Dieter Hegen is a retired professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 player who played in the Ice Hockey Bundesliga

Ice hockey Bundesliga

The Ice hockey Bundesliga was formed in 1958 as the elite hockey competition in the Federal Republic of Germany, replacing the Oberliga in this position...

 and its replacement the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Playing career

Hegen began playing for his hometown ESV Kaufbeuren

ESV Kaufbeuren

ESV Kaufbeuren is an ice hockey team in Kaufbeuren, Germany. They play in the Oberliga, the third level of ice hockey in Germany.The club was founded in 1946. In 2007, they were relegated to the Oberliga....

 in 1979. Hegen was drafted 46th overall by the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

 in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft

1981 NHL Entry Draft

The 1981 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 211 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1980–81 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those players...

 but never signed a contract and remained with Kaufbeuren until 1985 when he joined Kölner EC

Kölner Haie

The Kölner Haie are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.The team colours are red and white....

, winning the Bundesliga championship in 1987 and 1988. In 1989 he moved to for Düsseldorfer EG

DEG Metro Stars

The DEG Metro Stars is a German professional ice hockey team in Düsseldorf. It was Germany's most successful hockey club for a long time and had many international players...

 and in a three-year spell he won three more Bundesliga titles. In 1992, he joined EC Hedos München and won his sixth and final Bundesliga title with the team in 1994, which turned out to be the last year of the Ice Hockey Bundesliga as it was replaced with the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team also changed its name to Mad Dogs München for the inaugural DEL season which turned out to be their only season as they would fold on December 18, 1994, just 27 games into the 44 game season. Hegen would re-join DEG and went to win the DEL championship in 1996. In 1998, he moved to Star Bulls Rosenheim. In 2000, Rosenheim left the DEL and Hegen decided to drop two division to the Oberliga

Oberliga (Ice Hockey)

The Oberliga is currently the third tier of ice hockey in Germany. In the 2007-08 season, the Oberliga is split in a northern and a southern group.-1948-58:...

 and re-join ESV Kaufbeuren. He remained with the team until his retirement in 2002.

International career

He was a member of the German 1984 Canada Cup

1984 Canada Cup

The 1984 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament played during the first three weeks of September 1984. The best-of-three final took place between Canada and Sweden, with Canada winning two games to nil...

 and competed in five Winter Olympics in 1984

1984 Winter Olympics

The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...

, 1988

1988 Winter Olympics

The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...

, 1992

1992 Winter Olympics

The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...

, 1994

1994 Winter Olympics

The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...

 and 1998

1998 Winter Olympics

The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...

. His appearance at the 1998 Olympics made him, along with Raimo Helminen

Raimo Helminen

Raimo Ilmari Helminen is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He is often called "Raipe" or "Maestro" by his fans...

 (Finland) the third and fourth hockey players to ever compete at five Winter Olympics, after Udo Kießling (Germany) and Petter Thoresen

Petter Thoresen (ice hockey)

Petter Thoresen is a Norwegian ice hockey manager and former player, currently managing Stavanger Oilers, where he has been in charge since March 2009. As a player he played for Forward, Hasle/Løren, Manglerud Star, Storhamar Dragons and Vålerenga...

 (Norway).

External links