A lot was expected of Leon Draisaitl and Team Germany in these Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. While they started the tournament with a standout win against Denmark and passed the group stage despite two subsequent losses (including one to Team USA), the hope was that they’d still mount a fight in the quarterfinal.
After a 5-1 win in the qualification game against France, it looked like they would go deeper with an offense led by one of the game’s top forwards. Alas, that run ended with a whimper against Slovakia.
Celeste Desjardins Reacts as Leon Draisaitl and Team Germany Get Eliminated
Team Germany’s run at the 2026 Winter Olympics ended on Wednesday after a 6-2 loss to Slovakia in the quarterfinals. The defeat came one day after Germany’s victory over France, which ensured qualification for the elimination round.
After the loss, attention moved to a message shared on Instagram. Draisaitl’s wife, Celeste Desjardins, uploaded a post about Germany’s exit on her Instagram story, writing, “Proud of you, baby!”
Germany entered the quarterfinal after a convincing performance against France on Tuesday. Draisaitl scored one goal and added two assists in that game while playing more than 24 minutes.
Speaking after that win, he said, “Definitely a step in the right direction today… We’ve got a big task ahead of us tomorrow.”
But the next game came with little time to rest in a showdown that tested the group against a confident Team Slovakia.
Slovakia took control early in the quarterfinal and built a strong lead, which forced Germany to chase the game. Draisaitl stayed involved and assisted on Lukas Reichel’s goal, but the gap remained too large to close. He finished the tournament with seven points, including two goals and five assists, the highest total by a German player in an Olympic event with NHL players.
The loss also added to Germany’s record in Olympic tournaments with NHL participation, where the team is now 0-2 in quarterfinal games. The previous loss came in 2002. Even so, the win over France showed what the group can do when it controls play and limits mistakes.
Draisaitl carried a lot of the workload, and as captain, he guided a roster that included both experienced players and younger talent.
While the experience from this tournament could help in future international events, Draisaitl will enjoy some much-needed, albeit bitter, time off before regrouping with the Edmonton Oilers later this month.
