Günther Sabetzki

Günther Sabetzki (born June 4, 1915 in Düsseldorf ; † June 22, 2000 there ) was a German ice sports official, businessman , economist , journalist and publisher. He was President of the German Ice Hockey Federation and the International Ice Hockey Federation . He has been a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame since 1995 .

Life

After Günther Sabetzki had passed his Abitur at Scharnhorst-Gymnasium , he did a commercial apprenticeship at Klöckner-Eisenhandel in Düsseldorf. He also studied economics at the Universities of Munich and Cologne . After having a degree in economics, he received his doctorate as Dr. rer. pole. in Cologne.

From 1936 he worked as a freelance journalist. Between 1940 and 1943 he worked as a business editor for the Frankfurter Zeitung . In 1944 and 1945 he was the association manager for sheet metal packaging . Until 1951 he was at the Rhein-echo as editor . Then until 1970 managing director of the Roebel press office .

In 1958 he was first elected chairman of the North Rhine-Westphalia Ice Sports Association . He held this office until 1995. When the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) was founded on June 16, 1963, he was a founding member and was elected its first president together with Ludwig Zametzer (in the first year there were two equal presidents). From 1964 to 1984 he was Vice President of the DEB.

In 1970 he was the founder and managing director (until 1990) of Global Press news agency and information services GmbH based in Düsseldorf.

In July 1975 in Gstaad he was elected the first German President of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to succeed John Ahearne . After he resigned from the office of IIHF President at the Venice Congress in 1994, the IIHF made him Honorary President and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto (1995) and the IIHF Hall of Fame (1997).

During his time as IIHF President, he brought the Canadian professionals back to the World Championships . He gave the world association an economic basis through sponsorship activities and modernized it. Furthermore, he supported the youth work and promoted the small nations. He made it possible for the Europeans to participate in the Canada Cup .

In 1982, together with Wolfgang Sorge, he was instrumental in founding Germany 's first women's ice hockey league .

In 1988 he was co-founder of the Hall of Fame Germany , of which he is also a member.

In addition, Sabetzki was an active hockey player and representative player in Rhineland and Hesse in hockey.

Sabetzki died on June 22, 2000 in his hometown of Düsseldorf.

Awards and honors

• 1979 Austrian Olympic medal
• 1980 Gold Medal for Services to the Republic of Austria
• 1981 Federal Cross of Merit
• 1983 Federal Cross of Merit, 1st class
• 1985 Large Federal Cross of Merit
• 1985 Olympic Medal IOC
• 1991 sports badge from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia
• 1989 Great Medal of Merit in Gold from the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation
• 1989 Golden Badge of Honor from the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation
• 1989 Golden badge of honor with diamonds from the German Ice Hockey Federation
• 1989 honorary member of the Dutch Ice Hockey Federation
• 1989 Players Union Toronto
• 1994 IIHF Honorary President
• 1995 inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto
• 1997 inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame

Web links

• Günther Sabetzki in the database of the Hockey Hall of Fame (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ "Ahearne resigned from office" . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna July 23, 1975, p. 11 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
2. ↑ «Recommendation was ignored» . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna July 25, 1975, p. 8 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).