The German men's national ice hockey team first participated in serious international competition at the 1911 European Hockey Championship. When Germany was split after World War II, a separate East Germany national ice hockey team existed until 1990. By 1991, the East German teams and players were merged into the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund association.
The team is not considered to be as elite as Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden or the United States, but they are ranked 10th in the world (2016) by the IIHF. Since re-unification, their best recent results include finishing 6th place at the 2003 World Championships where they lost a close quarter-final match in overtime to Canada, and 4th at the 2010 World Championships where they lost to Sweden in the bronze medal game. Previously, they finished third in the European Group and qualified for the quarter-finals at the 1996 World Cup after a surprising 7–1 victory against the Czech Republic. In the 1992 Olympics, they lost to Canada 4–3 in an overtime shoot-out in the quarter-finals.
Germany has never won an international competition, and their most recent medal was bronze in the 1976 Olympic Winter Games. This was their best result as well as a silver medal at the 1930 World Championships.
There are 25,934 registered players in Germany (0.03% of its population).
Team Germany finished in 4th place at the 2010 IIHF World Championship, their best placement since 1953.
1928 – Finished in 9th place
1932 – Won bronze medal
1936 – Finished tied in 5th place
1952 – Finished in 8th place
1956 – Finished in 6th place (United Team of Germany)
1960 – Finished in 6th place (United Team of Germany)
1964 – Finished in 7th place (United Team of Germany)
1968 – Finished in 7th place
1972 – Finished in 7th place
1976 – Won bronze medal
1980 – Finished in 10th place
1984 – Finished in 5th place
1988 – Finished in 5th place
1992 – Finished in 6th place
1994 – Finished in 7th place
1998 – Finished in 9th place
2002 – Finished in 8th place
2006 – Finished in 10th place
2010 – Finished in 11th place
2018 – Qualified
1930 – Won silver medal
1933 – Finished in 5th place
1934 – Won bronze medal
1935 – Finished in 9th place
1937 – Finished in 4th place
1938 – Finished in 4th place
1939 – Finished in 5th placel
1953 – Won Silver medal
1954 – Finished in 5th place
1955 – Finished in 6th place
1959 – Finished in 7th place
1961 – Finished in 8th place
1962 – Finished in 6th place
1963 – Finished in 7th place
1965 – Finished in 11th place (3rd in "B" Pool)
1966 – Finished in 9th place (Won "B" Pool)
1967 – Finished in 8th place
1969 – Finished in 10th place (4th in "B" Pool)
1970 – Finished in 8th place (2nd in "B" Pool)
1971 – Finished in 5th place
1972 – Finished in 5th place
1973 – Finished in 6th place
1974 – Finished in 9th place (3rd in "B" Pool)
1975 – Finished in 8th place (2nd in "B" Pool)
1976 – Finished in 6th place
1977 – Finished in 7th place
1978 – Finished in 5th place
1979 – Finished in 6th place
1981 – Finished in 7th place
1982 – Finished in 6th place
1983 – Finished in 5th place
1985 – Finished in 7th place
1986 – Finished in 7th place
1987 – Finished in 6th place
1989 – Finished in 7th place
1990 – Finished in 7th place
1991 – Finished in 8th place
1992 – Finished in 6th place
1993 – Finished in 5th place
1994 – Finished in 9th place
1995 – Finished in 9th place
1996 – Finished in 8th place
1997 – Finished in 11th place
1998 – Finished in 11th place
1999 – Finished in 20th place (4th in the "Pool B")
2000 – Finished in 17th place (Won the "Pool B")
2001 – Finished in 8th place
2002 – Finished in 8th place
2003 – Finished in 7th place
2004 – Finished in 9th place
2005 – Finished in 15th place
2006 – Finished in 17th place (Won Division I, Group A)
2007 – Finished in 9th place
2008 – Finished in 10th place
2009 – Finished in 15th place
2010 – Finished in 4th place
2011 – Finished in 7th place
2012 – Finished in 12th place
2013 – Finished in 9th place
2014 – Finished in 14th place
2015 – Finished in 10th place
2016 – Finished in 7th place
1912 Championship was later annulled because Austria was not a member of the IIHF at the time of the competition.
1996 – lost in quarterfinals
2004 – lost in quarterfinals
1984 – Finished in 6th place
Roster for the 2016 IIHF World Championship.
Head coach: Marco Sturm
Rudi Ball
Christian Ehrhoff
Karl Friesen
Marcel Goc
Dieter Hegen
Udo Kießling
Olaf Kölzig
Erich Kühnhackl
Uwe Krupp (also former head coach)
Dennis Seidenberg
Marco Sturm
Jochen Hecht
