Wednesday, 11. March 2026 |
EHC Red Bull München: Goal scorer DeSousa makes his comeback
He's back! Chris DeSousa, our most prolific striker of the past three years, is finally fit again after being sidelined for two months with an upper body injury.
And the Munich goal scorer immediately sprang into action against Wolfsburg. After a great pass from captain Patrick Hager, Sous scored his twelfth goal of the season in the 57th minute to make it 4-1 and seal the victory.
4:1 | Entscheidung durch Chris DeSousa
// IN-GAME-VIDEO
A special comeback
Our returnee was understandably pleased after the game. “It feels great to be back. I felt surprisingly good. The hard work in training over the last two months has paid off,” he beamed, holding his young son Banks in his arms during a short interview with MagentaSport. “I watched the games with him. I think he probably forgot that I'm part of the team,” DeSousa said with a laugh.
Someone else was also at the sold-out SAP Garden for the first time on Friday because of him. “My daughter is eight days old, and she's here for her first game today,” he revealed. “It's nice to play in front of them now.” And little Livvi saw her daddy score a goal and the Red Bulls make a successful comeback on her very first visit to an ice hockey game. What a debut!
Highlights: EHC Red Bull München vs. Grizzlys Wolfsburg (06.03.2026)
// DEL - HIGHLIGHTS
Strong numbers despite long downtime
The main round was quite difficult for the Canadian himself. The 35-year-old, who has hardly missed a game in Germany over the past four seasons, missed almost half of the season due to injuries and a two-game suspension. “It's been a difficult year for me,” said DeSousa.
Nevertheless, he has racked up an impressive 24 points in 26 games so far, including twelve goals. Without his absences, he would probably have broken the 20-goal mark again this season. He has achieved this in all of his four previous DEL years.
It's no coincidence that DeSousa, with a total of 92 goals in his 203 appearances for the Red Bulls, is not only our number one scorer during this period, but also one of the best forwards in the PENNY DEL in recent years. He also has 84 assists to his name.
“Helps me get back on track for the playoffs”
Twelve of his 92 goals for Munich came in the playoffs—when it really matters. In that respect, the match against his former club Wolfsburg was ideal for getting back into the swing of things. “It was a great comeback victory against my old team,” he said, adding: “A game like this helps me get back on track for the playoffs.”
On Friday in the home derby against the Straubing Tigers and on Sunday in the final game of the regular season at Eisbären Berlin, DeSousa will have another opportunity to find his rhythm. Then Sous wants to be ready for the “most exciting” time of the year.
Champion 2023: How Sous turned the series against Bremerhaven around
But his finishing skills are only part of the story. With his physical style of play, DeSousa really gets under the skin of his opponents in the playoffs. In doing so, he creates important momentum for our guys or even ignites a whole fire himself. Like in the 2023 playoff quarterfinal series against the Pinguins Bremerhaven.
At that time, DeSousa missed the first two games due to injury and the Seestädter took a 2-0 series lead. So we had our backs against the wall. Fortunately, in the third game, Sous was not only back, but right in the thick of it.
With his checks right from the start, he rallied our entire team and brought a lot of energy to our game. He also made his comeback with a goal and a fight against Bremerhaven's Christian Wejse. The result: we beat the Pinguins 7-1 and were then unstoppable on our way to our fourth championship title.
We certainly wouldn't mind a similar scenario this season, but preferably without such a difficult start to the playoffs. And even if we do, Sous and our guys are confident enough and know what to do.
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The big comeback week: Red Bulls already in playoff mode// CURRENT
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Next victory: Red Bulls defeat Frankfurt in overtime// DEL - MATCH REPORT
Important note: Municipal construction work restricts access to the parking lot// INFO