Leon Draisaitl represented his homeland front and centre as the flagbearer for Germany during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on Friday.
The Edmonton Oilers center was named flagbearer on Wednesday for the Milan Cortina opening ceremony as a sign of recognition for one of the NHL’s biggest stars, as the league returns to the Olympics.
In a rare honor for a first-time Olympian, Draisaitl and ski jumper Katharina Schmid carried the flag in Friday’s ceremony after they won both an internal poll of German athletes and a public vote.
More than 135,000 people took part, the German Olympic committee said.