Germany's hockey dream gets messy when youth meets pressure and Kreis loses sleep over cuts.
In Febuary 2026 the world's best ice hockey players will descend on Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo for the most eagerly awaited XXV Olympic Winter Games in living memory. For German national coach Harry Kreis the twelve months leading up to the final nominations of his olympic squad are equally exciting and stressful - a period plagued with difficult decisions and sleepless nights. A young team falters at the world championships, struggling under the pressure of the big stage, while older statesmen wait in the wings ready to replace them. The start of the domestic season offers a chance to impress the head coach, but the intense schedule heightens the risk of injury. Ultimately it's up to coach Kreis to make the final cut: who will play and who will be left at home?
Direction
Kottkamp and Pfeifer capture Kreis's insomnia beautifully.
Production
Rare access to German hockey's most stressful year.
Director
Mario Kottkamp
Harold Kreis
Self - Interviewee
Leon Draisaitl
Self - Interviewee
Moritz Seider
Self - Interviewee
John-Jason Peterka
Self - Interviewee
Moritz Müller
Self - Interviewee
Korbinian Geibel
Self - Interviewee
Mathias Niederberger
Self - Interviewee
Frederik Tiffels
Self - Interviewee
Peter Draisaitl
Self - Interviewee
Matthias Scholze
Self - Interviewee
Christian Künast
Self - Interviewee
Katarina Witt
Self (archive footage)
Michael Edwards
Self (archive footage)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Harold Kreis played 750+ games in Germany's top league before coaching; this is his redemption arc after missing 2022 Olympics due to COVID protocols.
German hockey's 2018 Olympic silver medal shocked the sport—this doc captures the impossible weight of repeating that miracle with a fractured roster.
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