Alfred de Rauch

Alfred de Rauch was born as the son of a Russian colonel and lived his early life in St. Petersburg, Russia. Rauch, who also played rugby, started playing ice hockey in 1908. He was a member of the Club des Patineurs de Paris, later renamed Club des Sports d’Hiver de Paris, and captained the team for almost 20 years, winning two French Championships (1912, 1922). De Rauch competed with the French national team in the 1912-14 LIHG Championships. After serving in World War I, he was appointed captain of the French team in 1920 and held this post until 1928, being active in three Olympic Games.

Internationally, de Rauch formed a famous offensive line together with Léon Quaglia and Albert Hassler. They led the French team to a silver medal at the 1923 European Championships and a gold medal in 1924 with de Rauch as the top scorer. De Rauch later moved to defense and continued to play until 44-years-old, spending his last season with Racing Club de France. During and after his career he served as a referee, including at the 1920 and 1924 Winter Olympic tournaments.

Alfred de Rauch belonged to the group of wealthy amateurs that dominated many sports at the time. One of his friends was photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue. De Rauch’s wife Madeleine was a fashion designer.