After a few restless hours and an overall turbulent day, Christian Künast was already looking ahead again on Wednesday to the World Cup tournament in Riga, which was getting closer and closer. “We knew and know that it won’t be easy. We have respect for all the players and the staff members who are here, for all of them,” he said DEB-Sports director about 24 hours after the suspicious rapid test on assistant coach Matt McIlvane became known. Künast added with confidence: “I think it will be an interesting World Cup, we are really looking forward to it and it absolutely has sporting value. It’s a highlight of the season.”
Immediately after the developments on Tuesday morning, the selection of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund drew the necessary conclusions. There was no ice training and, where possible, all measures were moved to the hotel. All members of the DEB-Traffic trains remained in the rooms, where meals were also eaten. This was also the case on Wednesday DEB-Team around Captain Moritz Müller exclusively in their premises. “Of course nobody is enthusiastic, but everyone is taking the situation positively,” said Künast, describing the mood. “The players come from circumstances where they have had to hold back a lot.” But there is “a lot of program. They have online training in different groups, they have tactics training. They go through different topics and are very, very busy.”
There are corona-related failures DEB prepared – not just by the players. The coaching team also has alternative plans for such cases, but McIlvane's participation in the World Cup is currently not in doubt. But fundamentally, attention should return to sporting issues as quickly as possible. And everyone involved initially hopes that there will be no health risk for the two test matches on Friday and Saturday against Belarus (17.00:15.45 p.m. and 1:21 p.m./MagentaSport and SPORT15.15), as they are the last two planned location assessments before the start of the World Cup on May 1st against Italy (XNUMX:XNUMX p.m./SPORTXNUMX). “As of now, the test matches can take place as normal. If something changes or something becomes apparent, then we will react to it,” said Künast.
If everything goes smoothly and the tests on Wednesday show no abnormalities, you can probably train on the ice on Thursday. It would then be the only day in the ARENA NÜRNBERGER insurance that would be available before international matches number five and six. Künast, on the other hand, does not see the recent progress slowed down immediately, he just wishes that it would DEBselection was rewarded for once, after not having achieved any success so far. "They worked well, we saw a team that improved from game to game and was very committed," noted the 50-year-old. The "good feeling" of a win should also help with the actual goal: "The decisive factor is that we are ready and prepared on May 21st."
How many NHL professionals or players from North America in general do that DEBKünast cannot yet predict with certainty how the team will be able to support them. “You always have to regulate it a little individually. The optimal case is that the players come to Nuremberg on May 11th, then they would fly with us to Riga on May 15th. There are regulations for all other scenarios, that has not yet been finally clarified,” Künast reported about players like Tobias Rieder (Buffalo Sabres), Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators) or Tom Kühnhackl, Leon Gawanke and Lean Bergmann (all AHL), who are in question come.
The chance is very, very small for those like Leon Draisaitl, Dominik Kahun (both Edmonton Oilers) or Nico Sturm (Minnesota Wild), who are about to participate in the play-offs in the NHL: “We are realistic about that.” Planned According to Künast, on the other hand, Moritz Seider (Rögle BK/Sweden), “if he is healthy, we are counting on him.” The defender is currently still fighting for the championship title in the Swedish league. “Moritz has signaled his readiness,” said Künast, “I am confident that he will be ready for action by the second or third World Cup game at the latest.”