Erich Kühnhackl (born 17 October 1950) is a German former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
player, born and raised in Czechoslovakia. He is one of the all-time greats of German ice hockey and was named Germany's ice hockey player of the 20th century in 2000. Kühnhackl is a member of the
IIHF Hall of Fame
The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the Interna ...
as well as of the German ice hockey Hall of Fame and
Germany's Sport Hall of Fame.
Career
He won four German Championships and a bronze medal at the
1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (german: XII. Olympische Winterspiele, french: XIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 ( bar, Innschbruck 1976, label= Austro-Bavarian), was a ...
in
Innsbruck and is widely regarded as the best German hockey player ever and was inducted into the
International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1997. Kühnhackl was also named the German ice hockey player of the Century in 2000. His nickname "Kleiderschrank auf Kufen" (wardrobe on skates) refers to his mighty appearance. In Finland he is known as ''Iso-Eerikki'' (Big Eric) for the same reason.
After his playing career Kühnhackl worked as coach of
EV Landshut, German National Team, EC Bad Nauheim, Erding Jets, Polar Bears Regensburg and the
Straubing Tigers. He served as sport director for the
Frankfurt Lions of the
Deutsche Eishockey Liga from June 2009 to June 2010 and was vice president of the
Deutscher Eishockey-Bund, the German ice hockey federation, between 2010 and 2014.
Achievements
* won German Championships: 1970 with
EV Landshut, 1977 and 1979 with
Kölner Haie
The Kölner Haie (English: ''Cologne Sharks'') are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the professional Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.
The ''Kölner Haie'' play their hom ...
, 1983 with
EV Landshut
* German Player of the Year (1978, 1980, 1983)
* 211 international games played (131 G) including 3 Olympic Games and 10 World Championships
* won a bronze medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck and was afterwards presented with the
Silbernes Lorbeerblatt
Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf), the highest sports award in Germany, was endowed on 23 June 1950 by the German President Theodor Heuss. It is awarded to athletes and teams of exemplary character that have won medals at Olympic and ...
* first German Top Scorer at the World Championships 1978 (15 points)
* 774 German league games (724 G, 707 A, 1431 PTS, 1110 PIM)
* All-Star Team of the German Bundesliga 1976/77, 1977/78, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1982/83 and 1983/84
* Gustav-Jaenecke Cup (Best Scorer) 1973/74, 1976/77, 1977/78, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1982/83 and 1983/84
* Fritz-Poitsch-Trophy (Best Goalscorer) 1973/74 and 1979/80
* Xaver-Unsinn-Trophy (Most Assists) 1973/74, 1977/78, 1982/83 and 1983/84
* German ice hockey player of the Century 2000
Personal info
He and his parents, who were of
German descent, emigrated from Czechoslovakia after the
Soviet occupation
During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into two different ...
in 1968.
In 2010, his son
Tom was drafted in the 4th round of the
NHL Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft (french: Repêchage d'entrée dans la LNH) is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL) systematically select the rights to available ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirem ...
by the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
Erich Kühnhackl's Career Stats*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuhnhackl, Erich
1950 births
People from Sokolov District
EHC Olten players
EV Landshut players
German ice hockey centres
Ice hockey players at the 1972 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey players at the 1976 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey players at the 1984 Winter Olympics
IIHF Hall of Fame inductees
Kölner Haie players
Living people
Olympic bronze medalists for West Germany
Olympic ice hockey players of West Germany
Olympic medalists in ice hockey
Medalists at the 1976 Winter Olympics