East Germany men's national ice hockey team
The East German national men's ice hockey team was a national ice hockey representing the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The first international game was played in East Berlin on 28 January 1951, losing 3–8 to Team Poland.
| IIHF code | GDR |
|---|---|
| First international | |
| Poland 8 – 3 East Germany (East Berlin, East Germany; January 28, 1951) Last international East Germany 2 – 3 Austria (Megève, France; April 8, 1990) | |
| Biggest win | |
| East Germany 20 – 0 France (Ljubljana, Yugoslavia; March 12, 1980) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
| Czechoslovakia 27 – 3 East Germany (East Berlin, East Germany; April 25th, 1951) | |
| IIHF World Championships | |
| Appearances | 26 (first in 1957) |
| Best result | 5th (1957, 1965, 1966, 1970) |
| IIHF European Championships and World Cup | |
| Appearances | 1 (1966) |
| Best result | (1966) |
| Olympics | |
| Appearances | 1 (1968) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 306–286–54 | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pool B / Division I | ||
| 1956 East Germany | ||
| 1969 Yugoslavia | ||
| 1973 Austria | ||
| 1975 Japan | ||
| 1977 Japan | ||
| 1982 Austria | ||
The team competed in many international competitions, including several in which they competed with the top teams for medals, but won only the European Championship bronze medal in 1966 in Yugoslavia. The only time they competed in the Olympics was in Grenoble in 1968. They scored 13 goals in 7 games, but didn't win any games leaving them with no points in the standings. From that point on the team refused to participate in Olympic ice hockey, but participated in other tournaments where they continued to play poorly. The team ceased playing in 1990, just before the German reunification.
What would become the team's final game was played on 8 April 1990 in Megève during the B Group of the World Championship, and was lost to Austria, 2-3. In October 1990, Germany was re-unified.