Draisaitl ignited Germany's Olympic opener with a lightning-fast goal, setting the stage for a crucial victory against Denmark.
Team Germany captain and superstar for the Edmonton Oilers, Leon Draisaitl, wasted no time making history in his Olympic debut. Scoring just 23 seconds into Germany’s opener at the 2026 Winter Olympics on February 12, his squad went on to pick up a 3-1 win over Denmark in Group C action.
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Draisaitl’s goal, a deft tip-in off a pass from Frederik Tiffels (with a secondary assist from Fabio Wagner), beat Danish netminder Frederik Andersen short side. It stands as the third-fastest goal to start an Olympic men’s hockey game in the best-on-best (NHL players) era.
After the game, Hailey Salvian of The Athletic asked Draisaitl about playing and producing with his childhood friend Frederik Tiffels on a stage like the Winter Olympics:
“We played these moments on the street together (and) dreamed of this. To get to experience this with him and play together and even connect on a goal is really special.”
Denmark answered later in the first, but Ottawa Senators' star forward Tim Stützle took over in the second period, scoring twice—including the game-winner and a power-play insurance marker.
Draisaitl added an assist on one of Stützle’s goals, finishing with a goal and a helper. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer was stellar, stopping 37 of 38 shots.
Germany (1-0-0-0) looks to make noise in a tough group that includes the United States and Latvia. The former picked up a win over Latvia on Wednesday, 5-1.
Draisaitl's Edmonton teammate, Connor McDavid, recorded a three-point performance for Team Canada in a win over Czechia earlier on Thursday.
Germany will next play Team Latvia (0-0-1-0) at RHO Arena on Saturday.
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