Reindl: “A great honor that fills me with pride”
The President of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB), Franz Reindl, has been appointed one of the leading personalities of the tournament with eight top teams at the traditional World Cup of Hockey from September 17th to October 1st, 2016 in Toronto: Reindl will act as president of “Team Europe”.
The former German national player Ralph Krueger was appointed as coach and the long-time Slovak NHL superstar Miroslav Satan was appointed manager of the top European selection.
“This is a very big honor for me. I am extremely proud to be able to take on this responsible task,” said Reindl at a major press conference in Toronto following his appointment on Wednesday evening. The DEB-President added: “We will have the chance to put together a very good team.”
Reindl also sees the possibility of using the World Cup of Hockey, which is organized jointly by the National Hockey League (NHL) and the players' union NHLPA, as an advertising platform for the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Cologne and Paris. “The World Cup of Hockey is an internationally respected tournament from which German ice hockey and the national team will also benefit,” said Reindl.
A total of eight teams are taking part in the World Cup of Hockey, which was last held in 2004. In addition to the nations Canada, USA, Sweden, Russia, Finland and the Czech Republic, a U23 selection made up of young talented US and Canadian players is also taking part. "Team Europe" will be a mix of the best players from Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark, Belarus, France, Latvia, Norway and Slovenia. More than 150 NHL professionals are expected to take part in the World Cup of Hockey.