Uwe Krupp is the Most Celebrated German Hockey Player
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Uwe Krupp never fully recuperated from his back injuries. He signed with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2002, but he had to stop playing after just four games. He retired.
Nonetheless, Krupp is accounted one of the, if not the, most celebrated German hockey player. He certainly was in his own time, blazing the trail for his countrymen. Christian Erhoff, Dennis Seidenberg and Marco Sturm followed in his footsteps.
On November 23, 2009, before the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Philadelphia Flyers, he was named a member of the Avalanche Alumni Association because of his Cup win with the team.
Not only did Uwe Krupp win two Stanley Cups, he also represented at the All Star Game twice. According to the Hockey Hall of Fame website, his Cup-winning goal “created more excitement in German hockey circles than any event since the West German national team won a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck.”
Krupp represented his country five times, including in the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. Right after his retirement, he was inducted into the German Hockey Hall of Fame.
On January 17, 2017, Krupp was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame. The selection committee said of his induction:
"“It’s difficult enough making an impact at the top levels of hockey, but it is doubly so for players outside the “Big Six,” because their chances of crafting an impressive resume through medals is greatly diminished. Yet it is easy to name Uwe Krupp as the finest hockey player Germany has ever produced.”"
That is some high praise.
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Uwe Krupp wore the #4 in his time with the Colorado Avalanche. Avs fans will normally associate Rob Blake first with that number, and then probably Tyson Barrie.
But I remember that Cup-winning goal. That was far from a forgotten fact in my book because you don’t forget spending all those long hours and McNichols Arena in uncomfortable seats as period after period of shutout hockey plays out in front of you.
You never forget your first, in this case Colorado sports championship and Stanley Cup win. The 1996 Stanley Cup win has always been my favorite. And it was a big, German defenseman wearing #4 who secured that victory for the Colorado Avalanche.