Thomas Raffl: “We want to play our best hockey”
In an interview, captain Thomas Raffl reveals how the team feels about travelling to the World Championship, the goals they have set themselves and how much they are looking forward to testing themselves against the world’s best nations.
2 min readSource: Eishockey.at
Image information: Five questions, five answers – captain Thomas Raffl answers questions once again ahead of the World Championship – Copyright: GEPA pictures/Armin Rauthner
Thomas Raffl: “Preparation went very well; I would even say superbly. Many players who do not have the biggest roles with their teams have taken the next step and adapted to the faster international pace. It will certainly be exciting to see what this group can achieve at the World Championship.”
Thomas Raffl: “Of course, with a good feeling. We are all professional athletes; ice hockey is our profession. We are travelling to Finland with big goals. At the end of the day, though, we also have to keep our feet on the ground. We are playing against absolute top nations, so we have to make sure we keep our confidence high. In the end, we will be able to beat one or two teams.”
Thomas Raffl: “A World Championship is always something special. It fills us with pride to represent our country. When you get the chance to represent Austria at a World Championship, it is definitely an opportunity you must not miss. For Austrian ice hockey in particular, it is great that, after this coronavirus period, we have fans back in the arenas, and I am convinced that we can raise the profile of ice hockey in Austria again.”
Thomas Raffl: “Naturally, it is huge, just as it is against every other nation. With Finland, we know we are facing a nation that has won an incredible amount in recent years. It is no secret that, in terms of their system, they are currently the best nation in the world. We had the opportunity to play against them in preparation. It is a great honour and also a great opportunity for us to test ourselves at this level.”
Thomas Raffl: “We want to play our best hockey in every game. We are aware that there will be teams against whom our chances of winning are greater. I think Norway and Latvia are teams we can beat, teams against whom we can spring a surprise. We are not focusing on one game, but want to deliver our performance in every game.”
Sweden vs. Austria
Sat, 14 May 2022, 11:20, live on ORF Sport+
Austria vs. USA
Sun, 15 May 2022, 15:20, live on ORF Sport+
Czech Republic vs. Austria
Tue, 17 May 2022, 15:20, live on ORF Sport+
Norway vs. Austria
Wed, 18 May 2022, 15:20, live on ORF Sport+
Latvia vs. Austria
Fri, 20 May 2022, 19:20, live on ORF Sport+
Austria vs. Finland
Sat., 21 May 2022, 15:20, live on ORF Sport+
Austria vs. Great Britain
Mon., 23 May 2022, 19:20, live on ORF Sport+
