The Deutscher Hockey Bund (DHB) was formed in 1909. Germany joined the International Hockey Federation in 1928. The National Championships for both men and women were introduced in 1936. There are currently more than 300 hockey clubs affiliated to the DHB.
Germany was the first country outside the British Commonwealth to win the Olympic gold medal. They first accomplished this feat in the 1972 Munich Games, when they beat Pakistan in the final. Germany thus spirited away the gold medal from the subcontinent and returned it to Europe after more than half a century. Twenty years later, Germany again won the Olympic gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Germany has the astounding record of having reached the World Cup semi-finals the last NINE times in a row - from 1973 to 2002. However, 7 of the 9 times, Germany lost in the semi-final stage itself. In the 1973 World Cup, Germany lost to Holland 2-4 in the semi-final. In the 1975 World Cup, Germany was drubbed 1-5 by Pakistan in the semi-final. In the 1978 World Cup, Germany lost to Pakistan 0-1 in the semi-final. In the 1986 World Cup, Germany lost 2-3 to England in the semi-final. In the 1990 World Cup, Germany lost 1-2 to Holland in the semi-final. In the 1994 World Cup, Germany lost to Pakistan 4-6 in the semi-final. In the 1998 World Cup, Germany lost to Spain 0-3 in the semi-final. The only time Germany did not lose at the semi-final stage, they lost in the final (1982 - Mumbai, where they lost 1-3 to Pakistan). Finally, Germany deservedly won its sole World Cup title in the 2002 Kuala Lumpur World Cup, beating Australia 2-1 in the final.
In the 25 editions of the Champions Trophy held since its inception in 1978, Germany has won a maximum 8 titles. Australia and Netherlands follow close behind with 7 titles each.
The foundation of Germany's success in world hockey is their phenomenal record in the Junior World Cup. Germany has won a medal in each of the 7 Junior World Cup tournaments held so far. Germany's tally is 4 consecutive gold medals (1982 - Kuala Lumpur, 1985 - Vancouver, 1989 - Ipoh, 1993 - Barcelona), 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. Incidentally, in the last two Junior World Cups (1997 - Milton Keynes, 2001 - Hobart), India defeated Germany in the semi-finals. Germany ended up with the bronze medal in both those events thanks to India.
In the 1976 Montreal Olympics, defending champion Germany were upset by Spain in a pool match, and failed to reach the semi-finals. Germany took revenge on Spain in their classification re-match by demolishing them 9-1. This remains Germany's biggest-ever Olympic victory, and Spain's biggest-ever Olympic defeat.
Germany has produced many great penalty corner specialists. Michael Krause played a prominent role in Germany's success in the Munich Olympics. He used to hit around 5000 corners in training sessions. Wolfgang Strodter was another terrific hitter of penalty corners, and so was Michael Peter, the captain of the 1972 gold medal winning team. In recent times, Carsten Fischer has carried on the legacy of Germany's penalty corner hitters, winning one gold (Barcelona - 1992) and two silver medals (Los Angeles - 1984, and Seoul - 1988).
The Keller family in Germany has a unique relation with hockey. The Keller dynasty of Berlin has won 5 Olympic medals (2 Gold, 3 Silver) for Germany over the last 70 years. Erwin Keller won a silver medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. His son, Carsten Keller, won the gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Carsten's son, Andreas Keller, won silver medals in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and 1988 Seoul Olympics, before grabbing the gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Carsten's daughter, Natascha Keller, was part of the German women's team in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2000 Sydney Olympics.