Tuesday 12 October 2021
Old NHL keepers pulled out
Draisaitl is not the only hope
In the NHL, the best ice hockey league in the world, the return to normalcy begins with the new season. But there is something different: in addition to Leon Drysitl, more and more young German players are taking part. You give hope. It was firmly planned for the Winter Games in Beijing.
Leon Drysittel has only one goal. In the new NHL season that begins today, the world-class German ice hockey striker finally wants to fight seriously for the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers. “We have a team for that now. Our goal should be to play at the top,” said the 25-year-old from Cologne before the start of the season in the best league in the world.
Much more than it used to be. Teams play in their regular leagues again, fans are allowed to travel to the arenas again and Canadian teams to the US and back. We are all looking forward to life getting back to normal again. With the onlookers, there is a completely different feeling here in the arena,” said Draisaitl – one of the few moments where something like the emotion could be seen on his face. Other than that, Germany’s 2020 Athlete of the Year is currently focusing more than usual.
In the past few years, Edmonton has either not made it to the playoffs or been eliminated early. “I think it’s our time now. Now it’s up to us,” Driesitl said. In 2019/2020 he was the first ever German professional to be named NHL Player of the Year. His personal record and that of Oilers captain Conor McDavid, considered the best player in the world, is unparalleled in the league. Oilers’ problem so far has been that the rest of the team has been mediocre at best. “I think we have the deepest team since 2017. We have to have more quality now, especially with the strikers,” said Driesitl, whose biggest dream remains to win the National Hockey League.
Make history with Seattle
Philip Grobauer is number one in the Seattle Kraken.
(Foto: picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS.com)
Philip Grobauer has achieved this for a long time: In 2018, he lifted the most coveted trophy in world ice hockey as a substitute goalkeeper for the Washington Capitals. Since then, the introverted Rosenheimer has also made a personal breakthrough on the world stage. In Colorado he became a regular goalkeeper and now has a six-year contract as a first team player with the newest NHL team, the Seattle Kraken, averaging nearly six million US dollars.
“The city is too hot for ice hockey – that’s crazy,” said Grobauer, who is “proud” of making NHL history with the league’s 32nd team. Along with Draisaitl, Grubauer should definitely be part of the German Olympic team for the Winter Games in Beijing in February. This also applies to defender Moritz Ceder, who is entering his first season in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings and is already considered the best rookie in the league.
“Better than drisetel”
“I’m ready for the NHL,” said Seder, a very confident and mature twenty-year-old. The defender represents the German generation of change. The former guard for the somewhat regular NHL players behind Draisaitl and Grubauer is gradually turning away. Corbinian-Holzer has not defended in North America since 2020 and has returned to Germany with Mannheim since this season. Tobias Rieder is looking for a team again after a failed experiment in Anaheim. Even for an expert more ambitious like Dominic Cahoun, there was nowhere else left. The 2018 Olympic silver medalist is currently moving to SC Bern.
Tim Stutzel wants to be “better than Draisaitl”.
(Foto: picture alliance / dpa / The Canadian Press via ZUMA)
Players like Seider or 19-year-old Tim Stützle, who jumped to the Ottawa senator instantly last season, are trusted to advance to the world stage. In 2019, NHL teams scrambled to secure the rights to the ambitious cider. Detroit was the sixth team to take it. Rögle BK’s defensive jewel matured last season and he was immediately named the best defender in the Swedish top flight. Then he even won this award at the world championships.
On the other hand, Stützle was once surprised by the statement that he wanted to become “better than Draisaitl”. In 2020, Ottawa was the third team to participate in the draft – allocating the rights to the NHL for the year’s top talent. The only German to have finished third before is Dresaittel. “It’s great for German ice hockey,” he said. “It shows that we are starting to do better in Germany. We are now constantly sending good players to the National Hockey League.” “The goal should be to get one or two players out every year on a continuous basis.”
