What is your conclusion about the preparation for the World Cup?
Thomas Raffl: The preparation went very well, I would even say great. Many players who don’t play the biggest roles in their teams have taken the next step and adjusted to the faster international pace. It will certainly be fun to see what comes out with this squad at the World Cup.
With what feeling, with what confidence do you travel to the World Cup?
With a good feeling, of course. We are all professional athletes, ice hockey is our profession. We travel to Finland with big goals. But at the end of the day you have to leave the church in the village. We’re playing against absolute top nations, so we have to make sure that we keep our self-confidence high. In the end, one or the other team will have to bend.
What is the significance of this World Cup for you and Austrian ice hockey after two years of the pandemic?
A World Cup is always something special. We are proud to represent our country. If you get the chance to represent Austria at a World Cup, it’s definitely an opportunity not to be missed. For Austrian ice hockey in particular, it’s nice that we have fans in the halls again after this Corona period and I’m convinced that we can raise the status of ice hockey in Austria again.
How excited are you for the duel with hosts and Olympic champions Finland in front of this unique backdrop in the brand new Nokia Arena in Tampere?
Of course big. Just like against any other nation. With Finland we know we’re up against a nation that has won an incredible amount in recent years. It’s no secret that system-wise they are the best nation in the world right now. We had the opportunity to play against them in preparation. It’s a great honor and a great opportunity for us to test ourselves at this level.
There is a lot of talk about the “final” against Great Britain for the goal of staying up. How difficult will it be and do you think there are chances against Norway and Latvia?
We want to play our best hockey in every game. We know there will be teams that have a better chance of winning. I think Norway and Latvia are teams we can hit against, we can surprise against. We don’t focus on one game, we want to do our best in every game.
The games of the ÖEHV national team
- Saturday, 11.20 a.m.: Sweden – Austria
- Sunday, 3.20 p.m.: Austria – USA
- Tuesday, 3.20 p.m.: Czech Republic – Austria
- Wednesday 15.20: Norway – Austria
- Friday 20 May, 7:20 p.m.: Latvia-Austria
- Saturday May 21, 3:20 p.m.: Austria – Finland
- Monday, May 23, 7:20 p.m.: Austria – Great Britain
ORF Sport+ broadcasts all games of the Austrian team and the final live
Also listen to the icebreaker podcast episode with team boss Roger Bader during the preparatory camp in Linz, which we recorded at the beginning of April:
Source: Nachrichten
