Canada men thumped by Germany in opening game at Olympic field hockey qualifier

The Canadian men's field hockey team's bid for Olympic qualification got off to a tough start Monday with a 9-0 loss to Germany at an FIH Olympic Qualifier.

The fifth-ranked Germans are the class of Pool B, which is made up of the 17th-ranked Canadians, No. 10 New Zealand and No. 22 Chile.

Pool A features No. 12 Malaysia, No. 16 Pakistan, No. 23 China and unranked Britain.

Another men's qualifier runs simultaneously in Valencia, Spain. The top three teams at each tournament book their ticket to Paris.

Despite the loss, there is still a road ahead for the Canadians, who face Chile on Tuesday and New Zealand on Thursday.

"We don't have to win every single game. We have to win the right games," Canada captain Gordon Johnston said prior to the game.