For the first time since 2015, the German men's national ice hockey team has... Deutschland Cup won. National coach Toni Söderholm's team won all three games at the traditional home tournament in Krefeld's YAYLA Arena (4:3 against Russia, 3:0 against Switzerland, 4:1 against Slovakia) - even though Toni Söderholm was on some Top performers and experienced players had to do without and the squad had to change some positions shortly before the start of the tournament. It's the eighth Deutschland Cup-Title for the German team.
ParaIn addition to the men's, the German women's national team played in Füssen for a ticket to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. After the 0-3 defeat in the opening game against Austria, the starting point was extremely difficult for national coach Tom Schädler's team. The team won 4-1 against Italy on Saturday and also beat Denmark 3-2 in a penalty shootout on Sunday. Nevertheless, the Danes bought their ticket to Beijing. The Deutscher Eishockey-Bund e. V. congratulates the team from Denmark.
Deutschland Cup 2021 and women's Olympic qualification: the voices of Franz Reindl, Claus Gröbner and Christian Künast
DEB-President Franz Reindl Deutschland Cup 2021: Three very outstanding games at a high level for our men's national team led by national coach Toni Söderholm brought an absolutely deserved victory after a long time Deutschland Cups against strong nations, congratulations! The national team is a role model for our sport! I would like to thank all players and those involved for their passionate commitment.”
DEB-President Franz Reindl on the women's Olympic qualification: “There is a long, hard road behind our women's national team. Despite an immense effort, the team was unfortunately unable to fulfill their big Olympic dream. In the end it was just not enough to qualify for the Olympics. Now it’s time to look to the future and give everything together for women’s ice hockey.”
DEB-General Secretary Claus Gröbner Deutschland Cup 2021: “The team showed an excellent performance, which increases the anticipation for our Olympic season. The framework conditions for hosting the Deutschland Cup were challenging. I would like to thank our partners, sponsors and, above all, my colleagues at DEB, who made our traditional tournament possible with their great commitment. The spectators in the hall and at home in front of the screen saw great performances. My congratulations go to our men’s national team and their coach Toni Söderholm.”
DEB-General Secretary Claus Gröbner on the women's Olympic qualification: "The women's national team gave it their all, but in the end it was just not enough. That's how hard sport can be. We didn't qualify for the Olympics, but we still won the hearts of many ice hockey fans. That's enough incentive to continue to promote women's ice hockey in Germany and improve the structures."
DEB-Sports director Christian Künast Deutschland Cup 2021: “Congratulations to the players, the coaches and the staff. The entire team showed their best side throughout all three tournament games and impressed with both their playfulness and their fighting spirit and team spirit. I would like to emphasize that, in addition to experienced players, we have also introduced young talent to the men's national team, which shows that it is worth investing in our young talent structures together with the leagues and clubs. We are pleased that we were able to reward ourselves with winning the tournament and would like to thank the teams from Russia, Slovakia and Switzerland for taking part.”
DEB-Sports director Christian Künast on the women's Olympic qualification: “We knew how difficult the task was and of course we congratulate the Danes on taking part in the Olympics. After the opening defeat, our team didn't let it get them down and tried everything to make their big dream come true. Nevertheless, the development of the women’s national team is going in the right direction and the result of the days in Füssen motivates us to continue to improve in all areas.”