For Germany’s ice hockey women, the Germany Cup is about international experience. There is extreme competition for the Olympic places among men.
Starting today, Wednesday, the traditional Germany Cup in ice hockey will take place again in Landshut. The German women and men play their home tournament until Sunday.
The women’s national team starts against France on Wednesday evening (7:30 p.m.). Other opponents are Slovakia on Friday (7 p.m.) and Hungary on Saturday (2:45 p.m.). For the defending champion, it’s all about preparing for the Winter Olympics in Milan in February.
National coach Jeff MacLeod only has a few players who are suitable for the international stage. “You get a stage in Landshut. For us, it’s a great opportunity to show off and compete at a high level,” MacLeod said.
Big one competition among men
For men, the competition for the Olympic places is much fiercer. They start the Germany Cup against Latvia on Thursday (7:45 p.m.). In the other games on Saturday (6:45 p.m.) against Austria and on Sunday (2:45 p.m.) against Slovakia, national coach Harold Kreis will test his players for Olympic suitability.
NHL players will be in Milan for the first time since 2014. There are now more than a dozen German professionals playing in North America and, according to the district, all of them are selected for the Olympic squad. That’s why there are only a few places left, even long-time captain Moritz Müller has to fight for his participation.
Dominik Kahun in Landshut
Ex-NHL professional Dominik Kahun, undisputedly one of the best ice hockey players in Germany, would also prefer to audition for the Germany Cup again. The 30-year-old is under contract in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Shortly before the tournament began, Kreis had to make one change. Tobias Rieder from Red Bull Munich is out due to injury. Vice world champion Parker Tuomie (Kölner Haie) was nominated to replace the former NHL striker.
All games can be seen free of charge on MagentaSport. The Germany Cup will take place in Landshut for the 36th time and for the last time after 2023 and 2024.