Heinz Ehlers, the head coach of the Danish national team, offered pointed criticism of the arrangements surrounding the 2022 Ice Hockey World Championship after his squad suffered a heavy defeat to Slovakia with a score of 1 to 7. The remark drew attention in the wake of a match that left the Danish camp visibly exhausted and questioning the tournament schedule. Ehlers did not mince words when assessing the experience for his players. He noted that the team faced a grueling pace and argued that the overall program had been poorly organized. In his view, the IIHF, the sport’s governing body, had fallen short in its responsibilities, creating an unbalanced rest schedule that favored Slovakia and left Denmark with significantly less recovery time. He pointed out that Slovakia enjoyed 66 hours of rest compared to only 17 hours for Denmark, which he described as unfair in the context of competing against a very strong opponent. The coach emphasized that the performance gap could be explained, at least in part, by the uneven rest periods and the demanding sequence of games faced by the Danish side. The focus for Ehlers remained the welfare and preparation of his players, underscoring that the outcome was not solely a reflection of talent but also of the logistical realities surrounding the event.
