Austrian Ice Hockey Legend Sepp Puschnig Dies at 79

Sepp Puschnig, the celebrated Austrian ice‑hockey player, died at age 79 in his hometown of Klagenfurt, the KAC announced. Puschnig was the driving force of the Klagenfurter Athletik Club (KAC) during the 1960s and 1970s, winning twelve league titles and appearing in the 1969 European Cup final. He recorded 190 goals and 296 assists in 299 league games and scored a total of 387 goals for the club. Internationally, he earned 123 caps for Austria, netting 50 goals and 55 assists, and competed in three Olympic Games and eleven World Championships. In 1999 he became the first Austrian inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame, and in 2012 was named Austria’s player of the century. The club retired his number 7 jersey in 2016. Puschnig famously declined an NHL move, saying, “Klagenfurt is better for me than New York.” His son Andreas and grandson Julian continue the family’s hockey legacy.