István Antal (ice hockey player, 1958)

István Antal (born September 18, 1958 in Frumoasa ; † January 9, 2009 ) was a Romanian ice hockey player , coach and official. He was one of the most successful athletes in the city of Miercurea Ciuc .

Antal, who belonged to the Hungarian minority of Transylvania , only started playing ice hockey at the age of 14. At the age of 19 he played in the senior team of SC Miercurea Ciuc , where he was under contract until 1986. He became a member of the national team during the most successful period of Romanian ice hockey and took part in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid . Due to a shoulder injury, however, he had to end his active career a short time later.

He then worked as a trainer first in Bălan . In 1998 he came back to SC Miercurea Ciuc. With the club he won the Romanian championship in 2000. In addition to the men, he also trained the women’s team.

After he later resigned as a coach, he switched to the club management and has been a manager ever since. Under his leadership, the sports club won three more Romanian championship titles. The famous team leader, honored by sports fans, is considered the founder of the jointly organized Hungarian-Romanian MOL league , in which teams from Hungary and Romania participate. His son István Antal junior has played for SC Miercurea Ciuc and in the national team since 2002.

Istvan Antal died on January 9, 2009 after a heart attack.

Web links

• István Antal in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )