Paul Ambros

Paul Ambros, a defender, started playing ice hockey with the local club SV Hopfen am See together with his two brothers. In 1949 he joined EV Füssen, one of the great German clubs after World War II. After winning the German Youth Championships twice he moved up to the first team of the club in 1953. With this team he won 11 German Championships (1953-59, 1961, 1963-65). Ambros left the club on somewhat bad terms and went to the second league club Augsburg EV in 1965, where he managed to move up with the club to the first German league two years later. He finished his career with this club after the 1972/73 season.

With the West German squad Ambros participated in three Olympics and three World Championships. He was one of the first Europeans who played very physical and was often mistaken for a Canadian due to his style of play. Nevertheless Ambros was one of the last players refusing to wear a helmet. A carpenter by trade, he developed and established the Ambros hockey sticks as a brand. Ambros was introduced into the German Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989, and in Füssen the “Paul-Ambros-Place” was named in his honor.