Udo KIESSLING

Udo Kießling was one of the most remarkable German ice hockey players ever. The son of famous former national and club coach Gerhard Kießling, Udo was inducted into the German Hall of Fame for Ice Hockey and in 2000 into the International Hockey Hall of Fame. He was a defender who played 24 seasons in the German Bundesliga (later German Ice Hockey League DEL) in 1,020 matches, scoring 881 points. With the Kölner EC “Die Haie” (Cologne Sharks) he won six German Championships, in 1977, 1979, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1988, and was elected Player of the Year in 1977, 1984, and 1986. Additionally Kießling earned 320 international caps (as of 2009 still the German record, and an international record until 2003), participating in five consecutive Olympics (1976 – 1992), earning a bronze medal in 1976. Additionally he played in 13 A-Class and 2 B-Class World Championships. In 1981 he was the first German ice hockey player to play a game in the NHL, with the Minnesota North Stars, but he returned to the German Bundesliga after this one game. After the 1987 World Championship he was named to the World Championship All-Star Team. Kießling retired after a severe injury in 1997. His popularity can be mostly impressed by his fans who created the following hymn on him: “Er ist kein Mensch, er ist ein Tier und spielt in Köln mit der Nummer 4” (He is not a man – he is an animal – and he plays in Cologne with number 4).