György Pásztor

György Pásztor was a Hungarian ice hockey player, coach, and sports administrator. Pásztor began his hockey career in 1933 when he played for his high school team. By 1941 Pásztor had become a member of the Hungarian national youth team. Pásztor played for the men’s national team for 18 years from 1941 to 1959. In domestic ice hockey Pásztor won the Hungarian national championship title on six occasions.

In 1961 Pásztor became a hockey coach. Pásztor was the head coach of the Hungarian ice hockey team at the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics. Pásztor worked as a consultant on the Hungarian Ice Sports Association. From 1988 to 1994 Pásztor was the Vice-President of the Ice Hockey Association, and later became their honorary President. Pásztor was also a member of the Hungarian Olympic Committee.

Pásztor worked with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for a number of years. From 1959 to 1982 Pásztor represented Hungary at IIHF meetings. From 1982 to 1994 Pásztor was a member of the IIHF’s presidency. For 23 years Pásztor also led the IIHF’s doping control committee. In 1994 Pásztor became an honorary member of the IIHF, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2001.

Pásztor’s national achievements included the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2003), the Fair Play Lifetime Achievement Award (2008), and the György Pásztor Award (2017), the latter being created by the Hungarian Ice Hockey Association.

Known as “Mr Hockey” in Hungary, Pásztor died in August 2022 at the age of 99.