MILAN — A Pause for Reflection
Lars Eller took a moment of silence, clearly reflecting. “Yeah, news,” he remarked. “We’re not really in the news much.”
In this instance, he was referring to Denmark.
This situation follows President Trump’s ongoing threats to claim Greenland, a territory belonging to Denmark, due to perceived threats from Chinese and Russian activities in the Arctic. It’s particularly poignant because the U.S. is scheduled to play Denmark in a men’s hockey qualifier on Saturday. Suddenly, there’s a political flavor to the competition.
“It’s just little Denmark that nobody really cares about,” said Frans Nielsen, a former NHL player and now a commentator for Danish television. “And now we’re featured in the news every single day, which feels a bit odd.”
Eller continued, “I don’t think so. We’re just going to do our thing against the U.S. A lot of our players are familiar with theirs.”
Despite the intriguing political backdrop, Danish players were mostly tight-lipped about the situation. However, Eller expressed a certain sense of pride in representing his country.
The Ottawa Senator, who has spent most of his career in the U.S., often field questions about the political climate back home. “People ask me if the messages are the same in the U.S. and Denmark. What’s really going on? How do they see things?” Eller shared. “But generally, I think you can have a decent conversation with most people, at least that’s been my experience.”
2026 Winter Olympics
Denmark, having lost their opener against Germany 3-1, certainly finds themselves as the underdogs going into Saturday’s match.
This is a significant moment; it’s the first major tournament for Denmark. Last spring, they beat Canada in the World Championships, finishing fourth, which marked a historic achievement in Danish hockey.
They have notable NHL talent in Eller, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Niklas Jensen.
Admitting their role as underdogs, Nielsen noted, “We’ve never faced a team quite like the one we’ll see tomorrow. We’ve played Canada and the U.S. before at the World Championships, and though they have strong teams, I’m not sure they’re as formidable as this one. It’ll be a true challenge.”
“There’s significant talent on the [U.S.] team, for sure. But hey, we beat Canada last year, right? Still, this will be on their turf. The ice is smaller; it’s going to be a tough matchup.”
On a side note, Team USA chose to cancel practice on Friday, taking a break before the crucial game.
