The Deutscher Eishockey-Bund e.V. (DEB) mourns the loss of Lenz Funk Senior, who succumbed to his long battle with cancer on the night of Thursday to Friday at the age of 70.
Lorenz Funk, Lenz, as everyone called him, was a legend, an institution in German ice hockey. He donned the German national team jersey a total of 225 times and took part in 13 World Championships and three Olympic Games. He was part of the team that won the bronze medal in Innsbruck in 1976. He became German champion three times, in 1966 with his hometown club, EC Bad Tölz, and in 1974 and 1976 with the Berlinhe SC. After his active career, he then moved behind the gang - among other things, he was manager of the Eisbären Berlin – and passionately passed on all his knowledge to the younger generations until the end.
Until his last breaths, Lorenz Funk Sr., despite his serious illness, was a person who embodied and lived ice hockey. His opinion was still listened to not only by many coaching colleagues and old friends, but especially by the active players. Lenz worked all his life to make ice hockey in Germany better and had such a decisive influence on it.
Franz Reindl, DEBPresident: “The news of Lenz Funk's death has deeply affected us, made us very sad and thoughtful. Lenz was one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time and an outstanding sports personality. DEB and the entire German ice hockey family are thinking of his wife Marlene and his two sons Lorenz and Florian Funk.”