DEB: Moritz, nice that you take the time to talk. You recently had a pretty scary moment when you crashed into the boards during a championship game and had to come off the ice injured. How is the healing process going, how is it progressing?
Moritz Seider (19/national player/Rögle BK): “It's getting slow, the shoulder is still a little weak, but that's normal. We are on a very good path, I am not in any pain. I'm very, very optimistic, but I don't want to rush back and don't want to rush anything, that won't help. I was very fortunate that I still play with a full carbon rail, which probably saved my career. We are all overjoyed that everything stayed within limits.”
DEB: How do you remember the situation and is it conceivable that you will play permanently with the individual carbon orthosis from Ortema?
Seider: “I got stuck with an opponent, then the gang came faster than expected and it was just a matter of me not crashing in head first. Nobody was to blame for the situation. It went well again and now it's time to train diligently and get back to 100 percent. As far as rail is concerned, we'll have to see what happens next summer. I hope I can build up the shoulder so that you can play without any aids. But in the near future it will be important that I keep the brace. As long as I'm wearing them, I definitely feel safe - maybe that's just in my head. I don’t know if I always play with it.”
DEB: Otherwise, the move to Sweden worked out great for you. What are the positive aspects for you?
Seider: “I was surprised by the offer, but I always thought it would be cool to be in the SHL (Swedish Hockey League/editor’s note) to play. I didn't think it would come so quickly. I also knew Cory Murphy, he is also an assistant with the national team. I'm super happy and feel incredibly comfortable. I play a lot, get time in the power play, penalty killing, play in overtime. These are all things that you train for, you want to be on the ice in the crucial moments. In addition, I have an incredibly experienced defense partner in Eric Gelinas, who helps me a little every day to improve. As a team we try to live up to our expectations, we have an incredibly strong team and high goals.”
DEB: What is life like in Sweden with the corona pandemic, how much normality is there?
Seider: “It is very, very possible. There is no mask requirement, all restaurants are open until 20 p.m. Life is already very regulated and almost normal. Of course, we have to behave very carefully and keep our distance and not take unnecessary risks. The city is very relaxed with 40.000 inhabitants, there isn't much going on, but that's not what I'm here for. Helsingborg is not far away, the sea is around the corner. We go out often to relax the soul. And at the moment it's really freezing cold and I've also been running around like a tourist in sneakers. (laughs)”
DEB: Did you also learn a bit of the language or maybe try one or two specialties, surströmming for example?
Seider: “I tried a bit with Swedish, but probably failed miserably, at least the will was there. (smiles) There are fixed rituals for coffee and cake, the boys look forward to it after dinner, they chat and philosophize about life or even talk crap. There are really very talented bakers and a whole lot of desserts. Of course you have to be careful as a professional athlete, you can't always do that. But I'd rather put away canned fish, otherwise my day is over. (laughs)”
DEB: You're on loan to Sweden from the Detroit Red Wings. How intensive is the contact and is there any constellation in which you will still play for Detroit this season?
Seider: “It is actually excluded by the contract for the entire season. This also gives me clarity, I don't have to deal with any eventualities. I can concentrate fully on the season, which also helps me a lot mentally. I'm really looking forward to the new season, we want to finally create the line-up in the NHL, that's the really, really big goal. Contact is very regular. It's good that people like Niklas Kronwall (works in management at the Detroit Red Wings/ed.) are in Sweden and therefore not far away. He comes here every now and then, we meet and talk to each other. There is a larger meeting once a month where we talk about the last games and discuss certain points that are important for the future in the NHL or that need to be improved in my game. That’s very professional and helps me a lot as a player.”
DEB: At the Deutschland Cup You couldn't be there and the national team event in February wouldn't have been possible because of your injury if it hadn't been canceled. You certainly have your sights set on the World Cup in Riga, right?
Seider: “Absolutely, that should work. After having no chance last year, we are incredibly hot. It's going to be a cool and interesting year, I'm really excited. I always spoke to Toni Söderholm on the phone before the measures were taken. Now the focus is on being 100 percent fit for the World Cup. I think Team Germany is also very broad in defense with young players who will gradually slip in there. Of course I want to present myself as best as possible in order to earn a place and be there at the end.”
DEB: How do you look at what's happening in the NHL, how Tim Stützle is doing so far and the general trend that more and more German players are taking the step?
Seider: “Tim knows that I always have an open ear when things don’t go well. It's not easy coming into such a tough division, only playing against Canadian teams and suddenly all kinds of people want something from you. You have to get used to it, so let him do his own thing. It's a difficult part that he has to do in a rebuild. They don't have that many franchise players, it will all take time and Tim will contribute to that. I think it will be exciting to see his development in the next few years. The sky is the limit. It's very, very remarkable what he's doing so far in the best ice hockey league in the world. When you see that more and more Germans are daring to take this step, I am very euphoric about how things will continue. The Olympics will also be a very interesting topic, where you hope that a childhood dream will come true and that you might be able to play against the very best in the world.”