Championship title has made Geneva champion striker Richard even more ambitious: “Winning, everything else is insufficient”

class=”sc-29f61514-0 fwWrRV”>

Master blues? According to Tanner Richard of Geneva, it’s a s—word that only serves as an excuse. The Servettiens did not come out swinging after winning the title this season and are chasing their top performances and expectations. They have only recorded seven full successes in their account. “We have the target on our back,” says Richard, “just as we once hunted the people of Zug and Bern, we will do so now.” Every team wants to set an example and beat the champions.

The 30-year-old played his best hockey last season. He is not yet up to speed and is waiting for his first goal of the season. But the center is not primarily measured by goals, but rather by his overall influence on the game. This clean sheet worries Richard less than the fact that his face-off success rate has dropped slightly compared to the last championship. The Swiss-Canadian, who grew up in Rapperswil-Jona SG, has made a name for himself as a strong face-off player. In May at the World Championships in Riga (Lat), he surpassed everyone with 69 percent of face-offs won.

Richard: “I know what I can do”

Tanner Richard wouldn’t be Tanner Richard if he didn’t talk candidly about his own performance. The ambitious character wears his heart on his sleeve. ‘I have to question myself. I can’t say now that I’m playing very well and just didn’t score.” Would you rather? «My performance is not yet what I expect of myself. My self-confidence has been affected a bit.” What bothers him most is that he cannot deliver his top performance when the team needs it. But Richard’s strength is also his belief in his abilities. “I know what I can do and I remain true to myself.” Create more attacking, work harder, sometimes play easier.

The striker, who has extended his contract in Geneva until 2028, has already impressively proven his qualities. And after the historic championship title they really tasted blood. “My respect for sports greats like Tom Brady and LeBron James has grown even greater. They come back from titles and want to win the next one. I always asked myself, “Why?” Richard now knows the answer. ‘Now I understand. Only winning counts, everything else is insufficient.” It’s a mission you want to fulfill. “I’m even hungrier than before the title, I didn’t think so!”

The incomparable master emotions connect the players for life, he describes. However, Richard’s own championship celebrations were cut short in the spring as he was included in the Swiss national team’s World Cup squad, arriving in camp just a week after winning gold. “I won’t really realize what we have achieved until I tell my children about it one day.” And surely there should be another triumph by then.

Source : Blick