Game scene during the international match against Norway in 1974
The national ice hockey team of the GDR played their first international game on January 28, 1951 in the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle in Berlin , which they lost 8-3 to Poland . The team recorded the greatest successes in their early years. From 1957 to 1968 the GDR played in the A world championship and in 1966 won the bronze medal at the European championship . She also took part in the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble , where she reached the finals. There, the selection of the GDR lost all seven games and thus finished them in last place behind the Federal Republic of Germany , against which they had lost in a direct comparison 2: 4. After the broadest cease funding of the DDR Hockey by the competitive sports decision the team in 1970/71 rose voluntarily in the B group from. Nevertheless, in 1973, it was promoted back to the A group. Then the GDR shuttled between B and A World Cups until the national team was dissolved after reunification with the Federal Republic of Germany.
Team doctor: Dr. Langer, masseur: Dewitz, team leader: Ortmann
Record international player
The record national player of the GDR is Dietmar Peters from SC Dynamo Berlin with a total of 315 appearances. Behind him is his former teammate Dieter Frenzel (296), whose competitive sporting career outlasted the end of the GDR and who became the first GDR player to move to a German club in November 1989. Third in the ranking is Roland Peters (279), also a former SC Dynamo player who is also the record holder's brother. East German ice hockey is also represented in the IIHF - Hall of Fame with long-time selection captain and leading player Joachim Ziesche .
Junior national teams
The U19 national team finished fifth at the unofficial European Championship in 1967. For the first official U19 European Championship in 1968 , the GDR qualified with two wins against Switzerland, finishing the tournament in sixth and last place. The B-EM in 1969 was waived. After the competitive sport decision, there were still occasional participation of the U19 in tournaments in the Eastern Bloc, not from the European and later World Championships.
It was not until 1990 that a GDR team took part in the U18 European Championship. In the C group they were far superior to the remaining three participants and were promoted to the B group - which was no longer noticed due to the reunification.
