It is the big dream for every young ice hockey player: making it to the National Hockey League (NHL) or the step into Germany's highest league, the German Ice Hockey League (DEL). It's a long way to go, but if you have enough talent and commitment, you can achieve these goals. No one knows this better than the players of the German national ice hockey team. Each of them started small - with their first attempts at skating on the ice, their first ice hockey game or their first goal or save. In the #homevisit series, the national players return to the place where they experienced exactly these events and pass on their tips and tricks to young ice hockey talents.
In the second edition, national ice hockey player Daniel Pietta returns to the Rheinlandhalle in Krefeld. At the age of three, he started running school in the cult facility, then celebrated junior titles with the Krefeld EV 81 and made it into the Penguins' professional squad. Today Pietta sits in the stands and looks towards the playing field. There the first children are getting ready for their summer training. The U9 and U11 players keep looking in the direction of the offensive player. No wonder, because Daniel Pietta is the role model for most of the kids.
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Pietta and Krefeld ice hockey
Face of the penguins, Krefeld's figurehead, identification figure - all of these are synonyms for the now 31-year-old offensive player Krefeld Pinguine. And that's no coincidence: the left-wing shooter has been loyal to his city for 28 years. At the age of 23, he played his 300th game in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) for the Penguins - no other player did that before him at that age. To date, he has appeared on the ice for his club in over 600 games and scored more than 500 points.
A few moments come back to life in the stands of the Rheinlandhalle. Pietta brought a few memories with him in the form of photos from his Young Talent days at the Krefeld EV 81. “Back then there was always a big Christmas tournament for the small school students here in the Rheinlandhalle,” the offensive player remembers. “Everyone took in guest children – it was like a family reunion in ice hockey.” Even during his Young Talent days, Daniel Pietta played with numerous later DEL players, with whom he also played together on the national team. Danny aus den Birken, Philip Gogulla and Martin Schymanski – they all learned the basics of ice hockey at KEV'81. Today, a total of 220 actors train at the Young Talent Club who would like to follow in the footsteps of their role models.
Just now in the stands, Daniel Pietta is now in the middle of summer training for the U9 and U11 of his youth club. Ladder jumps, push-ups, skate jumps in the stands. Pietta shows us how to do it, the children do it too. But the national player doesn't get away with it that easily, because afterwards there is a special "upgrade" to the exercises for him: Now a child sits on his back while he does the push-ups - the 31-year-old stands up to the challenge and is the child the fun was clearly written on their faces.
The 31-year-old knows the Rheinlandhalle like the back of his hand. The KönigPALAST opposite - the current venue of the Krefeld Pinguine - as well. But in February of this year, Pietta got to know another arena better: the Tegera Arena from Leksands IF. He and Marcel Müller moved to the Swedish second division team at the end of the main round, received a lot of positive feedback from those responsible and felt completely comfortable: “It was a great time and a nice experience. We got to know a different ice hockey culture. In Sweden a lot revolves around ice hockey – it’s the number one sport there, just like football is in Germany.”
Next goal: Deutschland Cup
Now Daniel Pietta is back in Krefeld and full of energy. “It’s time for us to play in the playoffs again,” says the Penguins’ leading player. The 31-year-old also wants to continue to be involved with the national team: “Of course, my next goal is to be involved Deutschland Cup to be there. Then I'll work towards participating in the World Cup. And since I missed the Olympics, the 2022 Olympics would also be a long-term goal. Of course I can appreciate that it won’t be easy at 35.”
From November 8th to 11th, 2018 is Deutschland Cup Held for the first time in Krefeld’s KönigPALAST – a home game for Daniel Pietta. “I'm looking forward to the tournament! The atmosphere in Augsburg was great and the audience response was also really good. I think Krefeld can do it just as well. Attractive opponents and interesting games await the Krefeld audience.”
The young talent players from Krefeld EV 81 will certainly be watching the games of the German national ice hockey team with excitement. You now know one of them personally – your training partner Daniel Pietta.
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