National ice hockey coach Harold Kreis was in tears during the interview after his team's quarter-final victory. Now it's time for the World Cup semi-final against the USA.
Riga - The German national ice hockey team played itself into a real frenzy of victory at the World Championships in Finland and Latvia. After three defeats at the start, there were five victories, the highlight so far was the sovereign success in the quarter-finals against Switzerland on Thursday. After reaching the semi-finals, it became emotional, the proud national coach Harold Kreis even fought back tears in an interview.
| Harold Circle | |
| Born: | 19 January 1959 in Winnipeg (Canada) |
| Stations as a player: | Calgary Wranglers, Mannheim ERC |
| Position: | German National Ice Hockey Coach |
| Greatest successes: | 2 x German Champion (as player), 2 x Swiss Champion (as coach) |
Ice Hockey World Championships: National coach Harold Kreis enthusiastic about his team – "I can only take my hat off"
Germany reached the quarter-finals in fourth place, while the Swiss progressed to the last eight as Group B leaders. Nevertheless, the district team managed to beat the Swiss 1:3 (0:1, 1:2, 0:0). An early lead as well as a double strike before the last third break coupled with a strong team performance, in terms of intensity and consistency in defence, led the DEB team to the semi-finals.
In an interview with Magenta Sport shortly after the end of the game, Harold Kreis was enthusiastic about his team. "I can only take my hat off," said the 64-year-old. His protégés had shown "through unconditional commitment, an unbelievable discipline and a coming together on the boards during the four-and-a-half-minute outnumbering". The match penalty against Moritz Seider, which had led to the long outnumbering, had apparently motivated the team additionally.
Semi-finals, here we come! The jubilation of the German national players after the strong performance against Switzerland was huge. © imago/Andrea Branca
Ice Hockey World Championships: Harold Kreis is in tears – "It touches me"
After a sober analysis of the game, Kreis was asked how proud he was of his team. At this point, Kreis had to pause for a moment, as he had to hold back his tears. "It touches me," he said, touched, his voice brittle. After a few seconds, the overjoyed head coach explained the outburst of emotion.
"Sometimes I let the emotions come up a bit," the German-Canadian told reporter Sascha Bandermann, adding: "I'm in good hands with this squad. I can stand in front of the gangs, they can play and do their thing. They are incredibly strong together, we have respect for the opponent, but we have acquired a routine. But we don't want to come across as arrogant," said the modest circle.
National ice hockey coach Harold Kreis became emotional after reaching the semi-finals of the World Championships. © Screenshot Magenta Sport
Germany meets the USA again at the Ice Hockey World Championships: Will Kreis win the first medal in 70 years?
Now the German team, which according to the district has "incredibly deserved" the semi-finals, is among the last four teams in the tournament with the two top teams Canada, the USA and co-hosts Latvia. Kreis, who only took over as coach from Toni Söderholm at the beginning of the year, now has the chance to make it big. The German Ice Hockey Federation has not won a medal at a World Cup since 1953, so after 70 years it could be that time again this year.
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But for that, the Americans must first be beaten, in the preliminary round the DEB team lost 2:3 (0:0, 2:1, 0:2) in their third preliminary round game. After that, only victories followed. On Saturday at 19:20 (18:20 local time in Tampere, Finland), Germany can take revenge for their defeat in the group stage. If we reach the final, it could get really emotional. (ajr)
