Dominik Bittner: At the start of the World Cup there will be a bang

Created: 05/11/2022, 21:00

By: Roland Halmel

In tense anticipation: Dominik Bittner (here in the shirt of his Wolfsburg club) is looking forward to the start of the World Cup.

© imago images

Nothing to play with easily: The ice hockey world championship starts for Dominik Bittner and the German team on Friday with a cracker against a multiple world champion.

Peißenberg – Dominik Bittner missed the first part of the World Cup preparations because he was still active in the DEL play-offs with his Wolfsburg Grizzlies.

Then an illness slowed him down.

In the meantime, the Peißenberg ice hockey professional is fit again and since last week also with the German national team.

Now Bittner's focus is on the World Cup in Finland, which begins for the German team on Friday.

Bittner scores in the last test before the World Cup

In the final test match against Austria last Sunday, the 29-year-old even scored the last goal in the DEB selection's 3-1 victory.

"But that was an empty net hit," reported Bittner, who made his way from Stuttgart airport to the Finnish capital Helsinki with his team-mate from the national team last Tuesday.

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"I'm really looking forward to the World Cup because our NHL boys are also there and it will be my first international tournament with fans," said Bittner, who played at the Olympic Games in Beijing last February and the 2021 World Cup in Riga (Latvia). still had to play in front of more or less empty ranks.

"Helsinki is a great city with ice hockey crazy fans," says Bittner.

He is looking forward to the atmosphere in the hall, to which many German fans will probably also contribute.

Spectators are allowed again at the Ice Hockey World Championship

"I think we can show a performance similar to last year," said the Peißenberger.

He is confident of playing a good World Cup with the DEB selection, which includes NHL top defender Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings).

A year ago, the team of national coach Toni Söderholm finished fourth.

At that time she defeated Canada 3-1 in the preliminary round.

The Canadians are also the opening opponents of the Germans on Friday (7:20 p.m.).

"It's a real chunk right from the start, although the opponents we have to beat only come afterwards," Bittner said.