Dieter KALT

Player

Born Klagenfurt, Austria, 29 July 1941

A star player during the 1960s in the Austrian league, Dieter Kalt has been the very face of Austrian hockey for half a century and more, first on the ice, and then in an executive capacity.

On the national stage, Kalt led Klagenfurt to championships in five seasons during a six-year period – 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, and 1972. In all, he played for Klagenfurt from 1957 to 1967 and again from 1969 to 1980. He also played for Graz from 1967 to 1969 while finishing his law degree.

Internationally, Kalt first represented his country at the 1962 World Championship in Colorado Springs (B pool). He played in every major IIHF event from 1962 to 1972 except the 1963 Worlds and captained the WM team in 1969 and 1972. As well, he wore the “C” for Austria at the 1968 Olympics, his second.

Induction Speech

After retiring, Kalt worked as a referee and later a coach. In 1976, he started working with the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation (OEHV) as a team leader in charge of sport development.

From 1996 to 2016, he was President of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation, and, upon retiring in 2016, Kalt was named Honorary President by his federation. Kalt is also a long-time member of the Austrian Olympic Committee.

His son, Dieter Kalt, Jr., had an extraordinary career in his own right. Internationally, the younger Kalt played at 13 World Championships between 1993 and 2007 as well as three successive Olympics (1994, 1998, 2002).