DEB
Mission to “Spiderman” Seider: save the German World Cup defense
Germany’s goalkeeper Mathias Niederberger (M) and his teammates Marco Nowak (2nd from left) and Jonas Mueller (2nd from right) in action. photo
© Christian Kolbert/dpa
Despite the 3:6 defeat in the last World Cup test against the USA, the confidence in the German ice hockey team is high before the start. This is due to the defense upgrade, among other things, by an NHL star.
The presence of Moritz Seider on board on the flight to the World Cup in Tampere lifted the spirits of the national ice hockey team so much that Captain Moritz Müller gave the NHL star superhero status. With the top defender of the Detroit Red Wings, the selection of the new national coach Harold Kreis, which has been shaken by a number of injuries, sees itself prepared for the start of the World Cup on Friday, despite the 3: 6 in the last friendly against the USA on Tuesday.
Like Spiderman
“I said to him: ‘It’s like Spiderman – with great power comes great responsibility’. I think he has lived up to his responsibility in this situation,” said Müller before departing for Tampere, where on Friday (7.20 p.m /Sport1 and MagentaSport) the first preliminary round match against the eleven-time world champion Sweden is pending.
What Müller meant by that is Seider’s subsequent World Cup commitment, who, plagued by a few physical ailments, had initially canceled as one of 15 top performers. Probably also in order not to jeopardize the upcoming important negotiations with the Red Wings in late summer due to an injury. The 22-year-old Seider is likely to become a multi-millionaire in a few weeks.
After a few days of regeneration and distance, the best German player next to exceptional striker Leon Draisaitl turned to the German Ice Hockey Federation again. “I also have to say respect to Mo that he’s coming. We all know his situation. You know what’s coming up for him in Detroit,” said Müller. “To still say ‘I’ll do it’ – that’s really a strong performance from him. We really appreciate that,” said Müller.
problem area defense
The task of the world-class player, who has been named a superhero, is not to save the whole world, but at least to save the German World Cup defense in conjunction with the AHL defenders Kai Wissmann and Leon Gawanke. So far, it has seemed a bit of a problem area in the team during preparation. Also on Tuesday against the USA, when the North American trio was not yet there, the German team conceded six goals from the still completely untrained US troops.
Apparently, this had no effect on self-confidence shortly before the start of the World Cup. “Of course that was the news for us when Mo came,” said Müller, beaming despite the bankruptcy. “This is incredible news for us,” said former NHL forward Dominik Kahun, who scored twice against the United States. “He’s now one of the best defenders in the world. All the lads are happy when he’s there.”
The fact that the subsequent nominations of Seider, Wissmann (Providence) and Gawanke (Manitoba) meant that veterans like Dominik Bittner and Marco Nowak had to be removed from the squad shortly before departure did not dampen the mood in the team, nor did the injury to attacker Andreas Eder, who is the 15th player originally planned for the World Cup. The team was also hardly interested in the six goals they conceded and the alarming poverty of forwards in the squad who were fit for the World Cup.
“Should be a very cool World Cup”
“We will perform very well,” promised Seider himself. “It should be a very cool World Cup.” Seider, who was voted the best defender in the 2021 World Cup, currently looks like the shining light in the squad. After all, the model athlete should also become a not insignificant factor offensively. He and Wissmann were the most successful scorers in the German team at last year’s World Cup, together with attacker Marc Michaelis – who is injured this time. Since eight of the ten most successful German DEL goalscorers of the past season are not at the World Cup, some injured, the German team is urgently dependent on scoring qualities.
But when Seider will intervene in the tournament for the first time is unclear. Only Wissmann, who flew directly to Tampere on Wednesday, should be able to play against Sweden straight away. Gawanke is not expected in Finland until the weekend. The future Mannheim player is likely to miss the second game against defending champions and hosts Finland on Saturday (7:20 p.m.).