Germany suffered a humiliating defeat against Slovakia. © APA/afp / -

Germany's resounding ice hockey exit

Germany's ice hockey stars, including superstar Leon Draisaitl, recklessly squandered their chance at a medal and suffered a debacle in the Olympic quarter-finals.

February 18, 2026

From: dpa/dl

The German Ice Hockey Federation's (DEB) supposedly strongest team in its history lost 2-6 (0-1, 1-3, 1-2) against Slovakia. On Ash Wednesday, a hangover also prevailed for head coach Harold Kreis's team in Milan after catastrophic defensive errors: goals from AHL forward Lukas Reichel (35th minute) and Frederik Tiffels (50th) were not enough.

Before the highly anticipated duel with the 2022 bronze medalist, Germany, with seven NHL professionals including absolute world-class players like Draisaitl, Tim Stützle, and Moritz Seider, emphasized the historic opportunity at the Winter Games. "The semifinals are within our grasp. Now it's up to us to pull it off. We have to realize just how big the chance really is to fight for a medal," said star defenseman Seider of the Detroit Red Wings before the quarterfinal.

So much for being on equal footing with Slovakia.

Despite a disastrous preliminary round with only one win against Denmark (3-1) and two losses against Latvia (3-4) and the USA (1-5), the German national team's draw against France and Slovakia seemed to offer the easiest path to the semifinals. Twenty-four hours after their 5-1 victory against the French, who were clearly outmatched at the Olympic level, the German team initially started well before the limitations of the players, particularly those from the German Ice Hockey League, became apparent.

Slovakia inflicted a debacle on Germany, winning 6-2 in the quarter-final. © APA/afp / ALEXANDER NEMENOV

The Slovaks, who lack an NHL star of Draisaitl's or Stützle's caliber, proved far more effective offensively. The German attack, meanwhile, too often overcomplicated things and too frequently relied solely on NHL stars. Defensively, the problems that had already surfaced in the tournament continued: Seider alone, playing at the absolute top level, is simply not enough to compete with NHL professionals.