Munich (AP) – It is not as if national ice hockey coach Toni Söderholm had nothing to do three months before the World Cup and one year before the Olympics. But something crucial is missing. “I really miss being on the gang,” Söderholm told the German Press Agency.
Actually, it would have been that time again this week for the first time in 15 months with the senior national team. Actually. The games against Switzerland were canceled due to the corona – like so many games before.
“It is clearly the most challenging time for me as a coach so far,” said Söderholm, who has coached three international matches for Germany since the 2019 World Cup. That was at the Deutschland Cup in November 2019. The 2020 World Cup was canceled due to the pandemic, at the Deutschland Cup last November the national coach himself suffered from Covid-19. The tests against Switzerland would therefore have been particularly important. Söderholm doesn’t really know where his team is. “I would have liked to have had an interim balance. That makes planning more difficult now, ”said the 42-year-old Finn.
Until the end of 2019, many things looked rosy in German ice hockey: winning the 2018 Olympic silver medal, more and more German talents in the NHL, the rise of Leon Draisaitl to currently perhaps the world’s best player – Germany had established itself in the extended world elite, and Söderholm’s team was at the annual World Cup tournaments on the verge of targeting the medal ranks.
Then came Corona. Not only was Söderholm slowed down: “I wouldn’t say we’re starting from scratch, but of course it’s a step backwards in our development,” complained Söderholm.
All nations have the problem, one would think. But Söderholm contradicts: “There are differences. The Finns, Swedes, Czechs and Russians had their tournaments in December and are now playing in February. So you already have more games in advance. “
Of course, this does not change anything in terms of his ambitions. At the World Cup in Riga (May 21 to June 6), the minimum goal is the quarter-finals. “They definitely won’t change,” said Söderholm about his goals. “I will have the same requirements for the players.” The only catch is that the German Ice Hockey Association does not yet know how the preparation looks.
More than the World Cup schedule is not clear. Whether the World Cup will take place in a bubble is just as unclear as the question of how many preparatory games will be possible and whether these will be played in a bubble in Latvia before the actual World Cup.
In addition, Söderholm’s most important DEB employee has not been there for two months. After internal quarrels, the contract with sports director Stefan Schaidnagel was terminated. DEB President Franz Reindl has so far vehemently contradicted rumors that he had fallen out with Schaidnagel. Except for hints that Schaidnagel was not always easy to deal with, no one commented. Reference is made to a confidentiality clause in the termination agreement.
The cause has several catches. As brisk and demanding as Schaidnagel may have been, the 39-year-old was instrumental in the upswing with his ambition and sporting reforms. In addition, he was considered a future strong man at DEB for a possible departure from Reindl in the fall to the world association. Reindl could become president there. What the time after that might look like is still unclear.
The next presidium elections are due in spring 2022. Until then, the DEB should muddle through. The work of Schaidnagel has been partially taken over by the previous women’s national coach Christian Künast. The other – administrative – part will soon be done by a general secretary who is still wanted.
Reindl initially likes to work with the reserved Künast. “That works,” said Reindl of the dpa. “We’ll wait and see this season.” Künast would like to continue. “I have a lot of ideas and plans for the future,” said the brother-in-law of the former national coach Marco Sturm recently to “Mannheimer Morgen”.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210210-99-386317 / 4
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