One year ago, with Red Bull Munich, we were already out of the Champions Hockey League. We had won the first Round of 16 game in Bern and had a chance to move on at home, and I remember that we were all really sad that we didn't finish the job and get through.
It was always our goal in Munich to finish top in our own league and make sure we were qualified for the Champions Hockey League. We also went in to every CHL season believing we had what it took, together with a bit of luck which you always need, to go all the way and win the competition. We didn't manage it in the years I was there, but the guys this year have gone one round further and I'm so happy for them. We were travelling with the Chicago Blackhawks the day they played Zug, so I was was only able to follow the online scoring, but I was really happy when I saw the final result and now it's so amazing for Germany to have a team in the Top 8 of Europe.
The last 12 months still feels a little bit like a joke!Dominik Kahun
Can I believe everything that's happened to me in the last year? Not really, it still feels a little bit like a joke! The Silver-Medal in February was the biggest achievement in German hockey, and definitely the most unbelievable thing that I was ever a part of. Then in April, winning our title in Munich was very important because it was the third one in a row which is something special. And then the NHL contract came - it was such a dream come true, so I'm just really happy that everything worked out.
For German hockey there is no doubt that the Olympics helped us. It was a great chance for German players to show what they can do, believe we can take on anyone, and by the end of it almost the whole country was watching our games. More of our players are now getting looked at from North America, and so for the whole sport in our country it was such a springboard for players to be able to show what they can do.
I enjoy playing in international games, especially when we played in the Champions Hockey League. Like in the NHL, it's great to play against so many different players from some of the best countries; and in the CHL it was also against different teams than the others we were used to in our own league.
Everyone knows that in football, for players the best thing is to play in the the UEFA Champions League. I hope that the Champions Hockey League continues becoming more more important for the players because it's a really big competition. It's fun because you want to show the whole of Europe that you can be one of the best teams, beating others from Finland and Sweden, and in the end you get to know exactly who is the absolute best team. We'll see who that will be this season, but I really believe this Munich team could go all the way. They have a great chance now.