Who is the Best German Hockey Player Ever?

[kalle wirsch]

He is holding most of the records for goalscoring in the german league and the National team.He was the first german,who became the best goalscorer in a WC1978 and at the olympics in 1984.What is a big achievement ,cause our nationalteam was crap and there was the red machine with Malzev Petrov etc.. I saw him playing .He was a f..g big guy with good hands and a natural touch for goalscoring.Maybe a little bit like Draisaitl.

 

[McCoy]

Kölzig. Krupp. Draisartl.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Not sure about Erich Kühnhackl as I never saw him play. But how can so many say he's the best ever when he never played in a good league? Isn't that German league pretty low level? I don't know, that's why I'm asking.

Kühnhackl looked like a superstar, when played vs Soviet and Czech teams in 70-80s, pretty few NHLers looked as good back to then.

I think, he was kinda Mario lite. Big, smooth skater, all the talent in the world, but just didn't wanna work as hard as it took to play in the best league in the world. Of course, NHL salaries weren't as attractive in 70s as they are now, otherwise he would have probably found some work ethic reserves and moved to NA.

 

[Albatros]

He did attend a Rangers training camp, but couldn't agree about contract as he had better terms at home.

 

[Kshahdoo]

He did attend a Rangers training camp, but couldn't agree about contract as he had better terms at home.

Yeah, as I said, NHL salaries weren't anything special back to then. I think, nowdays Drai is getting about 20 times more, than what he could get in Germany, and they say he's underpaid...

 

[earthstone]

draisatl is your answer. Playing like the best player in the world. bravo germany your on the upswing

 

[Reindl87]

Kühnhackl looked like a superstar, when played vs Soviet and Czech teams in 70-80s, pretty few NHLers looked as good back to then.

I think, he was kinda Mario lite. Big, smooth skater, all the talent in the world, but just didn't wanna work as hard as it took to play in the best league in the world. Of course, NHL salaries weren't as attractive in 70s as they are now, otherwise he would have probably found some work ethic reserves and moved to NA.

Sorry, but what a load of crap How dare you say he didn't want to work hard? Künhackl looked as good as the best Czech and Soviet players of the 70s and 80s. There's is zero doubt that he would have been an eite NHler, too. There simply wasn't any reason for him to go the NHL. The NHL in the 70s and 80s wasn't all that attractive for a guy like Künhackl. There simpy wasn't areason to go there for him. He earned just as much money in gerany as he would have in the NHL while having a good life at home and being an abolute star and household name. Nobody gave a rats as about the NHL back then.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Sorry, but what a load of crap How dare you say he didn't want to work hard? Künhackl looked as good as the best Czech and Soviet players of the 70s and 80s. There's is zero doubt that he would have been an eite NHler, too. There simply wasn't any reason for him to go the NHL. The NHL in the 70s and 80s wasn't all that attractive for a guy like Künhackl. There simpy wasn't areason to go there for him. He earned just as much money in gerany as he would have in the NHL while having a good life at home and being an abolute star and household name. Nobody gave a rats as about the NHL back then.

He had so much talent, he didn't need to work that hard to be good.

 

[tony d]

Olaf Kolzig right now but could be Drai in 2 or 3 seasons.

 

[filip85]

Olaf Kolzig right now but could be Drai in 2 or 3 seasons.

Not even close...

 

[Halfdan]

Erich Kühnhackl wouldn’t play in the NHL, because he would play the olympic games for germany. He said this in is own words a few weeks ago. This is the trues, not the „hard working“-crap.

 

[Bure80]

Think i heared his highest salary was 1 Mill. DM/season. Sure he didnt want to leave.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

In German ice hockey circles, Eric Kuhnhackl is considered the best ever German ice hockey player.

 

[Overrated]

Sorry, but what a load of crap How dare you say he didn't want to work hard? Künhackl looked as good as the best Czech and Soviet players of the 70s and 80s. There's is zero doubt that he would have been an eite NHler, too. There simply wasn't any reason for him to go the NHL. The NHL in the 70s and 80s wasn't all that attractive for a guy like Künhackl. There simpy wasn't areason to go there for him. He earned just as much money in gerany as he would have in the NHL while having a good life at home and being an abolute star and household name. Nobody gave a rats as about the NHL back then.

His WC numbers are inflated due to so many games against weaker opponents and especially in the consolidation round. Also his German league statistics aren't that extremely impressive either. In PPG he is only the 10th best:

He had similar stats as Bill Lochead during the time when he played in the German league who happened to have also played in the NHL.

I think he should be viewed around the level of Jiri Lala if we were to be honest but to say he was as good as the best Soviet players is a joke. Erich played in the Swiss league for a while. His numbers were a lot worse than the stats of Bykov and Khomutov. Guys like Makarov or Fetisov were much better than Erich.

It's clear Leon Draisaitl is by far the greatest German player ever. Erich might be the biggest legend of German hockey but skill wise he was never in the top10 in the World.

 

[Albatros]

His WC numbers are inflated due to so many games against weaker opponents and especially in the consolidation round. Also his German league statistics aren't that extremely impressive either. In PPG he is only the 10th best:

I don't think you can compare someone over 20 seasons in ppg to foreign imports that were brought in for a couple of seasons only. At his peak Kühnhackl recorded 3.23 points per game in a season, the only player in history to exceed three.

As for weaker national team opponents, where? This was a period of the World Championships consisting of only 6 or 8 teams. For example in his peak year 1978 the format meant an additional placement game against Team USA, Finland, and GDR. Easier than facing the Soviets and Czechoslovakia twice, sure, but when you speak of weaker opposition this is not what comes to mind.

He had similar stats as Bill Lochead during the time when he played in the German league who happened to have also played in the NHL.

Bill Lochead came to the league from the Rangers age 25 and left age 29. Those very same years Kühnhackl had 355 points to Lochead's 299 despite being four years older and playing fewer games.

I think he should be viewed around the level of Jiri Lala if we were to be honest but to say he was as good as the best Soviet players is a joke. Erich played in the Swiss league for a while. His numbers were a lot worse than the stats of Bykov and Khomutov. Guys like Makarov or Fetisov were much better than Erich.

Kühnhackl went to Switzerland in his late 30s, Makarov for one was almost completely useless at that point of his career. Although he evidently had been better than Kühnhackl at another point, this kind of devoid of context comparisons are just apples and oranges and not very helpful.

It's clear Leon Draisaitl is by far the greatest German player ever. Erich might be the biggest legend of German hockey but skill wise he was never in the top10 in the World.

What exactly has Draisaitl achieved to make him by far the greatest German player? Won one Hart Trophy? He may get there eventually, but it's a very long way to go still. A better peak does not a GOAT make.

 

[filip85]

His WC numbers are inflated due to so many games against weaker opponents and especially in the consolidation round. Also his German league statistics aren't that extremely impressive either. In PPG he is only the 10th best:

He had similar stats as Bill Lochead during the time when he played in the German league who happened to have also played in the NHL.

I think he should be viewed around the level of Jiri Lala if we were to be honest but to say he was as good as the best Soviet players is a joke. Erich played in the Swiss league for a while. His numbers were a lot worse than the stats of Bykov and Khomutov. Guys like Makarov or Fetisov were much better than Erich.

It's clear Leon Draisaitl is by far the greatest German player ever. Erich might be the biggest legend of German hockey but skill wise he was never in the top10 in the World.

Jesus...

Kuhnhackl singlehandedly led Germany to mantain it's top level status and he was major part of Olympic bronze in 1976. Everybody agrees that he would have been an NHL star, because he also had size, along with skillset. In eishockey news magazine I once read "when you say Kuhnhackl, it's like you said Eishockey". Maybe not 100% correct (it was long time ago), but it was something like that, basically he is synonym for ice hockey in Germany.
Draisaitl needs to eat a lot of corn flour to reach his status.

 

[Overrated]

Jesus...

Kuhnhackl singlehandedly led Germany to mantain it's top level status and he was major part of Olympic bronze in 1976. Everybody agrees that he would have been an NHL star, because he also had size, along with skillset. In eishockey news magazine I once read "when you say Kuhnhackl, it's like you said Eishockey". Maybe not 100% correct (it was long time ago), but it was something like that, basically he is synonym for ice hockey in Germany.
Draisaitl needs to eat a lot of corn flour to reach his status.

Jiri Lala was the best Czech scorer of the 1985 WC in which Czechoslovakia beat team Canada with 5 HOFs and the USSR with the infamous green line from the strongest team in the world CSKA Moscow. To say they were rather equal is quite a good comparison. Leon is too young I agree though it's only a matter of time.

Kühnhackl went to Switzerland in his late 30s, Makarov for one was almost completely useless at that point of his career. Although he evidently had been better than Kühnhackl at another point, this kind of devoid of context comparisons are just apples and oranges and not very helpful.

Bykov played in the Swiss league and at 35 and 36 scored 103 points in 74 matches.

 

[Albatros]

Good for him. When Kühnhackl played in Switzerland he was only the second player over 35 in history to score 40 points, I can't really see how his visit there would count against him.