Bavarian ice hockey veteran believes in Olympic miracle in Beijing: "Real chance of a medal"

Created: 2022-02-09 11:22 am

By: Gunter Klein

2018 was a special ice hockey year for Germany.

Will it be repeated in China?

© Peter Kneffel/dpa

The German ice hockey Olympic team has to face Canada at the start of the tournament.

Landshut legend Alois Schloder expects Söderholm's team to have good chances.

Landshut – You can hardly experience more Olympic ice hockey than Alois Schloder (74).

He was a player in 1972 and '76, and a TV pundit in 1988, '98, 2002 and '06.

The conversation with the Landshuter.

Mr. Schloder, you and Thomas Bach know each other from athlete to athlete, right?

Schloder: Yes, and he knows exactly how athletes tick.

But he doesn't care anymore.

He is, as he is described, the fencer behind the mask.

It's absurd that he didn't even let Felix Neureuther in for this impressive ARD report the other day.

Olympia 2022: We can repeat the ice hockey sensation of 2018

In 1976 you won sensational bronze.

But that could be the claim today, right?

Schloder: I always said: The country needs new heroes.

It started with Marco Sturm, a stroke of luck as a coach.

Players who otherwise canceled came when he called.

Silver 2018 was amazing.

And when I look at the Russian's equalizer in the final just before the end: the way the disc trembles, nine out of ten times it doesn't hit at all.

I also have respect for Marco's successor Toni Söderholm.

A look at our group: Canada on Thursday (February 10) - can we beat.

USA with college people, not well-rehearsed - should not be underestimated.

China – we win there.

We can finish first and have a real chance of a medal.

Alois Schloder can look back on many Olympic experiences.

© Spoetel/imago

Ice hockey tournament at the 2022 Olympics: Landshut legend Schloder talks about the Lower Bavarians in the squad

Marco Sturm grew up in Landshut, in the Beijing squad there are five who learned to play ice hockey at EV Landshut, including Tobias Rieder and Tom Kühnhackl.

Schloder: Tobi is like a foster son for my daughter, we visited him two or three times in America.

And the Kühnhackls live next door to us.

Tom won the Stanley Cup twice and brought him to Landshut, I had him in the swimming pool with me.

Would you like to be in Beijing?

Schloder: No, what we experienced – friendships with Russian and Czech players – celebrating with the skiers, people at the Olympics don't experience that anymore.

They have their competition and may see another one.

The interview was conducted by Günter Klein.