The Rise of German Hockey Players in The NHL (Discussion)

[BruinLVGA]

Yeah, I doubt this. There is very very little coverage on hockey in Germany. That silver probably got a line or two between a gold in bobsled and a bronze in biathlon.

I agree with this. Hockey is basically a niche sport in Germany. If we talk central Europe, the only place where hockey has a true top spot is Switzerland (I consider Czech and Slovaks as of the Eastern Europe area). Here hockey is probably as popular as soccer at 80-90%.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

I don't think that much has changed honestly. Draisaitl is obviously a big thing now, but aside from that they've been a country with a few notable players but not enough to put together NHL-caliber team as long as i remember.

 

[devbouz12]

Wings fans are eagerly awaiting Seider's cup of coffee in the big time. We're also comforted to know Tim Stützle is our worst case draft scenario. Not too shabby.

No he isn't. Stutzle is going 3rd and you guys could potentially pick 4th. Here to help

 

[Pucker Factor 10]

I agree with this. Hockey is basically a niche sport in Germany. If we talk central Europe, the only place where hockey has a true top spot is Switzerland (I consider Czech and Slovaks as of the Eastern Europe area). Here hockey is probably as popular as soccer at 80-90%.

The title of this thread kinda creeps me out. Anytime I hear or see reference to the "Rise of German ________".... (This has nothing to do with individuals).

I vividly recall that stunning upset of Switzerland over Canada in 2006 at Turin. How much do you think that factored into the popularity of hockey there today?

 

[BlueBaron]

Germany and their players are easy to root for because they are underdogs. They have really punched above their weight in terms of NHL impact. I think we should give them Austrians like Vanek to, they speak German.

Also you should all be ashamed that no one has mentioned the only German to score a Stanley Cup winning goal. Mr Uwe Krupp. Hehe he's in his 50s so he's not recent but he is a special status German player.

 

[Sauce12]

The title of this thread kinda creeps me out. Anytime I hear or see reference to the "Rise of German ________".... (This has nothing to do with individuals).

I vividly recall that stunning upset of Switzerland over Canada in 2006 at Turin. How much do you think that factored into the popularity of hockey there today?

I think the biggest factors were Streit and Josi. There are 12 regular players from Switzerland in the NHL in 19/20. Ten years ago Streit was the only one.

For comparison: Germany has four guys that play in the NHL on a regular basis. But yeah, they can call one of the very best players of the world their own.

 

[BruinLVGA]

The title of this thread kinda creeps me out. Anytime I hear or see reference to the "Rise of German ________".... (This has nothing to do with individuals).

I vividly recall that stunning upset of Switzerland over Canada in 2006 at Turin. How much do you think that factored into the popularity of hockey there today?

It was a moment of great national sport pride at the time, no doubt. Beating Canada with all their top NHL stars, even shutting them out too, was a dream.
However hockey here has always been wildly popular since I can remember (=1970s). So I don't think that the game in Turin made a big difference.
If we want to talk about what was the biggest event for Switzerland in hockey recently, hands down it's the silver medal at the 2013 WC. That was a huge thing because it was the first medal since the 1950s. They received a hero's welcome when they landed home. I can't even begin to think what would happen if they'd win a gold (WC or Olympics). Everyone would go nuts.

One thing that I think that the two silver medals at the WC + great games and/or victories vs top teams has helped, is in terms of giving young kids an image that they too can be protagonists at the maximum level if they work hard.
Recently Switzerland has started having kids taken at high spots in the draft, culminating with a 1st overall in 2017: this is something that only 25 years ago would have been deemed near to impossible.

I have been around a fair share of time and I know why this is: hockey in Switzerland wasn't full pro until circa 1990. Only foreign players were full-time pros until then. And once that changed - like I said in the early 90s - all of a sudden you started seeing the national team getting better, young Swiss kids being developed in a proper environment, and that resulted in young kids getting drafted by NHL teams in numbers and at spots much higher than ever before.

 

[TheOtherOne]

Pretty crazy how Seider and Stützle dragged the Red Wings into the playoffs next year.

 

[Roof Daddy]

I always liked Jochen Hecht (sp?). Good, solid, consistent player.

Try having him as the main return in a trade for your franchise player (Dougie Weight). You’d learn to like him a little less.

 

[Pucker Factor 10]

I think the biggest factors were Streit and Josi. There are 12 regular players from Switzerland in the NHL in 19/20. Ten years ago Streit was the only one.

It was a moment of great national sport pride at the time, no doubt. Beating Canada with all their top NHL stars, even shutting them out too, was a dream. However hockey here has always been wildly popular since I can remember (=1970s). So I don't think that the game in Turin made a big difference.If we want to talk about what was the biggest event for Switzerland in hockey recently, hands down it's the silver medal at the 2013 WC. That was a huge thing because it was the first medal since the 1950s. They received a hero's welcome when they landed home. I can't even begin to think what would happen if they'd win a gold (WC or Olympics). Everyone would go nuts.

One thing that I think that the two silver medals at the WC + great games and/or victories vs top teams has helped, is in terms of giving young kids an image that they too can be protagonists at the maximum level if they work hard.Recently Switzerland has started having kids taken at high spots in the draft, culminating with a 1st overall in 2017: this is something that only 25 years ago would have been deemed near to impossible.

I have been around a fair share of time and I know why this is: hockey in Switzerland wasn't full pro until circa 1990. Only foreign players were full-time pros until then. And once that changed - like I said in the early 90s - all of a sudden you started seeing the national team getting better, young Swiss kids being developed in a proper environment, and that resulted in young kids getting drafted by NHL teams in numbers and at spots much higher than ever before.

Interesting perspectives. Until that upset in '06 I had no idea the Swiss program had developed as well as it had, being that, I would guess, most of the aspiring male athletes of that generation there wanted to be the next Pirmin Zurbriggen.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Interesting perspectives. Until that upset in '06 I had no idea the Swiss program had developed as well as it had, being that, I would guess, most of the aspiring male athletes of that generation there wanted to be the next Pirmin Zurbriggen.

It was a momentous shift in all pro sports in Switzerland in the last decade of the 20th century. The mentality changed. It became normal to be a full-time pro athlete. The young ones don't remember it, but people of my age and up, do.

 

[Cotton]

Like I said, there have been quite a few German Born yet Canadian Trained Players.

He's not German whatsoever.

 

[wabagee]

Germany and their players are easy to root for because they are underdogs. They have really punched above their weight in terms of NHL impact. I think we should give them Austrians like Vanek to, they speak German.

Also you should all be ashamed that no one has mentioned the only German to score a Stanley Cup winning goal. Mr Uwe Krupp. Hehe he's in his 50s so he's not recent but he is a special status German player.

He was mentioned earlier and that was such a clutch goal, But he was not a great player.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

Tom Kuhnhackl would like a word.

Would that word be about his dad?

 

[BrockLobster]

Tom Kuhnhackl would like a word.

His dad = the german gretzky

 

[DieSendungmitderMaus]

Germany and their players are easy to root for because they are underdogs. They have really punched above their weight in terms of NHL impact. I think we should give them Austrians like Vanek to, they speak German.

Also you should all be ashamed that no one has mentioned the only German to score a Stanley Cup winning goal. Mr Uwe Krupp. Hehe he's in his 50s so he's not recent but he is a special status German player.

Lot to unpack in this entire thread, but jesus. As a German, let me tell you that saying Austrians are basically Germans because they (alledgedly) speak the same language is not cool. Austrians don't like it, Germans don't like it, and there's something called the Anschluss that makes it even more problematic. There was a time where Germans and Austrians could've joined to be one country (in the 19th century, when the Nazis came up, that opportunity was long gone), but it's over and that's fine.

As for the thread topic, so many Germans being drafted high is of course unusual and a good sign. The structural problems prevail though and yeah, it's a niche sport.

(Sorry for the politics, but that post I quoted needed responding)

 

[kaiser matias]

He's not German whatsoever.

Born in Germany to a German mother, I would argue that is at least somewhat German.

 

[holy]

Better be careful, last time Germans rose up this quickly the world got dizzy.

 

[JianYang]

When you say hockey in Germany, I'm thinking they think of feild hockey before ice hockey, just judging on them seemingly fielding one of the elite teams at the Olympic stage on a consistent basis.

Ice hockey is the niche form of hockey, and hockey is already a niche in itself, from a global perspective.

 

[aufheben]

Dany Heatley's retirement wasn't even that recent.

 

[babylonzoo]

In before somebody says Robyn Regher did a lot for Brazilian hockey, sarcastically.

Didn't brathwaite put Barbados on the hockey map?

 

[WingsFan95]

Germany has a lot of sporting success that for hockey to make deep impact would take prolonged success beyond an Olympic Silver in a non-NHL participated edition. Now a German citizen becoming a clear Top 5 player in the world? Yeah that's a start. Olaf Kolzig didn't open the floodgates for German goaltenders despite his clear successes.

 

[Garl]

I lived in Germany for 27 years and never has hockey been anything more than a blip or afterthought even when Team Germany played well. Hockey just isnt big in Germany, generational talent or not.

Yeah, I know, in Germany it is soccer 95% of the coverage.

Your post wasnt just this though. It was written as if you had a task to put as much doom and gloom as possible. Kolzig is not german(I doubt he ever had any other citizenship), Ehrhoff barely did anything in NHL(he had a nice career), and after Drasiatl there are no good players.
Well, Germany had 6 overall last year, and will have a TOP 10 pick this year, while also they have several other top prospects.

 

[Eisen]

Or Heatley German?

He does have a german mom.

 

[koyvoo]

In before somebody says Robyn Regher did a lot for Brazilian hockey, sarcastically.

Or that Rod Langway did a lot for Taiwanese hockey