The German ice hockey national team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Winter Olympics in Milan with a 2:6 loss to Slovakia. Despite strong NHL stars like Leon Draisaitl, the team lacked identity and team spirit, preventing a medal. The players admit they did not fulfill their potential.
The German ice hockey team, touted as the best ever with seven NHL players, reached the quarterfinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan but crashed out on Wednesday midday with a 2:6 (0:1, 1:3, 1:2) loss to Slovakia. Previously, the Germans only beat France and Denmark. The federation's minimum goal was met, but hopes for a medal were dashed.
Captain Leon Draisaitl, who plays for the Edmonton Oilers, was disappointed: "That was too many mistakes. I don't know how many counters we allowed. In any case, way too many." He added: "I do believe we wanted to play better overall in the tournament. But we never really found our game." The team wavered between offensive and defensive play, lacking a clear identity. Draisaitl admitted: "It took too long for this team to find itself."
Veteran Moritz Müller, 39 years old and replaced as captain by Draisaitl before the tournament, said: "I believe we unfortunately failed to bring our best game to the ice throughout the entire tournament. There were phases again and again, but not consistently enough." He criticized the lack of unity: "Sometimes one thing, sometimes the other" regarding playing style. Müller praised past teams: The best he had experienced were 2018 (Olympic silver) and 2023 (World Championship silver).
National coach Harold Kreis could not form a functioning team from stars like Draisaitl, Tim Stützle, Moritz Seider, and Nico Sturm. The squad had little preparation time and rarely showed team spirit. In comparison, the German basketball team demonstrated at the EM triumph with Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner how stars can be integrated into a unit. Slovakia capitalized on German errors for counters and chances; the score could have been higher.
