Kühnhackl is fighting for the Olympic dream: Return to the national team!

Kühnhackl is fighting for the Olympic dream: Return to the national team!

Landshut, Deutschland - Olympia 2026 moves closer, and Tom Kühnhackl has only one goal in mind: the place in the German ice hockey team! After the exciting 5: 6 against Denmark at the Germany Cup, the former NHL star is hot to qualify for the big event in Italy. "Of course you are already looking at one eye," reveals the 32-year-old, who is back on the ice after over two and a half years of absence. The pressure is enormous because the competition does not sleep!

The struggle for the places begins

Kühnhackl, a double Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has to prove itself. "It is quite normal that you have to present yourself again," he explains. The DEB sports director Christian Künast describes the upcoming tournament as a "shop window Olympia", and Kühnhackl knows that he has to show himself from the best side in order to get one of the coveted places. Despite the defeat against Denmark, the national coach district was enthusiastic about Kühnhackl's performance: "He hardly made any mistakes. He was a role model and combative.

The pressure on Kühnhackl is high, because his last participation in a big tournament was in 2018 when he led the German selection in the qualification for the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. At that time, he was denied the great success because the NHL did not release any players. The disappointment was great in 2022 when Germany left 0: 4 in the quarter -finals against Slovakia. Now the next chance is waiting in Milan, and Kühnhackl is determined: "So I absolutely want to be there!"