Peter, how proud does it make you to lead the national team as captain for the first time at a World Cup?
Peter Schneider: “It makes me incredibly proud that I can lead the boys at this World Cup. I hope I can pass on my experiences from the last World Cups, especially to the young players who are taking part for the first time. A major event is always a little different than preparatory games. We have to be in the right mindset.”
Is it a special World Cup for you as you lead Austria as captain?
Peter Schneider: “I don’t measure my career by what letter I wear on my jersey, but by the successes we have together.”
In recent years, Thomas Raffl always wore the C on his chest. Since you are also teammates at Red Bull Salzburg, was there an exchange between you in this regard?
Peter Schneider: “I had the privilege of being able to learn from him for several years. You have to say that we have different personalities. Certain elements that he does very well, such as the calm that he exudes on the team, I try to take that with me and I hope that I can find the right mix to bring the team to the right level.”
The mood in the team is very good. You take the young, some new players with you. How much fun is that too?
Peter Schneider: “A lot. You also have to give them credit for the fact that everyone has integrated very well. Everyone is fighting for their place. We have a great atmosphere in the dressing room. We all get along well. Everyone in the dressing room can speak and say if something is important to them. That has always been important to us. We want to maintain that at the World Cup.”
You started your preparation unusually early. How have you experienced the last few weeks? How ready are you for the World Cup?
Peter Schneider: “We have trained very hard, which is how it should be, so that we are, above all, physically ready. In terms of the physical level, we are already doing very well. Tactically we have also developed a lot and are doing the things that Roger wants us to do better from week to week. There are still a few days left and I am confident that it will work out well.”
What will be important at the World Cup in order to be able to say at the end that it was a successful World Cup?
Peter Schneider: “The most important thing is team solidarity, no matter which squad we have on the ice. That we play for each other, that we do this dirty work on the ice for each other. If we play like that, then we can also annoy the big nations. What’s important now is a good start to the World Cup and that’s where the full focus is.”
A lot of respect has been earned over the past few years. What do you hear from abroad or from outside? How is Austria talked about?
Peter Schneider: “Lots of good things. We’ve had a good development in recent years, we can be proud of that. However, it doesn’t matter what we’ve achieved in the past, it all starts again from scratch. You’re only ever as good as you are in the next game and we have to prove that we have what it takes.”
Do you have certain expectations within the team?
Peter Schneider: “It’s very important to keep the focus small, to concentrate on the next shift and on the next action. If something good happens, check it off quickly, just as if something bad happens, check it quickly. This also applies to us as a team. We have to think from game to game if we want to be successful. If you start to think about what happened last year, that’s not good. The focus has to be on what’s in front of you and that’s how we’ll approach it.”
What do you take away from the successes of the last few years?
Peter Schneider: “We learned that with a special style of play that we used in the last World Cups, we can achieve something that no one believes we can do. And we have gained an incredible amount of self-confidence. But we can’t rely on the past. It’s very easy in sport if you think too far ahead, if you think about something where you haven’t yet been. That’s why it’s important to keep the focus small, take the positive with you and believe that our style of play can lead to success.”
In the first two games you will face Great Britain and Hungary, the opponents against whom you can achieve the ultimate goal of staying in the league early on. Is it a small advantage that the majority of the national team has been together for so long?
Peter Schneider: “We want to beat every opponent, no matter who we’re playing against. It’s an advantage if you have the majority of the team there early on, so that certain things are established so that we’re at the same pace. We’re training at a high pace, because that will also be the case at the World Cup. Even in the first two games. It’s going to be a dogfight. We’re going to have to fight incredibly hard to win these games. We’re trying to prepare for that in training now. We’re training very physically, very quickly and very straight forward. We have to take that with us to the World Cup.”
eishockey.at , Image: ÖEHV/Bernd Stefan
