Germany surprises at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia

Germany is causing a sensation at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia: for decades, national coach Uwe Krupp’s team had failed to make an impact at international tournaments, but things are looking much more promising at the 2011 Ice Hockey World Championship, currently taking place in Slovakia.

Three games played and three wins: the last time a German national ice hockey team performed this well was 78 years ago. Now, at the 2011 Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia, the team has done it again. And the opponents Germany has beaten so far are among the best teams in the world: record world champions Russia, host nation Slovakia—with its many stars from the US-based NHL—and Slovenia have all been sent off the ice as losers by the German national ice hockey team at the 2011 World Championship in Slovakia.

Date: 30/09/2026

There is no doubt that the German team’s greatest strength is its outstanding team spirit. Every player fights for his teammates until completely exhausted. That is how the team coached by “King Kong” Uwe Krupp, regarded to this day as the greatest German ice hockey player of all time, makes up for shortcomings in puck control and skating. In the run-up to the 2011 Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia, national coach Krupp had repeatedly stressed that the team could only compete if every player pushed himself to his absolute limit.

Krupp and his coaching staff prepared the German team perfectly for the 2011 Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia by creating a harmonious environment and thoroughly preparing every player for his tactical responsibilities. Clear progress among the German players was already evident at the 2010 home World Championship in Germany. Today, the team plays with great discipline in defense, constantly forcing opposing attackers away from the middle and out toward the wings. The German team also performs extremely well when shorthanded due to penalties. Now there is just one exciting question left: how far will the Germans go in Slovakia ?

Christian Bathen