Dénes Pataky

Dénes Pataky started to skate at age three and won his first “little trophy” at the age of 10. At the age of 16 he was a national youth champion and the next year he began a run of winning four consecutive Hungarian championships.

In 1934 Pataky finished third in the European Championships and then finished second both in 1935 and 1936. He finished fifth at the World Championships in 1934, and then placed third in 1935, and sixth in 1936. At the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Olympics, he unfortunately fell during his performance and finished only ninth.

Pataky was admitted to the Ludovika Military Academy in 1936 and seemingly ended his sports career. He fought in World War II and for his achievements he received the Hungarian Knight’s Cross decorated with swords and the German II. Class Iron Cross, thus becoming a member of the Order of the Knights.

At the end of the war, Pataky and his family moved to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where the U.S. military soon recognized his extraordinary talent and employed him as a soloist, pairs skater, and “comedy star” for four years. He toured major European cities with his ice revue and had more than 500 performances. He arrived in Canada in 1949, first in Winnipeg and then in Toronto where he worked as a skating instructor and trainer, and also organized revues and ice carnivals.