Gerd Heidinger grew up in Germany during World War II and moved to Canada at the age of 19 to study mechanical engineering. Having taken part in field hockey in his native country, he set to playing and organizing the sport soon after settling in Canada, although he also played for American teams. He became a Canadian citizen shortly before being selected to represent that nation in the tournament at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. There, Canada was eliminated in the preliminary round after winning only one of their seven Games; Heidinger did not see any playing time. By career, he was an entrepreneur who ran several businesses with his wife.
Canada