photo: IIHF Archives
Josef “Sepp” Puschnig, named Austria’s greatest player of the century, died last Sunday, 2 August, at the age of 79. No cause of death was announced.
Puschnig was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999, the first Austrian player so honoured. He was a star for Austria at three Olympics and eleven World Championships in the B and C Pools, notably 1981 when he captained the team in C Pool to first place and promotion to B Pool. In domestic league play, he starred with his hometown Klagenfurt team for 17 years, 1961-78 before retiring at age 31.
In all, he won 13 national championships with Klagenfurt, and on three occasions he helped the team advance to the semi-finals of the European Cup (1966-68). The team made it to the finals in 1969.
Nicknamed “Karawanken Bear” by his fans, the big and intimidating forward was an important part of the team’s offense at domestic and international levels. He played in his first Olympics in 1964 at age 17, in Innsbruck, and he wore the “C” on five occasions—the 1976 Olympics, and four World Championships—1973, 1974, 1979, and 1981. At the 1972 Worlds, C Pool, he was named IIHF Directorate Best Forward.
In 2012, the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation celebrated their centenary and named Puschnig Player of the Century at a gala in Vienna.
In 2014, Puschnig received the Grand Decoration of Honour of the State of Carinthia by Governor Peter Kaiser, and a documentary called "Sepp Puschnig the Karawanken Bear," directed by Ferdinand Macek and Sigi Bergmann, was screened for the first time.
Puschnig’s son, Andreas (“Andi”), also had an impressive career with the Austrian national team. Andreas played at two Olympics (1994, 1998) and six top-level World Championships between 1993 and 2001.
Sepp Puschnig’s legacy in Klagenfurt endures to this day. His number 7 has been retired by the team and the Stadthalle, home rink of EC Klagenfurt, now bears his name.
Puschnig was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999, the first Austrian player so honoured. He was a star for Austria at three Olympics and eleven World Championships in the B and C Pools, notably 1981 when he captained the team in C Pool to first place and promotion to B Pool. In domestic league play, he starred with his hometown Klagenfurt team for 17 years, 1961-78 before retiring at age 31.
In all, he won 13 national championships with Klagenfurt, and on three occasions he helped the team advance to the semi-finals of the European Cup (1966-68). The team made it to the finals in 1969.
Nicknamed “Karawanken Bear” by his fans, the big and intimidating forward was an important part of the team’s offense at domestic and international levels. He played in his first Olympics in 1964 at age 17, in Innsbruck, and he wore the “C” on five occasions—the 1976 Olympics, and four World Championships—1973, 1974, 1979, and 1981. At the 1972 Worlds, C Pool, he was named IIHF Directorate Best Forward.
In 2012, the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation celebrated their centenary and named Puschnig Player of the Century at a gala in Vienna.
In 2014, Puschnig received the Grand Decoration of Honour of the State of Carinthia by Governor Peter Kaiser, and a documentary called "Sepp Puschnig the Karawanken Bear," directed by Ferdinand Macek and Sigi Bergmann, was screened for the first time.
Puschnig’s son, Andreas (“Andi”), also had an impressive career with the Austrian national team. Andreas played at two Olympics (1994, 1998) and six top-level World Championships between 1993 and 2001.
Sepp Puschnig’s legacy in Klagenfurt endures to this day. His number 7 has been retired by the team and the Stadthalle, home rink of EC Klagenfurt, now bears his name.