Andres Ambühl will become even more legendary this afternoon. The Swiss striker will play against Canada (from 3:10 p.m. on RTS2) his 120th match in a World Championship, an absolute record which until now belonged to German defender Udo Kiessling (119 games).
“This record, I owe it to many people, starting with the 4 coaches (Ralph KruegerSean Simpson, Glen Hanlon, Patrick Fischer) whom I have known and who trusted me. Then there is obviously my family, my wife, who made a lot of sacrifices so that I could live my hockey career.“, recognizes the Grison.
Nice longevity
120 matches! For the 38-year-old striker, it is a symbol of his incredible longevity. Since his debut at the 2004 World Cup in the Czech Republic, Ambühl has only missed one edition, that of 2018, due to injury.
The striker (22 goals in total at the World Championship) played in the lost 2013 final in Stockholm and dreams of world title before bowing out.
“I have seen the whole evolution of this team”
“I have seen the whole evolution of this team. For years we were content to aim for the quarter-finals, but never to go beyond. In 2013, it was the first time that we managed to overcome this obstacle. Everyone then realized that it was possible to qualify for the last four. And even to go to the end! Today, Switzerland still lacks consistency compared to the best nations, it is not able to fight every year for medals“, acknowledges Ambühl.
Helsinki, Steve Roth