President of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) René Fasel and Walter L. Bush Jr., Chairman of the IIHF Hall of Fame Selection Committee announced the names of the 2004 inductees into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

 

There are 12 members of the Class of 2004 in three categories:

Builders: Mike Buckna (CAN), Ladislav Horsky (SVK), Tsutomu Kawabuchi (JPN), Miroslav Subrt (CZE)

Players: Rudi Ball (GER), Vitaly Davydov (RUS), Lou Nanne (USA), Ronald Pettersson (SWE), Nikolai Sologubov (RUS), Frantisek Tikal (CZE).

Referees: Ove Dahlberg (SWE), Yuri Karandin (RUS).
Check the IIHF.com for complete bios of the inductees. The Hall of Fame induction and ceremony will be held during the 2004 IIHF World Championship in Prague. The exact date will be announced later. The IIHF Hall of Fame was introduced in 1997 and now boasts 119 hockey greats from 20 nations.

Short Bios:

Mike Buckna (CAN): Known as the “Father of Czechoslovak Hockey”. Buckna, originally from Canada, was both a coach and the Director of the Czech Ice Hockey Association during its rise to prominence during the middle of the 20^th century. He coached the Czechs to their first-ever World Championship in 1947.  

 

Ladislav Horsky (SVK): A fixture in Czechoslovakian hockey. After playing in 150 games and scoring 71 goals, he moved onto coaching. Coached in Czechoslovakia for 18 seasons including spending 10 with Slovan Bratislava. Was also in Germany for three seasons. Ended his coaching career at the University of Wisconsin.

 

Tsutomu Kawabuchi (JPN): Is a hockey innovator in Japan. Helped organize the first-ever Asian Oceanic Championships and was largely responsible for making women’s ice hockey and official Olympic event at the 1998 Nagano Games. Helped build the Iwakuragumi Club into one of the best in Japan after both playing and coaching there for nearly 20 years.

 

Miroslav Subrt (CZE): “Miro” Subrt is the longest serving high ranked official in the hockey world, being involved in the international game since 1953. The numbers tell the story: he has been an IIHF Vice President since 1966 and has worked every IIHF Congress since 1956. He has been an IIHF Tournament Chairman in over 70 events and taken part in 12 Winter Olympics. He was awarded with the Olympic order at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

 

Rudi Ball (GER): Ball’s splendid playing career spanned from 1928 to 1952, during which he won the German Championship 8 times (1928-1944) and participated for Germany in the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Winter Games and in four World Championships, 1930-1938. Ball passed away in 1975.

 

Vitaly Davydov (RUS): Davydov played only for Dynamo Moscow during his entire career, totalling 548 games from 1957-1973. He suited up for the Soviet Union national team in 196 national team games winning nine IIHF World Championship titles and three Olympic gold. He also coached Dynamo Moscow and Russian junior national teams.

 

Lou Nanne (USA): Nanne started his long career with USA Hockey as the 1968 Olympic team captain. He went on to serve as captain of the 1975 and 1977 U.S. national teams.  He was named general manager of the U.S. teams on several occasions. Nanne also played 11 seasons with the Minnesota North Stars totalling 239 points and was eventually named the North Stars’ General Manager.

 

Ronald Pettersson (SWE): Known mainly as ”Sura-Pelle” in Sweden, Pettersson played for 16 seasons, winning two national titles. He also starred in 10 IIHF World Championships capturing two gold, three silver, and two bronze medals. His three Olympics (1956, 1960, 1964) left him with one silver medal. Overall, he played 252 games for the national team, which still ranks third today. Had a career ending injury in December 1967, preventing him from taking part in his fourth consecutive Olympics in 1968. A hockey cult-figure in Sweden.

 

Nikolai Sologubov (RUS): Sologubov did not get involved in organized ice hockey until he was 25, when played for the Red Army Club, CSKA Moscow. He played for the Soviet Union at six IIHF World Championship, winning a medal every time. He also won two Olympic gold medals. Nikolai Sologubov passed away in 1988.

 

Frantisek Tikal (CZE): Tikal played in 370 games, scoring 80 goals in Czechoslovak league. He also played in the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Winter Games and in the IIHF World Championships 1957-1960 and 1963-1967, winning six medals (two silver, four bronze) at the IIHF World Championships and an Olympic bronze medal in 1964. He ended his career as a coach in Poland and Czechoslovakia. Considered as one of the best defenders in Europe in his era.

 

Ove Dahlberg (SWE): Dahlberg is considered to be the best Swedish referee ever. His secret to his success was his background as a player, which included two games with the Swedish national team in 1954. Dahlberg also refereed soccer (World Cup qualifying games). Dahlberg was always assigned the most difficult games like the Czechoslovakia vs Soviet Union epics in the late 60s, the 1972 Summit Series between the Soviet Union and Canada and also the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup. Ove Dahlberg passed away in 1997.

 

Yuri Karandin (RUS): Karandin’s 27-year career as a game official spans 268 international games and an amazing 876 games within the USSR national championship. He participated in 10 World Senior Championships, two World U20 Championships and one U18 European Championship. Karandin officiated in the 1982 and 1984 Olympic Winter Games and also in two Canada Cups.

 

For further information:
Szymon Szemberg
IIHF Information & Media Relations Manager
Brandschenkestrasse 50, 8002 Zürich, Switzerland
Phone: 00 41-1-562 22 75

Fax: 00 41-1-562 22 39

szemberg@iihf.com

www.iihf.com