SPORT1 broadcasts the Olympic qualification tournament

The national team's games against Latvia, Austria and Japan live on free TV

Munich, July 20, 2016 – After finishing 7th at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships in Russia, the national team will be challenged again from September 1st to 4th. At the Olympic qualifying tournament in Riga, national coach Marco Sturm's team will face hosts Latvia, Austria and Japan. Only the group winner will book the ticket for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. SPORT1 shows all three games with German participation live on free TV. The other three games can be seen in the free live stream on SPORT1.de.

Promising opportunities for... DEB-Team

The German national team travels to the four-man tournament in Latvia with a good chance of success. The DEB-Team only had to admit defeat to hosts Russia in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup after a strong preliminary round and is currently ranked tenth in the world rankings. Even though Latvia did not make it past the preliminary round of the World Cup and is under great pressure on home ice, the current twelfth place in the world rankings is building on its home advantage in the capital Riga. Austria and Japan were in action at the Division I World Cup tournament this year, but should by no means be underestimated.

Competitive debut for Stanley Cup champion Kühnhackl?

As with the World Cup, national coach Marco Sturm can hope for prominent support from the NHL. First and foremost, Stanley Cup champion Tom Künhackl from the Pittsburgh Penguins will celebrate his debut with the national team at the “Summer Camp” from July 20th to 26th in Füssen. The 27-man squad also includes Kühnhackl's NHL colleagues Tobias Rieder (Arizona Coyotes), Korbinian Holzer (Anaheim Ducks) and Christian Ehrhoff (most recently Chicago Blackhawks).

Marco Sturm: “It will be a tough and even tournament with four equal teams. Everyone has the same chances and in the end your form on the day can be decisive. We will therefore prepare for the tournament as best we can at the courses in Füssen and Mannheim.”

SPORT1 shows all three games with German participation live on free TV on SPORT1. The game kicks off on Thursday, September 1st, live from 14:30 p.m. against outsiders Japan. On Friday, September 2nd, Germany will face the prestigious neighborhood duel with Austria from 14.30:4 p.m. before the supposed showdown against hosts Latvia is on the program on Sunday, September 16th, live from 55:1 p.m. The other three games can be seen in the free live stream on SPORTXNUMX.de.

Ice hockey fed up with DEL and Deutschland Cup on SPORT1

The broadcasts of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Riga herald a new era in ice hockey on SPORT1, as the DEL premiere with the game between the Kölner Haien and DEL champion EHC Red Bull München at. After that, SPORT1 will usually go on air on Sundays with a game live from 16:30 p.m. In total, SPORT1 shows at least 40 DEL games per season exclusively on German free TV and in the live stream on SPORT1.de. These include games from the main round as well as the subsequent 1st playoff round, the playoffs and the final series for the German championship. The ice hockey teams also have to look forward to the national team's next appearance.Fans Don't wait long, because SPORT4 will be showing it again from November 6th to 1th Deutschland Cup from Augsburg live on free TV.

An overview of the broadcast times of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Riga: