Grégory Hofmann has been through some difficult times, but has taken a lot of positives from them. Now he is back in the national team at the Euro Hockey Tour home tournament in Fribourg.
14.12.2024, 05:00
14.12.2024, 08:59
SDA
The national team and Grégory Hofmann have not been a love story recently. Both in November 2023 and last February, the 32-year-old forward injured his right foot during the Euro Hockey Tour. He had to undergo surgery twice, with the second injury meaning the end of the season.
"It would be a lie if I said I wasn't thinking about what happened," Hofmann told the Keystone-SDA news agency. "I took a lot of time to reflect on my career, on what went well and what didn't go so well. That helped me to accept the whole thing." He estimates that he only suffered minor injuries up to the age of 30. "Injuries are part of a career," says Hofmann.
Soon to be a father for the second time
What made the whole process more difficult was that he was out for longer periods three times in a short space of time. He injured his left foot back in January 2023. He has now realized even more: "Life is good with ice hockey, but there's also life without it." Hofmann will become the father of a daughter for the second time in April. The one who is already in the world will celebrate her third birthday in January. He has also learned a lot from her: "I was often focused on things that made little sense. Then you see your daughter and realize how important the little moments are for her." Hofmann was also sometimes too determined, wanted too much, something he can now control. But he emphasizes: "That's also one of my strengths."
Now he hopes to get back on track. What's still missing? "The timing, the rhythm, the consistency. I still have a lot of potential to improve, but I'm happy with my current level of form. I just need more games now." He no longer has any pain in his right foot and can do everything off the ice again. "My mobility and strength are back," says Hofmann. However, the foot no longer feels the way it used to. "But the most important thing is that I no longer think about it, which is very positive."
One of his greatest strengths is his explosiveness, in this respect he achieved values that few can match. Of course, he has not yet reached the level he was at back then. This summer, the focus was on rehabilitation and building up his strength. "It's a process to get back to the old values," he emphasizes.
A family man
Hofmann returned to EV Zug at the start of 2022, even though he had been given the chance to play in the NHL by the Columbus Blue Jackets. In 24 games in the best ice hockey league in the world, he scored two goals and five assists. He describes his time there as tough, but also very enjoyable. He was not used in the way he had hoped, but the main reason for returning to Switzerland was that he did not want to live apart from his wife and newborn daughter.
"It was a difficult decision, but the right one at the time, because I'm a family man," Hofmann looks back. "But of course I had to pay a price for it, namely giving up the dream of the NHL." He has never regretted it; he is much more convinced that the whole thing has made him a better person. It also helped that he won the championship title with the EVZ for the second time in a row after returning home.
So now Hofmann is back in the national team, even though he suffered food poisoning last week before the game at Ambri-Piotta, as did four of his Zug teammates. "I was fine again after three days," says Hofmann. He doesn't want to say any more. Instead, he emphasizes his great motivation to play for Switzerland again, with whom he won World Championship silver in 2018. He is determined to recommend himself for further appearances, all the more so as the 2026 Olympic Games and the home World Championships in Zurich and Fribourg are on the agenda. The national team and Gregory Hofmann should be a love story again.
