""In Mannheim we were welcomed with open arms, but when we played in other rinks not so much even though other teams had their own Canadians," Kreis told DW. "One night in Rosenheim a fan was really giving it to me in the warmup. I went over and asked him if he also swore at Karl Friesen (Rosenheim's Canadian-born goalie) like that. He didn't say another word. "I think it was something that people simply weren't used to, this big influx of "Auslander" (foreigners) even though we were all of German heritage.""
"Like Friesen, Kreis, a defenseman, quickly became a mainstay of the West German national team, and he was on the initial roster to make his Olympic debut at the 1980 Games in Lake Placid but was dropped at the last minute due to a technicality regarding his West German passport. It's something that he laughs off these days, but he still finds the whole thing a bit "strange." Kreis would not be deterred, playing his entire 18 seasons with Mannheim while making 180 appearances for the national team including at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics."
Harold Kreis arrived in West Germany at age 19 in 1978 as part of an influx of Canadian players recruited to help newly promoted Mannheim compete in the top league. Several recruits were eligible for West German passports, prompting local backlash and heckling at some away rinks. Kreis recalled confronting a Rosenheim fan and noted discomfort with the label "Auslander" despite shared German heritage. Kreis became a national-team regular, missed a 1980 Olympic debut due to a passport technicality, then played 18 seasons for Mannheim and made 180 national appearances, including the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. He was named DEB men's head coach three years ago.
Read at www.dw.com
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