Red Bull München new addition Nico Krämmer in portrait

Friday, 09. June 2023 | Red Bull München new addition Nico Krämmer in portrait

Nico Krämmer: Ice hockey in the blood and the goal in sightPortrait of our new number 21// PORTRAITNicolas "Nico" Krämmer is now scoring goals for EHC Red Bull München. In his first interview, the forward talks about his ambitions with the German champions, his ice hockey family and fun in the dressing room.

Having just joined the title holders, our new additions can't wait to prove themselves in their first season in Red Bulls kit. "Coming to the reigning champions, my goal is quite clearly that we become champions again. And that's exactly how I would put it," says our new forward Nico Krämmer, facing the task with a broad chest.

Krämmer: „Wir wollten nach Hause kommen“

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"I see us as well prepared for Europe"

The 30-year-old is also setting his sights high on the international stage: "I want us to go very far in the Champions League and also see us equipped in Europe." Krämer is used to having ambitious goals; he already won the German championship with Adler Mannheim in 2019. Now it should continue successfully in the Bavarian home.

"I'm looking forward to Bavaria, the surrounding countryside, the mountains - to home. I've been around a lot with my little family. We just wanted to come home again. I'm full of anticipation and energy now that the stress of moving is gone," explains Krämmer.

The attacker is a native of Landshut. Around 70 kilometers from Munich, our newcomer grew up playing ice hockey. At the age of just three years the first own stick, with five Krämmer already stood for the EV Landshut on the ice. A development that the young father now also observes in his son Lenny.

Like father, like son

"I was on an away trip when they called me and said: Lenny had his first stick in his hand today. He couldn't even walk then. Since then, you almost can't find him without his ice hockey stick," says Krämmer, who, according to his own parents, was no different: "I took my stick with me everywhere. If there was no ball or puck, I took stones. I was always told: Don't shoot with the stone! Just hit it on everything."

The passion for ice hockey runs in the family. Uncle Gerd Truntschka is still considered one of the best players in Germany's history, with a record 943 goal assists in German professional ice hockey and five Player of the Year awards each. "My uncle was always present, of course. As a player, I no longer actively witnessed him. We dug out video tapes at home and had them transferred to DVD because I really wanted to see him play. He is a figurehead for German ice hockey."

Nico Krämmer im Interview zu seinen Zielen, der Familie und die Kabine

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For Krämmer, who always waxes lyrical and smiles when talking about his family, the connection to his uncle and role model is important. "He always gave me tips when I asked, but never interfered without being asked and let me go my way. I enjoyed that." Even when they sat together calmly over a beer on the terrace in later years, our newcomer listened to Truntschka's stories.

Role model from the NHL

In addition to his uncle, the Red Bulls' new number 21 has another role model: Peter Forsberg. The former NHL star, who played for the Colorado Avalanche, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Nashville Predators, is responsible for Krämmer's choice of number. At the Swede's ex-club Colorado, 21 is no longer assigned in honor of the Hall of Famer. In Munich, Krämmer is lucky.

When he's not on skates, the 30-year-old can be found in the weight room or doing yoga. For the brawny forward, the meditative sport is an important balance for staying in tune away from fitness training and ice hockey. "I want to stay agile and supple," jokes Krämmer, who is always up for a joke.

Ahead of his first game for the Red Bulls, the newcomer is already giving cabin DJ Andi Eder a heads-up. "There's really nothing I can't hear at all. But I like to get a kick out of winding up the guys who DJ."

Harmony in the booth is of great importance to our new number 21. Even if opinions would often diverge when it comes to leisure time or private life, there has to be a solid bond within the team. Krämmer: "That applies to everything that happens in the dressing room: sweat connects, blood connects. A season spanning ten months is a long time. Here, you make friends for life - and can also be silly sometimes."