A legend turns 75! This Friday, October 17, 2025, Erich Kühnhackl birthday, and we take this opportunity to look back on the extraordinary career of a man who has shaped German ice hockey like no other. He is the "Hockey Player of the Century“, former DEB-Vice President and Olympic hero From 1976: Kühnhackl sensationally won bronze in Innsbruck, writing a chapter in German sports history that will never be forgotten. Four-time German champion, record holder for most goals scored in a season—his resume is lined with major successes.
Kühnhackl's career began in Czechoslovakia, where he was born and took his first steps on the ice. "There, ice hockey was like football is here today. Always the focus. I came to the club through school games and school championships," he explains in an interview with Eishockey NEWS in the current weekly edition. After leaving the country in 1968, just three days after the invasion of Soviet troops, the family landed in Landshut. Here, the young striker developed rapidly under coach Karel Gut. In his second season with EV Landshut He became German champion for the first time, scoring 21 goals in 35 games. "Back then, ice hockey was the biggest thing here in Landshut. Over time, I realized how significant it was. The games were sold out, there were receptions," the celebrant recalls.
The Miracle of Innsbruck: A medal without knowing it!
Olympics 1976 was to be Kühnhackl's greatest success. The final siren had faded after the final 4:1 victory against the USA, but nobody really knew what it all meant. Erich Kühnhackl and his teammates left the ice in Innsbruck 1976 with mixed feelings. Bronze? Fourth place? The confusion was complete. Germany was in third place, level on points with the USA and Finland. It quickly became clear: The USA had no chance of bronze because of the goal difference. But between Germany and Finland things got complicated. In the head-to-head, the Finns had the edge with a goal difference of 9:8, while Germany had to admit defeat with a score of 7:6. Bronze for Finland, fourth place for Germany. The calculation seemed that simple.
But wait – back then, goal difference didn't count, but goal ratio. A rule hardly anyone knew about. So they did the math and recalculate: goals scored divided by goals conceded. Finland came in at 1,125. Germany at 1,167. With a razor-thin lead of 0,041 points, the German team secured bronze. It was the "Miracle of Innsbruck." The absurd thing about it: Kühnhackl and his teammates had no idea how lucky they were. Disappointed, they were already on their way back to the locker room when someone suddenly congratulated them on their bronze medal. Incredulous looks, then the realization: They had actually done it!
Matured into an ice hockey star in Cologne
Shortly thereafter, the switch to the Kölner Haien, where he finally became a sought-after star. "When Erich came to Cologne, he was already a great player, but the move really boosted his status," recalls former national player Udo Kießling, with whom Kühnhackl won two championships. "Cologne was already a city of millions back then. The surrounding area was enormous. And then Jochem Erlemann (note: then president of the Cologne EC) came along. He had the financial means. And he could have done anything. That's why the club was so successful." In his three years at KEC, the 1,96-meter-tall giant (nicknamed "The Tall One") won the championship title twice.
Eventually, Kühnhackl returned to Landshut "for the sake of his family." In 1980, his masterpiece came: 84 goals in 48 Bundesliga games – a record that still stands today. In 1983, he crowned his time at EVL with the fourth and final championship of his career. After two seasons with EHC Olten in Switzerland, he returned to Landshut in 1986, where his unprecedented career ended in 1989. Kühnhackl was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997 and voted "German Ice Hockey Player of the Century" in 2000. With 134 goals and 224 points, he remains the national ice hockey team's record holder.
After his playing career, Kühnhackl worked as a coach until 2007, and from 2008 to 2014, he served as vice president of the German Ice Hockey Federation. He continues to live in Landshut and is dedicated to the Erich Kühnhackl Foundation, whose purpose includes supporting young talent teams. "For me, my family has always been and remains the most important thing," Kühnhackl recently said. A sentiment that reflects the man behind the legend.
All the best, Langer!