MUNICH – The last IIHF World Championship was like a dark cloud for Germany. Just one year before hosting the Worlds in Cologne, Mannheim and Gelsenkirchen, the team finished 15th out of 16 teams and would have been relegated, if they weren’t this year’s host.
However, there’s a silver lining. With the IIHF World Championship at home, German hockey is at a crossroads, or so says Franz Reindl, the general secretary of the German Ice Hockey Association and of the 2010 IIHF World Championship Organizing Committee.
Germany’s performance at the Deutschland Cup was a critical step in the right direction as they the tournament with victories against Slovakia and Switzerland.
IIHF.com talked with Reindl about the upcoming challenges on and off the ice.
The Deutschland Cup was played in Munich the first major event there in many years. How did it go?
We were very surprised about the atmosphere at the Olympic Park. The fans were euphoric and happy about the performance of all teams. Everything worked well with the organization. The Olympic Arena is a bit old, but it was renovated and it has a special flair. Of course, we were happy that many fans came to the games. We also had 140 accredited journalists – more than ever at the Deutschland Cup. This shows that there is interest in hockey in Munich and in the 2010 World Championship.
Do you think the success says something about the 2018 Olympic Winter Games bid, and for the Munich team to join the DEL?
If you see 5,000 to 6,000 fans coming to the games and creating a great atmosphere, that’s a clear signal that Munich could be a possible DEL venue. The Olympic bid was one of the main reasons why we wanted to have the Deutschland Cup as a kick-off for winter sports in Munich. I think Munich is ready to present itself to the world.
How satisfied are you with the performance of the team in Munich?
I can only give compliments. The team played with energy. They skated well and were physical, which is necessary. We didn’t score as much as we could, but we saw good signs.
The 2009 World Championship ended poorly for Germany. What moves have you made within the Association?
We analyzed the World Championship. You have to look at the whole picture. One reason for the poor finish was the format, which has one crucial game that decides who plays in the relegation round. This time, France advanced. I think the performance at the Deutschland Cup shows that we were right with our analysis.
In 2008-2009, our main focus was to win the qualification for Vancouver 2010, which we did. In Switzerland, we played really poorly, but after the analysis we’ve implemented some changes in the team. There were some new faces at the Deutschland Cup and the team is being formed slowly for the 2010 World Championship. We want to build a team for the 2010 Worlds and we’re approaching the stage we can say that “We’re ready to play, but it will be tight”.
What can you say about these new faces?
We didn’t lower our average age, but we improved in strength. We are better in the net with Rob Zepp. Together with our established goalies Endras and Pätzold, we have three good goalkeepers.
On defence we have new faces with Jason Holland, who had to leave the 2008 Worlds in Halifax for known reasons, and Jakub Ficenec had his first games.
We have a new forward with Marcel Müller. Thomas Greilinger is back. And we also have NHL draftee Korbinian Holzer.
All of them give the team a new spirit, a new face.
Will some of them also play in the Vancouver Olympics?
Vancouver is another story. A tournament like the Deutschland Cup is a tryout event for players. We’re very happy to be in Vancouver. It’ll be a highlight for every player and of course all players want to be there. But we also have 11 players with NHL contracts and it will be a difficult choice for Uwe Krupp to make the selection.
You said the lack of scoring was a negative reason at the 2009 Worlds. What can be done to improve?
You have to believe and not give up. You can’t bury your head in the sand. You have to believe in your strengths instead. This team has the potential to make a turnaround, as we saw at the Deutschland Cup. They have the talent to score goals.
How is it for your staff when half the team is new for the Olympics with the NHL players?
It’s necessary to change many things, but everything is different in Vancouver. The ice is smaller, the opponents are different. It’s a completely different tournament. You don’t have time to prepare. You have to be in good shape from the beginning. That’s why it’s a great challenge and why we’re happy to take part. The national team is like a machine and you can only be part of it if you’re good enough to be among the best 23 players. If you have more candidates, the air gets thinner. But that’s sport, and everybody has to accept this. If you’re good enough, you’re in; if you’re not good enough, you’re not in. It’s that simple.
For Germany it’s a very special year with the Olympics, and later playing host to the World Championship. What is more exciting for you?
The Olympics are unique also because they’re played just every four years. It’s a tournament with much joy for us. The expectations are not big, so we can play without pressure. We can present our sport on free-to-air TV in Germany. That’s the best-possible advertisement for the 2010 IIHF World Championship. It would have been tragic if we hadn’t won the qualification tournament. And now we’re waiting for the Olympics before a completely new chapter begins, the 2010 World Championship. We want to play the Olympics first, hopefully with a good result, and then we’ll have the next big event with the sensational opening game in Gelsenkirchen.
In summer there was much criticism against your head coach Uwe Krupp, what do you think about it?
If you finish in 15th place, it’s normal that you will be criticized. We used the critics to help us to improve. You shouldn’t be too much underrated when it doesn’t go well, and not overrated when it’s going well. That’s what we’ve done. If you have scoring inefficiency, it means that the team creates enough scoring opportunities, and that’s important. Last season, we had 20 international games of which we won ten and lost ten against strong opponents. That’s a good record for a team in our position in the World Ranking, and that counts, no matter if the critics accept it or not.
There’s that say there are too many imports in the German league and that not enough is done for development. What’s your opinion?
It’s clear, everybody wants to have more, to become better and faster. I think the league does a good job. The league is operating well, the arenas are great and we have a good position. Of course we want to improve, but if you want to be better, you have to invest in youth hockey. That’s why we agreed with the league in 2008 on the project “2010 Worlds – A Chance for German Ice Hockey”. It includes a youth concept which has to be fulfilled by the clubs, now we have to implement it. As it is included in the licensing requirements for the clubs now and they can be punished for not fulfilling it, I think we’ve taken a step forward.
Can you describe this concept?
In a defined period you need to have a certain number of players in your organization. And you need to play in at least three of seven categories in the highest league with your youth teams. That’s the basics. To reach that you need professional coaches and managers. You have to start at an early age. Three of seven teams mean that it can be in the lowest age categories. Everybody can achieve this. We cannot set goals which are not feasible. But it’s difficult and it means much work for the clubs. The program is a good concept and I’m happy that the three top leagues joined in.
How is it going with the organization of the 2010 Worlds?
The opening game is almost sold out – it will be a great highlight. The hotels are good and the transportation is planned. Now we’re approaching the stage of the fine-tuning. Like the locker rooms, reconstructions and technical installations in the venue. It’s fine-tuning in every department we have, but we’re headed in the right direction.
Will you break the world record attendance at the opening game in Gelsenkirchen?
If everybody with a ticket comes, we will break the record. The single-game tickets are sold and some tickets are still available in ticket packages and hospitality packages. We expect more than 76,000 spectators. I think that everybody with a ticket will go because the demand is huge. We want to set a world record for our sport, for the IIHF and all member nations, and to lift hockey up in the sport market.
Will there be more single-game tickets for the opening game on sale?
We will generate some more single-game tickets by taking out some tickets from the packages and by re-allocating some places. Details will be announced later.
How important is this game for German hockey?
For German hockey it’s just a normal game. We want to try to begin the World Championship with something unique, but we’re not selling the German team, that’s not our focus. We want to sell world-class hockey in Germany, and this includes the opening game as a special highlight for every fan because they can take part in a historic event, a world record.
How is it going with the ticket sales for the other games?
Of course the Germany games are in high demand. We’re only selling packages and day tickets at the moment. Of course we’re happy that we sold many tickets for those games because it means that the other games in the packages will also be well-attended.
However, we’ve also noted that the financial crisis has also consequences for the ticket sales. People don’t book flights or hotels as early as before, and they’re also not buying tickets as early. We can feel that. But there’s a run on tickets of the excellent games like the final, semi-finals and quarterfinals, the opening game and the Germany games.
What can you say about the future of German hockey?
This season is a trend-setting one for German hockey. The performance of the team will be extremely important to bring German hockey on the right path. There’s a lot pressure on the German team. The trend will be set, either upwards or downwards. German hockey is at a crossroads. Everything is possible.
MARTIN MERK
Click here for the 2010 IIHF World Championship website.
