Heinz Weifenbach
| Heinz Weifenbach | |
|---|---|
| Born |
11 July 1939 Hemer, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Developer |
| Known for | Chairman of ECD Iserlohn (1981–91) |
Heinz Weifenbach (11 July 1939–21 February 2015) was a German ice hockey executive best known for the 1987 advertising contract he negotiated in which his club, the ECD Iserlohn, advertised Muammar Gaddafi's Green Book (German: Das Grüne Buch) on its shirts.
Weifenbach, in private life a developer, took over as chairman of ECD Iserlohn in 1981 and held this position until 1991, with the club folding in between and reforming under the name of ECD Sauerland. Under Weifenbach, the club's greatest success came in 1986, when it reached the semi finals of the play-offs. In its current incarnation, the club is known as the Iserlohn Roosters and plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
After resigning from his position as chairman in 1991, Weifenbach had little involvement with the club and ice hockey, rarely visiting the stadium. He was however well received when attending the 40th anniversary of ice hockey in Iserlohn and the crowd asked for him to take to the ice, calling him by his nickname, Big Heinz. His financial activities as chairman of the club eventually resulted in him serving a prison term, but he is, especially in Iserlohn, still regarded as somebody that tried to keep ice hockey in the town alive, and consequently still enjoys a good reputation. Weifenbach had privately employed many of the clubs ice hockey players through 13 different companies but, in many cases, had failed to pay taxes and mandatory social insurance premiums. Owing more than DM2 million in taxes, he was sentenced to four years in jail in 1993, of which he served 27 month. During his time as chairman, he invested a great deal of his own money in the club and was described by the sentencing judge as an "Ice hockey nut" (German: Eishockey-Verrückter).
In the last years of his life, Weifenbach suffered from dementia and required permanent care. He died on 21 February 2015.
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