Pens winger part of rare group of German NHLers
Tom Kuhnhackl’s dad is a legitimate German hockey legend, but that’s not why the Pittsburgh Penguins winger chose hockey in a country where most opt for soccer. Or, at least, that’s not entirely why. The 24-year-old kicked the soccer ball around like most kids in his well-to-do hometown of Landshut and played tennis, too. But he ultimately picked hockey, becoming one of only 26 German-born players to ever play in the NHL.
“It’s not usual for a German guy to pick hockey over soccer or anything else,” said Kuhnhackl, who scored the short-handed game-winner in the Penguins Game 1 victory over the Rangers. “I just played it because I had fun and I had a lot of friends. At one point my dad and a couple friends said ‘Hey maybe you should stick to hockey because you’re not bad at it.”’
His dad, Erich Kuhnhackl, is something of a legend in German hockey. He played more than 200 games internationally for Germany and won a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics in Austria. He won four German league championships, scored nearly two points per game and is a member of the IIHF Hall of Fame.
He was named the German hockey player of the century in 2000 and is nicknamed the “wardrobe on skates” for his imposing six-foot-five frame. He also coached and managed local teams in Germany.
“I kind of wanted to make my dad proud I guess knowing that he was a hockey player, too,” said the younger Kuhnhackl. “I guess that had a little bit to do with it, too.”
“I hope I made him a little proud,” Kuhnhackl added. “It’s just incredible the kind of career he had.”
Germany is six hours ahead of local time in Pittsburgh, but Kuhnhackl’s father watches all his son’s games. He texts him afterward to say “Good game.”
The two connect via FaceTime on offdays, though dad is apparently careful not to over-coach his son. Sometimes Tom Kuhnhackl has to ask for advice, pepper his father with questions about a shift he may have misplayed the other night.
Playing in the ECHL as recently as two seasons ago, Kuhnhackl has made himself into a valued young player for the Penguins. A fourth-round pick in 2010, he scored 15 points in 42 games this year, becoming a dependable penalty killer and depth presence for Pittsburgh.