is rarely possible to reap any rewards internationally. Fight instead of creativity. In addition, a weak power play and a heavily disadvantaged outnumbered game.
National coach Harry Kreis wanted to draw the right conclusions from the disappointing participation in the Olympics, especially to secure his defense and avoid minor losses. He wanted to turn the clock back to a time when reaching the quarterfinals was still celebrated as an event and not formulated as a self-evident goal. At the same time, sports director Christian Künast never tired of emphasizing that Germany was not a top 6 nation. The principle of hope ruled; there was no trace of belief in one’s own strength.
DEB team slips into gray mediocrity
The national team, which had developed into a sporting figurehead again since winning Olympic silver in 2018 at the latest, has been slipping into gray mediocrity again for more than a year. In addition, there are craftsmanship errors, the price of which must now be paid. Long-time team captain Moritz Müller, for example, was put on the back foot at the Olympics in Milan because the NHL stars around Leon Draisaitl would take care of it on the ice. For years, Moritz Müller was the player who exemplified belief in his own strength. Müller skipped the World Cup.
So the DEB lost it with many players. With those from the DEL who no longer felt valued and also with some NHL stars because the Olympic tournament also failed organizationally.
It is therefore time for fresh thoughts, for new faces. But do they even exist? Will the German Ice Hockey Association be prepared to make a risky restart if the World Cup is being held in its own country next year? You can have hope for that. But there is no belief in it
