After a dramatic defeat in the final match against Russia, Germany has won silver in hockey at the 2018 Olympic Games. Now DEB and DEL will have to take advantage of the moment, otherwise Marco Sturm will turn away. A commentary by SPOX editor Felix Götz.
To every outsider it was just good to see that at least some of the DEB cracks could laugh again when they were decorated with silver. For a few minutes after the incredibly bitter end of the final, they seemed like losers in their dejection – an absurd thought after this Olympic performance.
It was the biggest success in the history of German ice hockey. The Storm Troop has managed to focus on its sport in the midst of the German medal rain in South Korea.
Millions of people came out of the feathers because of them on Sunday morning at unchristian time. Because of hockey! In Germany! Not really imaginable! They wrote THE Cinderella story at these Olympic Games, which has even been widely reported in North America, the Mecca of ice hockey. Every single member of this team is thus a champion. Basta!
The share of national coach Sturm is not high enough. Since the 39-year-old took over in 2015, Germany has reached the quarter-finals at two World Championships and has now won the Olympic silver medal – an outstanding achievement.
It should not be forgotten that the conditions under which the Lower Bavarian works at the DEB are not exactly rosy. The player material available to him doesn’t actually give the results – regardless of the NHL players’ presence – at all. The miraculous Olympic performance is thus anything but a mirror image of the situation in German ice hockey as a whole.
There are not enough quality players, the promotion of young players is mediocre, expressed in a friendly way. This applies to the DEB itself and to large parts of the DEL. The fact that the U20 national team is now only competing for the third time in a row at the B-WM speaks volumes.
Sturm is aware of these serious shortcomings. They are the main reason why the former NHL star had difficulties with his contract extension until 2022. It is now up to the association and the league to use the wave of euphoria as quickly as possible. Sturm needs the support of all decision-makers in German ice hockey to create significantly better structures.
If this does not happen consistently, Sturm will pack his suitcases – contract back and forth – prematurely. It is safe to assume that he will receive offers from the NHL in the future. As an assistant coach, maybe even as head coach one day.
German ice hockey has a choice: Is the silver medal of South Korea worth gold for the future? Or does it remain a unique miracle, in which one wants to wallow for the next 42 years, as it did after the bronze in 1976?