Special honor for our silver heroes: On Thursday afternoon, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honored the players of the German national ice hockey team with the “Silver Laurel Leaf” – the highest sporting award given in Germany. The participants of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang were honored for their great tournament success and the associated sensational silver medal win.
At Bellevue Palace, the Federal President received all German Olympic and Olympic medal winners during a ceremony ParaOlympic Winter Games 2018 and the Deaflympic Winter Games 2015. In addition to the silver heroes, 34 athletes from the sports of biathlon, bobsleighing, luge, skeleton, alpine skiing, Nordic skiing and snowboarding were awarded the “Silver Laurel Leaf”.
By winning the silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, the German national ice hockey team achieved the greatest success in German ice hockey history - after the “Miracle of Innsbruck” in 1976.
After two sensational victories in the quarter and semi-finals against the clear favorites from Sweden (4:3 after extra time) and Canada (4:3), the German selection moved into the final and caused perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2018 Winter Olympics. In the final, the team of national coach Marco Sturm fought a great battle with the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR), which was ultimately lost by a narrow margin of 3:4 after extra time. However, the joy of the sensational win of the Olympic silver medal quickly prevailed. No wonder, because the silver heroes wrote German ice hockey history in PyeongChang.
Franz Reindl, DEB-President: “What our silver heroes achieved at the Winter Olympics is simply phenomenal and indescribable. The award with the “Silver Laurel Leaf” is the culmination of the numerous Olympic moments that still move us today. Now I am happy and very proud that our silver heroes were able to accept this great sporting award for their great effort and their new chapter in German ice hockey history.”
Marcel Goc, captain: “It was a huge honor and an extraordinary experience to meet Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the ambience of Bellevue Palace Berlin to be able to meet. At such a moment, the memories of the Olympic Games and our historic success are present again. For everyone, today was a unique experience in our lives.”