Tampa (dpa / lby) – Nico Sturm can’t believe the Stanley Cup triumph yet. “People imagined that it would be an explosion of emotions, but it just feels unrealistic at the moment. It will take a few days,” the 27-year-old told Sky after winning the North American ice hockey championship. League NHL. In the sixth game, Sturm, who comes from the offspring of the Augsburger EV, and his teammates from Colorado Avalanche clinched the decisive fourth win in the final series with a 2-1 and dethroned the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had previously been crowned twice. “We expected a long series with a lot of fighting, and it turned out to be,” said Sturm.
He experienced the last phase of the decisive game on Monday night from the bench. “When there were only two minutes left to play, I knew: I probably won’t be able to get on the ice anymore. So I tried again to verbally push the boys. There were also one or two quick prayers upwards,” said Sturm, who himself kept fit with the Augsburg Panthers in the past few summers.
After the final siren, he thanked manager Joe Sakic, among others, “for bringing me on board. You gave me the opportunity to show that I can help such a team in certain situations”.
Sturm only moved from Minnesota to Colorado three months ago. He is only the fifth German ice hockey player to win the title in the world’s strongest league. “You have to be lucky to play yourself in such a position. You’re very proud – and as a native of Augsburg I hope I can bring the thing home,” he said.
