MILAN (AP) — Moritz Muller still gets goosebumps eight years later when thinks about the run to the gold medal game that he and his Germany teammates went on at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.
“Getting into the finals was unbelievable,” Muller said. “Core memories.”
Germany blew a lead in the final minute and lost in overtime to the Russians, who had a stacked roster with Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk and Kirill Kaprizov in a tournament without NHL participants. With that silver medal still cherished but long in the rearview mirror, Muller is one of three players still around from that group, and Germany now gets to add superstar Leon Draisaitl and others in hopes of springing more upsets at the Olympics.
Muller believes “the limelight on the whole team is so much bigger” when Draisaitl is around.
“I don’t even think we have to talk about it how big of an impact he’s going to have on the team,” Muller said, rattling off the names of Moritz Seider, Tim Stützle and JJ Peterka as additional talent coming. “I think this is going to be a fun experience to see all that coming together.”
The 2018 run was the best result in the country's history at the Olympics, and Germany is again a considerable long shot in Milan, with NHL players back for every team for the first time since 2014. Draisaitl, the 2020 Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP who has helped Edmonton make the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons, is by far the biggest reason for hope of a longer-than-expected stay in Italy.
“He’s one of the top three players in the world and really proud that we have him on our team,” Dominik Kahun said. "He’s going to do big things for us.”
Kahun, Moritz Muller and Jonas Muller (no relation) remain from the last time Germany defied the odds at the Olympics. Moritz, the captain for the past seven years, credits now-Boston Bruins coach Marco Sturm for changing the direction of the national team.
“German hockey, we had a lot of complexes about ourselves and didn’t really believe in ourselves," Moritz Muller said. “(Before that), we basically went to tournaments and said, ‘OK, we’re going to participate,’ but I don’t think we believed ourselves being able to beat Canada or Russia. And he gave us that belief, so I think 2018 gave us the proof that he was right.”
There will always be a “what if?” aspect of the improbable run. Allowing a shorthanded goal with 56 seconds left paved the way for the team known as the Olympic Athletes from Russia to beat Germany on Kaprizov's golden goal in OT.
“We had the lead and then we get the power play and then we get scored on on our own power play,” Jonas Muller recalled. "I think it was still a great tournament for us.”
There remains plenty to be proud of. Kahun's family made him a framed keepsake of his silver medals from the Olympics and the 2023 world championships that he has hanging in his home.
It's a reminder of the peak of German hockey.
“It’s so far behind, (and) you want to stay in the moment,” Kahun said. “You want to always do the best with where you’re at now but always nice to look back, obviously. Always a good feeling to think about.”
What's ahead are games against Denmark on Thursday, Latvia on Feb. 14 and the U.S. on Feb. 15. Beyond that is either a qualification-round game or the quarterfinals, and the presence of Philipp Grubauer — in the midst of one of his best pro seasons — gives Germany a potential hot goaltender who can steal a game in single-elimination playoffs.
“Eventually it’s going to be one game it’s going to come down to, and you need your goalie,” Moritz Muller said. “He has been there for us many years, and I’m sure he’ll be this time again.”
Jonas Muller hopes the current team can approach the Olympics like in 2018, one game at a time, and Kahun thinks quintessential values will give Germany a chance.
“It’s the sticking together,” Kahun said. "It doesn’t matter which group we have of boys, we’re always flying together. ... Play as a team, everybody stick to the system and then we’ll see.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
FILE - Dominik Kahun (72), of Germany, rects after making a goal in the penalty shootout during the preliminary round of the men's hockey game at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
FILE - Moritz Muller (91), of Germany, and Matthias Plachta (22) react after losing during overtime of the men's gold medal hockey game Olympic athletes from Russia, 4-3, at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018, in Gangneung, South Korea. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
FILE - Jonas Muller (41), of Germany, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the third period of the men's gold medal hockey game against the Olympic athletes from Russia at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018, in Gangneung, South Korea. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Iran’s president rejected a demand by the United States for an unconditional surrender on Saturday and apologized for Iran’s attacks on regional countries, as Israel and the United States kept up their airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic.
Gulf countries say they have intercepted more ballistic missiles and drones launched from Iran.
Saudi Arabia said it stopped four drones attacking the country’s massive Shaybah oil field, the second attack within hours. Flights in and out of Dubai International Airport were interrupted after passengers were ushered down into train tunnels as several blasts were heard and the alert sounded.
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes hammered Beirut and Tehran. Death toll continued to rise Saturday with at least 1,230 people killed in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials. Six U.S. troops were reported killed.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration approved a new $151 million arms sale to Israel after Trump said he would not negotiate with Iran without its “unconditional surrender.”
Here is the latest:
Bahrain’s military intercepted two missiles and a drone on Saturday, the Defense Ministry said.
That brought to 86 missiles and 148 drones that have been intercepted over Bahrain since the U.S. and Israel launched war against Iran last weekend.
India’s foreign minister said Saturday that an Iranian naval vessel has docked in India, after a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship and another vessel sought assistance from Sri Lanka.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the IRIS Lavan is docked in southern Kochi city, after India granted permission when the vessel reported “having problems” on March 1. “I think it was the humane thing to do,” Jaishankar said.
A U.S. submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Another vessel, the IRIS Bushehr, requested assistance from Sri Lanka and more than 200 sailors were brought ashore. Both ships had previously taken part in naval exercises hosted by India, but Jaishankar said they got “caught on the wrong side of events” once the war began.
Dubai and its long-haul carrier Emirates said Saturday the airline would resume operations after temporarily halting them following an Iranian attack on the city-state.
The news brought cheers in Dubai International Airport, where passengers had been sheltering after hearing a large boom overhead.
Authorities have not explained if there was an interception or damage at the airport, which is the world’s busiest for international travel.
An Israeli airstrike flattened a residential building in southern Lebanon, killing at least six people early Saturday, the country’s state-run news agency reported.
The dead from the strike in Jibchit town included four from the same family, the National News Agency said.
The Lebanese Health Ministry earlier reported at least 16 killed and 35 wounded in overnight Israeli airstrikes in the mountain town of Nabi Chit.
Sirens sounded in Bahrain ahead of a potential attack for the fifth time Saturday, the interior ministry said, urging people to head to the nearest safe location.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday that Israeli airstrikes killed at least 16 people and wounded 35 others in overnight Israeli airstrikes in the mountain town of Nabi Chit.
The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with an Israeli force that landed late Friday in the mountains of eastern Lebanon.
Israel has yet to comment on the fighting there.
The Dubai Media Office issued a statement on behalf of the city-state, saying: “For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended.”
It did not give a reason for the suspension, which came after passengers there heard a loud boom while sheltering.
Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s three-man leadership council had been in touch with the armed forces over the attacks.
“I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf,” the president said. “From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy.”
He also suggested miscommunication in the ranks caused it. However, his statement aired after repeated attacks Saturday morning on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which has been at the forefront of the war, answers only to the country’s supreme leader. However, an Israeli airstrike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, at the start of the war on Feb. 28.
Pezeshkian, in his comments, specifically blamed the killing of Khamenei and other top leaders for what sounded like a loss of command and control in the armed forces for days.
It remained unclear just what command Pezeshkian and the leadership council could exert over the armed forces.
Iranian state television, after airing his speech, immediately went back to praising the country’s ongoing attacks across the region.
Passengers at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, heard a boom while sheltering in train tunnels at the massive facility.
Emirates has been trying to get its sprawling travel network up and running after several days of halting flights due to the war.
Iran’s president said Saturday that a demand by the United States for an unconditional surrender is a “dream that they should take to their grave.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian made the statement in a prerecorded address aired by state television.
Pakistan cited a surge in global oil prices due to the war in the Middle East.
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the 55-rupee-per-liter (about $0.20) increase overnight, saying the government had little choice but to pass on the impact of rising international prices.
Pakistan relies heavily on imported oil, mainly from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
The Israeli military said the Imam Hussein University in Tehran was used for the training of Revolutionary Guard officers and contained “multiple military assets” used by the Revolutionary Guard.
It said over 80 fighter jets participated in the latest wave of strikes on Saturday, which also targeted an underground compound used for storing ballistic missiles and housing command centers from where the army said “senior officials of the Iranian regime” were operating.
Targets also included launch sites in central and western Iran, the army said.
Explosions echoed across Iran’s capital, Tehran, Saturday morning as new airstrikes hit the city.
The strikes appeared to target downtown Tehran and government buildings there.
Passengers waiting for flights at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, found themselves ushered down into train tunnels at the sprawling airfield after missile alert sounded.
Mobile phone alerts sounded Saturday morning in Dubai over “potential missile threats.” Emirati authorities urged the public to seek immediate shelter.
Emirati air defenses had activated over the missile threat, the government added.
Trump berated a reporter for raising the matter when the president opened the floor to questions from the media at the end of a White House meeting about how paying student-athletes has recalibrated college sports.
“I have a lot of respect for you, you’ve always been very nice to me,” Trump said to Peter Doocy, the Fox News reporter. “What a stupid question that is to be asking at this time. We’re talking about something else.”
People headed to bomb shelters across Israel early Saturday after hearing loud booms as Iranian missiles attacked more targets.
There were no immediate reports of casualties by Israel’s emergency services.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Plumes of smoke rise as strikes hit the city during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
