Player Inductees

Biography

As one of the game's top dignitaries, Dr. Gunther Sabetzki oversaw the dramatic growth of hockey in his native Germany then the rest of the world. His interest in those countries where hockey was not a sporting tradition helped expand the scope of the game to previously unattainable heights.

A native of Dusseldorf, Germany, Sabetzki was a well-rounded athlete who excelled in hockey, handball, tennis, and swimming. His main interests as a student were economics and writing. At the age of twenty he embarked on a career as a business journalist. He worked as a trainee and economics editor at "Frankfurter Zeitung," economics editor of the "Rhine Echo Dusseldorf" and general manager of the Roebel press office in Dusseldorf.

Sabetzki constantly followed hockey while working as an economics reporter and became one of the top observers of the game in Germany. In 1952 he became directly involved in the sport as the manager of the hockey association of the Nordrhein-Westfalen province. Six years later, he was elected chairman of this organization.

In 1963, Dr. Sabetzki was a founding member of the German Ice Hockey Federation and in 1966 he was elected as a council member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. While serving on the IIHF executive he worked hard to bring about a resolution in the stalemate with Canada over the use of professional players in the 1970s. He was a vocal supporter of the Canada Cup and spent many hours convincing those Europeans who were reluctant to participate.

Sabetzki became the first German to serve as IIHF president when he won election to the prestigious post in 1975. During his reign he continually worked at reconciling the differences between the federation and Canada. These efforts culminated in the return of Canada to the Olympics at Lake Placid in 1980.

Perhaps Sabetzki's greatest legacy was the global expansion of the game under his presidency that lasted until 1994. The IIHF membership grew from 31 to 50 during his reign. Additionally, lines of communication and commitment were in place for more extensive geographic growth under Rene Fasel. Tournaments the world over were initiated, and Sabetzki took it upon himself to send equipment to poor or war-ravaged countries. He dispatched legendary Soviet national coach Anatoli Tarasov to North Korea and China to assist with their relatively infantile leagues and was instrumental in the formation of the Pacific Championship in 1984. Sabetzki was also an enthusiastic backer of improved training for coaches and on-ice officials and a host of exchange programs between the hockey powers and the newcomers to the game.

During and after his illustrious career Sabetzki was inundated with a host of awards and accolades. He was presented the Olympic Order in 1985, the Order of Germany in 1990 and was made the honourary chairman of the IIHF. In 1989 he was presented the Great Medal for Merit by the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation and the Golden Honourary Pin of the Finnish Hockey Federation. Sabetzki was undoubtedly one of the pioneers of hockey when it became a fully international sport.

He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.