Max Birbraer

Max Birbraer was born in 1980 in Oskemen

Birbraer was born on December 15, 1980, in Ust-Kamenogorsk, now Oskemen, Kazakhstan. He began playing hockey at age 6, encouraged by his grandfather Anatoly. His Jewish family used a non-Jewish sounding surname because of local anti-Semitism, and he learned he was Jewish only when his parents decided to move to Israel.

In Israel he played in a junior league at an indoor rink in Tel Aviv. His coach Paul Rosen persuaded him to try out in Canada, where he played junior hockey in Ontario with Rosen as his legal guardian. He also played for Israel at junior world championships in 1997, 1998 and 2000.

The New Jersey Devils chose him 67th overall in the 2000 NHL draft, but he never played in the NHL. He spent three seasons with the Albany River Rats in the AHL and later signed with the Florida Panthers. In 2006 he moved to the Cardiff Devils in Britain, staying until 2014 apart from the 2008/09 season.

He then played for the Telford Tigers and from 2016 for the Swindon Wildcats. After a break, he returned with the Bristol Pitbulls in 2023 and ended his playing career with the Cardiff Canucks in 2025. In June 2025 he became President and General Manager of the Fife Flyers.