Almost all world-class ice hockey nations meet in Tampere and Riga. Only Russians and Belarusians have to stay further out, but that’s hardly talked about on the ground anymore. Although the World Cup was only awarded to Finland and Latvia again because St. Petersburg was withdrawn from the well-known reasons.
This doesn’t change much for the German team: The goal is a place in the quarter-finals, which could possibly mean direct qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Until now it was still winter in Suomi. Hardly any contours can be seen from the plane. A pale brown still lies over the land. The countless birch trees are waiting bolt upright for the first green. The sun is struggling to bring life back. Not everyone in Tampere trusts her. The older residents in particular are still out and about in winter coats and scarves, while many students have already seamlessly settled into summer on the extensive green areas along the Tammerkoski River.
Forget frustration and frost
Until just now there was still frost in the German team and maybe a bit of frustration as well. For this World Cup, more established players have canceled than they have in a long time. Officially out of concern for her physical well-being, and the most famous one (probably) can’t come anyway. Leon Draisaitl is trying again this year to finally fulfill his dream of the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers. But the optimism in the DEB team has been back for a few days. That’s because of three defenders.
Year-long experiment
Leon Gawanke, Kai Wissmann and Moritz Seider come from the American professional game and can certainly raise the German defense to another level, and that power play Of course, too, because this trio undoubtedly knows where the goal is. “I think everyone here is happy we came”, says Kai Wissmann and means that much more modestly than it sounds at first. Wissmann has just completed a year-long experiment. In Boston he wanted to fulfill his dream of the NHL, in the end it was “only” enough for the farm team, and even then he wasn’t used in the playoffs.
Surprisingly, Moritz Seider from Detroit will also be there in Tampere. He had initially canceled due to an injury and is now trying to trim his body to the top level with extra shifts. Should he succeed, he can become the difference player for DEB selection. He’s proven that often enough.
Finally, Leon Gawanke is not expected in Tampere until Sunday. He played for the Manitoba Moose, the Winnipeg-based NHL club’s farm team, for four years. And even if the native Berliner didn’t make it into the best league in the world, 20 goals in the past season is an amazing mark. Incidentally, Gawanke will play for the Adler Mannheim in the future.
“A Little Excitement”
These three defenders are, somewhat vaguely described, “Three Angels for Harry”. Harry is the national coach, whom one can call Harry or Harry, because Harry Kreis is a native Canadian, even though he has been living in Germany for almost 45 years and is now entering his first major tournament as German head coach. That’s why he’s not nervous,”because that would mean that we missed something in advance”. But “a little excitement” already feels the new strong man behind the German gang.
Three chunks to start with
Because this World Cup has it all. The three opening opponents are Sweden, Finland and the USA. These are three teams that will compete for the title. The Finns are currently world champions, Olympic champions and, as hosts, the top favorite of this World Cup. Denmark, France, Austria and Hungary are the other opponents and are considered beatable as always, but it’s pretty safe to assume that the leap into the quarter-finals will still be a complicated affair.
Because after the flood of cancellations on the one hand and the waiver of some German DEL top strikers on the other hand, the question of the snapper arises again. Dominik Kahun, Freddie Tiffels or Marcel Noebels as veterans, and of course JJ Peterka and Nico Sturm as current NHL players have a special responsibility here.
Light and shadow in the last test
In the last preparatory game against the USA there was a hefty 3:6 defeat, but the result belies the progress made by the German team. Above all, the fast-paced offensive game was quite promising. Now “just” the balance has to be found between greed and patience. Moritz Müller firmly believes that this will succeed. The captain is at a World Cup for the 11th time: “My experience says: We can only do it as a unit.” He will take care of that. It has to be quick. Germany will only be able to move up from ninth place in the world rankings by participating in the quarter-finals. And that is necessary if the next Olympic ticket is to be bought directly.
But in Finland it is also the case that winter usually gives way to summer without hesitation. Usually it only takes two weeks and the featureless brown has turned into a multi-layered green.