ice Hockey
DEB trainer Kreis relies on mental coach at World Cup
Harold Kreis is the coach of the German national ice hockey team. photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
At his first World Cup as national ice hockey coach, Harold Kreis had a tough start. In order not to get into a negative spiral, Kreis also relies on psychological help.
Harold Kreis also relies on psychological help for his World Cup premiere as national ice hockey coach. In view of the difficult initial program at the World Cup in Finland and Sweden, which begins on Friday, the work of a psychologist could ultimately be decisive for success, according to Kreis.
“We have a mental coach with us who has been working with the players for a long time. Of course it’s also about how we deal with it if we don’t have a point after three games,” said Kreis of the German Press Agency before the first World Cup game on Friday (7:20 p.m./Sport1 and MagentaSport) against eleven-time world champion Sweden.
Just 24 hours later, the selection of the German Ice Hockey Federation has to compete against defending champion, host and top favorite Finland. The US team will be waiting next Monday as the third opponent in the preliminary round. “If you play against such opponents right at the beginning, the challenge is great right from the start. You know immediately where you stand. I see that more as an advantage than a disadvantage,” said Kreis.
Should Germany actually lose all three games, the DEB selection would be under a lot of pressure in the following games against the supposedly easier opponents Denmark, Hungary, France and Austria in order to still make the minimum goal of the quarter-finals. “We don’t feel any pressure. We have to take it as it comes,” said Kreis.
The 64-year-old is the successor to Toni Söderholm, who surprisingly left DEB for SC Bern last November despite a valid contract and is moving to German champions EHC Red Bull Munich for the new season.