Germany Need Viennese Luck Versus Canada In Vancouver

German defenseman CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF, then a San Jose Shark, is congratulated by CHRISTOPH SCHUBERT (13) and DANIEL KREUTZER (26) as captain STEFAN USTDORF (16) skates over at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. Ehrhoff has just scored to cut the Canadian lead to 3-1 in the second period. Canada will eventually defeat Germany 5-1 in the Group B round-robin match. (Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

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GERMANY stretched CANADA to a penalty-shot shootout at the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France. ERIC LINDROS scored what was the winning goal for Canada after Germany’s PETER DRAISAITL had his puck shot through the pads of Canadian goalie SEAN BURKE die on the goalline. And that has been as close as Germany has ever gotten to defeating Canada at the Winter Olympic Games.

Germany, under the direction of former National Hockey League defenseman and Stanley Cup champion UWE KRUPP, are drawn to play host nation Canada for the right to advance to the quarterfinal stage of the 2010 Winter Olympic ice hockey tournament in Vancouver.

History is not on the side of the Germans against the Canadians at the Olympic Games :

CANADA — versus — GERMANY — (West Germany included)

• 1932 —    4-1 — Canada — Lake Placid
• 1932 —    5-0 — Canada — Lake Placid
• 1936 —    6-2 — Canada — Garmisch-Partenkirchen 
• 1952 —  15-1 — Canada — Oslo  
• 1956 —    4-0 — Canada — Cortina d’Ampezzo
• 1956 —  10-0 — Canada — Cortina d’Ampezzo 
• 1960 —  12-0 — Canada — Squaw Valley
• 1964 —    4-2 — Canada — Innsbruck
• 1968 —    6-1 — Canada — Grenoble 
• 1988 —    8-1 — Canada — Calgary
• 1992 —    4-3 — Canada — Albertville
• 2002 —    3-2 — Canada — Salt Lake City
• 2006 —    5-1 — Canada — Turin

Critical to the Germans’ chances in the qualification contest versus Canada will be their choice of goaltender. THOMAS GREISS of the San Jose Sharks played well against Sweden in Germany’s opening game in Vancouver but faltered badly in their last match with Belarus. Former San Jose Shark farmhand DMITRI PATZOLD was shaky in his only start at the Olympics opposite Finland.

(West) Germany’s greatest success against Canada to date came at the 1987 IIHF World Championships in Vienna — West Germany managed to defeat the NHL-stocked Canadian squad 5-3 in the Austrian capital that year.

So, where have you gone KARL FRIESEN?

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CANADA have apparently announced Vancouver Canucks goaltender ROBERTO LUONGO will start in the playoff match versus Germany at the 2010 Winter Games in the western Canadian city of Vancouver.

Luongo started his nation’s first match at this year’s Olympics on home soil, Canada’s 8-0 shutout of Norway.