Marcel Goc is one of the 2018 Olympic heroes. Today he is part of the coaching team Adler Mannheim. In an interview, Marcel Goc looks back on the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. He talks about visits to other sports, what it's like to miss his son's birthday - and he reveals what an Olympic medal actually tastes like.
Marcel, what does an Olympic silver medal taste like when you athletes bite into it?
Marcel Goc: For happiness, success and satisfaction.
Where do you keep your medal?
Marcel Goc: My medal is neatly folded in its box and lies in the living room cupboard. At some point it will have a special place, but at the moment there is so much of the kids' stuff lying around that the medal has to stay in the closet for now.
You sent personal birthday greetings to your son in 2018. What is it like covering the Olympics as a father?
Marcel Goc: My daughter was still too small back then. All she knew was “Dad is going to play ice hockey somewhere again”. But it was already clear to my son that I would be away for a longer period of time - and his birthday fell around the time of the Olympic Games. I talked to him about missing his birthday if we go far. His answer was “If you win a medal, then it’s ok.” Of course, something like that motivates you a lot.
When we landed in Frankfurt, hugging the family again was the perfect end to the Olympics. We players put in a lot of hard work, but you shouldn't forget that the family has to forego and cut back on a lot of things. Everything is planned around this sport. I'm very happy that my family is still doing this.
What was your 2018 Olympic moment?
Marcel Goc: Making it to the final and being sure of a medal - you never forget moments like that. The Olympic Games were a huge event for me from the first day to the flight home. Everything felt good from start to finish. We knew that the NHL players weren't there - and we were a little hopeful. But we couldn't have dreamed that everything would work out like this. We players were all able to give our best performance. The coaches around Marco Sturm organized everything really well. Almost all of us had known each other for many years - these are things that help a lot in team sports.
I also thought it was really good that the Olympic villages were not too far from each other. The shuttle bus took us to the Alpine village in just 42 minutes. We watched the ski jumpers and the biathlon pursuit. Sometimes we were out individually, sometimes the whole team was out together. The German house was also in the Alpine village - and seeing the athletes from the other sports was of course a highlight that we don't usually have.
What is special about the Olympics?
Marcel Goc: The Olympics are much bigger than a World Cup, where you “just” have your sport. The Olympics are a huge thing, the world is watching. All the athletes, all the winter sports are there - I think it's good that we were able to take the full Olympic experience with us. Enjoying the Olympics doesn't mean that we don't take our tasks seriously. We athletes are far too ambitious for that; we want to crown our work with a medal.
Of course, we're also interested in an Olympic anecdote...
Marcel Goc: Admittedly, we were in the German House quite often. Thomas, the presenter in the German House, once said to me, “Marcel, you’re here quite often.” Actually, athletes come mainly after competitions or to celebrate the end of the Olympics and their medals. When we actually arrived at the German House with a medal around our necks, he said to me, “You’ve really made it – from a tourist group to a tourist attraction.” That was a nice feeling.
How do you keep in touch with your teammates from back then?
Marcel Goc: Some are also here in Mannheim. When the boys play here, you see each other and chat briefly in the hallway. Of course, we are always only a message away from each other on our cell phones. Whether we meet now or in ten years, the 2018 Olympics always comes up.
Let's look ahead to the 2022 Winter Olympics. We have a broad-based German men’s national team. What do you think the boys can do?
Marcel Goc: I am sure that they will give it their all and that they will play in such a way that the ice hockey world and beyond will say: "The Germans can really play ice hockey well too." I don't want to speculate on how far the team will go. I do think that the top nations (Russia, Canada, Finland, Sweden) are a little ahead of us, but anything can happen at the Olympics.
Thanks for the conversation, Marcel!