The initially not very bombastic world championships in Tampere and Riga are gaining stardom. Thanks to the last minute reinforcements from the NHL. However, it does not help the Czech prospects for another medal.
Riga (from our correspondent) – During last year’s championship in Finland, the Czechs hit the jackpot. From the North American NHL, they were additionally strengthened by David Kämpf and especially superstar David Pastrňák, who raised the team’s performance to a completely different level.
It’s quiet this year. After the recent end of the season in New Jersey, Ondřej Palát apologized due to injury and other options fell through. The coaches closed the roster. In addition, their biggest star Filip Chytil is struggling with a painful injury.
This time the jackpot went to someone else. To the Swiss.
The team, which, like the Czechs, plays in the Riga group, additionally acquired winger Kevin Fiala from Los Angeles and center Nic Hischier with defender Jonas Siegenthaler from New Jersey.
In the next NHL season, they will take up approximately 18.5 million US dollars under the salary cap. For comparison, more than four Chytils could be paid from such a package.
“Thanks to these three players, coach Patrick Fischer’s selection will enter a new dimension, from an outsider to a favorite. These reinforcements give the fans a little more hope for the first gold medal on the international stage,” wrote the Swiss daily The morning.
Switzerland had an interesting team at the start of the championship, but according to bookmakers, they were not among the favorites for the title. Only Finland, Canada, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the United States gradually came under the odds of ten to one.
The Swiss are now the fourth biggest gold contenders with odds of around six to one. By the way, they replaced the Czech Republic, which is fifth or sixth behind the Americans.
The power of Fischer’s choice is simply unmistakable. In total, six NHL hockey players figure in it, in addition to the mentioned three-leaf clover, it is the defender Janis Moser and forwards Nino Niederreiter and Denis Malgin.
If we don’t count Canada and the USA, only Sweden has more reinforcements from the famous competition, but it caught less well-known faces.
Hischier and Fiala are the decorations of the entire championship. You won’t find bigger stars in the Riga group, not even among the Canadians.
When Fiala, the author of 72 points (23+49) in 69 games for Los Angeles, arrived at the press center after arriving at the World Cup, he was surrounded by dozens of journalists. He answered in English and German, although as a descendant of Czech parents he could also speak Czech.
A day later, on Tuesday, he started against Kazakhstan. He was seen a lot on the ice, but did not score. He didn’t even have to. Even without his contribution, the Swiss won clearly 5:0.
And having also previously swept Slovenia and Norway, they have full points and a remarkable 15-0 record after three matches.
They haven’t hit a heavyweight yet, but they still command respect, especially considering Fischer’s pre-tournament words.
“In the last few years, we had to accept a lot of painful defeats, we ran out of gunpowder too early every time,” the 47-year-old coach referred to the quarter-final failures at the three previous World Cups.
“We’ve given it a lot of thought and prepared for it. This time we don’t want to go all out at the start if it’s not necessary. It may sound arrogant, but we plan to start in the second week. Just like the big hockey nations.”
If Switzerland has really stuck to it so far, the traditional powers have a lot to worry about. Especially after the arrival of Fiala et al.
2023-05-17 04:51:05
#arrival #stars #order #disadvantage #Czechs #outsider #favorite #Currently.cz
