Coach Patrick Fischer and his players are full of confidence as they head into the World Cup semi-final against Canada (from 6:20 p.m.). The team is convincing in the Czech Republic as a harmonious unit.
The Czech Republic seems to be a good place for Switzerland and its national ice hockey team. In 1992, the Swiss defeated Germany 3-1 in the World Cup quarter-finals in Prague and regained public attention for the first time after decades of defeats and humiliation. Now on Thursday it was another 3-1 win against Germany, this time in Ostrava, around 300 kilometers from Prague, that freed them from their quarter-final trauma and Germany as a bogey team.
It was the Swiss’ first victory against the Germans in a really important match after four defeats, some of which were painful. The last one a year ago in Riga had called everything into question: the work of the coach, the quality of the league, the performance of the players.
All criticism seems to have been wiped away
All of that now seems to have been wiped away. The Swiss will face Canada on Saturday in their first semi-final since 2018 in Copenhagen, again against Canada (from 6:20 p.m.). Six years ago, the Swiss were unstoppable there and stormed into the final against Sweden with a 3-2 win, which they only lost in the penalty shootout.
And what will happen this year? Patrick Fischer said after the victory against Germany that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “I am extremely proud of my team.” He was never afraid that the match would turn around like it did three years ago despite a 2-0 lead.
Of course, there were difficult moments again, such as the one immediately after Dominik Kahun scored. “But we stayed calm, blocked shots and all fought for each other. I am happy for all those who never lost faith in us.”
The Swiss are astonishing in the Czech Republic, above all as a harmonious unit. From front to back, all players work together in solidarity. Fischer joked that he used to be an offensive striker. Today he knows that defense is more important for success. The Swiss national ice hockey team is in the midst of an astonishing process. In the past four years, it has lost 4 of 28 games in the group phase of World Cup tournaments; it finished this phase of the tournament in one of the top two places three times.
Now the Swiss have finally made it to the quarter-finals again. As a reward, they will face Canada, the motherland of ice hockey. The Canadians may no longer be the dominant force they once were. For decades, the only team that could pose a serious threat to them was the Soviet Union and later the Russians. Ice hockey has changed significantly, particularly as a result of the opening of the NHL and its increased need for players, especially from Europe. In recent years, the Swedes and the Finns have also repeatedly won titles.
But the Canadians remain the record world champions with 28 titles. They also won the final against Germany in Tampere a year ago. Their team in Prague is well staffed. But the absolute top stars like Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon or Edmonton’s Connor McDavid are missing, as is the best defender, Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks. The most famous player in the team is probably Toronto’s John Tavares, who briefly played for SC Bern during the 2012/13 lockout.
Ironically, the most consistent NHL player of recent years is in the Swiss squad. Roman Josi is not only a confident defender in Nashville, but also a regular scorer. Last season, the 33-year-old from Berne had his stick in play for 88 goals. That is an absolute top figure even overseas.
The players want to “enjoy” the semi-final
Josi is one of the reasons why the Swiss will be anything but an outsider with no chance against the highly rated Canadians on Saturday. The tone of the Swiss team is unanimous: “We want to enjoy this match.” There is a lot of history buried in that statement; the repeated quarter-final defeats and the media response they triggered have left their mark. Fischer says: “The fact that we always stumbled in the quarter-finals did not just pass us by.”
The coach said on Thursday that now was the moment to take a short breather and enjoy. But then it’s time to move on. They are not just satisfied with still being there. The Zuger’s confidence lies in the knowledge that he has a team at his disposal that doesn’t have to hide from anyone. In addition to Josi, this team also includes Nico Hischier, who scores regularly, Nino Niederreiter, who can defy any opponent with his physical game, and of course Kevin Fiala, the subtle artist who is on his way to making the World Cup All-Star team and was the key player in the 2:3 defeat in the preliminary round against the Canadians with his two goals and the controversial five-minute penalty.
But since the quarter-final victory against Germany, it has been clear: This team is more than just a Swiss NHL selection with a few players from the National League added to it. The match winners on Thursday were two players who play for Fribourg-Gottéron and EV Zug in Switzerland: Christoph Bertschy, who scored two goals, and goalkeeper Leonardo Genoni. They also have nothing to hide from anyone.