# InternetHulk

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InternetHulk
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> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

**Dennis Hawelka** (March 22, 1987 – November 8, 2017), also known as **InternetHulk**, was a German professional [esports](/source/Esports) player and coach. He rose to prominence in 2016, after establishing and playing for team IDDQD in the [beta release](/source/Beta_release) of *[Overwatch](/source/Overwatch)*. He went on to play for [Team EnVyUs](/source/Team_Envy_Overwatch), winning several major tournaments, including season one of [Overwatch Apex](/source/Overwatch_Apex). In mid-2017, he transitioned to a coaching position for [Team Liquid](/source/Team_Liquid)'s *Overwatch* team, and later for their *[League of Legends](/source/League_of_Legends)* team.

Hawelka died in November 2017 due to an [enlarged heart](/source/Enlarged_heart). Several tributes were made in his name, including the [Overwatch League](/source/Overwatch_League)'s annual Dennis Hawelka Award.

## Early life

Hawelka was born in [Neuss](/source/Neuss), Germany, to Jürgen and Gisela Hawelka on March 22, 1987.[1][2]

## Career

Hawelka's esports career began with playing a multitude of game titles, including *[World of Warcraft](/source/World_of_Warcraft)*, *[League of Legends](/source/League_of_Legends)*, *[StarCraft 2](/source/StarCraft_2)*, and *[Call of Duty 1](/source/Call_of_Duty_1)* and *[2](/source/Call_of_Duty_2)*. He won three *World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King* titles and was the first player in the world to reach the "Challenger" rank in season four of *League of Legends*. He also played for Team Germany for *Call of Duty 1* and *2*.[3]

Hawelka began his *Overwatch* career in February 2016, founding and playing for team IDDQD.[3][4] From February to April 2016, during *Overwatch'*s closed beta, he and the team did not lose a single series, and on April 23, 2016, they were signed by [Team EnVyUs](/source/Team_EnVyUs).[5][6] As the captain of the team, Hawelka led EnVyUs to a 57-game winning streak, spanning from June 11 to August 22, 2016.[7] He and the team went on to win the first season of [Overwatch Apex](/source/Overwatch_Apex), the premier *Overwatch* tournament series in South Korea, after defeating [Afreeca Freecs Blue](/source/Afreeca_Freecs) in the Grand Finals match in December 2016.[5] The same month, they won the [MLG](/source/Major_League_Gaming) Vegas *Overwatch* Invitational, after defeating [FaZe Clan](/source/FaZe_Clan) 4–0 in the finals.[8] He also played for Team Germany in the 2016 and 2017 [Overwatch World Cups](/source/Overwatch_World_Cup).[3] A month after a top-eight finish at Apex season 2 in March 2017, Hawelka departed from EnVyUs.[9][10]

In late April 2017, Hawelka was signed by [Rogue](/source/Rogue_(esports)) as a temporary coach and strategic analyst for Apex season three.[11][12] He was then signed by [Team Liquid](/source/Team_Liquid) as the team's head coach on June 2, 2017.[12] Following the disbandment of Team Liquid's *Overwatch* division, Team Liquid picked up Hawelka as a coach for their *League of Legends* division for their upcoming 2018 season.[10] Prior to his death in November 2017, Team Liquid co-CEO and owner Steve Arhancet planned to promote Hawelka to the team's head coach.[13]

## Death

Hawelka died on November 7, 2017, in Santa Monica, California.[14] His death was announced the following day by Team Liquid owners Victor Goossen and Steve Arhancet via a statement on [Twitter](/source/Twitter).[10] While some initial reports stated that the cause of death was due to complications associated with [tonsillitis](/source/Tonsillitis),[15] a forensic investigation revealed that his death was caused by an [enlarged heart](/source/Enlarged_heart).[16]

Following his death, the *Overwatch* community organized the "Hulktastic Cup", a charity tournament to honor Hawelka and his contributions to the *Overwatch* community, which took place on November 11, 2017. The tournament raised over US$10,000 for charity and his family.[17][18]

On November 16, 2017, [Blizzard Entertainment](/source/Blizzard_Entertainment) added a tribute to Hawelka in *Overwatch*. A white flower, candle, and symbol were added to the German-based map of [Eichenwalde](/source/Eichenwalde_(Overwatch)). In addition, the [Overwatch League](/source/Overwatch_League) created the "Dennis Hawelka Award", an annual award given to the player deemed to have made the most positive impact on the community.[19][20]

## Notes

1. Temporary coach

## References

1. Overwatch League (March 22, 2019). [*Happy Birthday INTERNETHULK*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YxyG_AzHV4). Retrieved November 1, 2022.

1. ["The Crusader Stands Watch - The Garden"](https://internethulk.bio/chapter-one/). *internethulk.bio*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. Hollander, Matthias (November 9, 2017). ["Deutsche eSports-Legende verstorben"](https://www.sport1.de/news/esports/overwatch/2017/11/esports-pro-dennis-internethulk-hawelka-mit-30-jahren-verstorben) (in German). *[Sport1](/source/Sport1_(Germany))*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. [*Global Esports: Transformation of Cultural Perceptions of Competitive Gaming*](https://books.google.com/books?id=GPcYEAAAQBAJ). New York: [Bloomsbury Publishing](/source/Bloomsbury_Publishing). 2021. p. 155. ISBN 9781501368752.

1. Holländer, Matthias (December 12, 2016). ["EnVyUs mit finalem Triumph in Korea"](https://www.sport1.de/news/esports/overwatch/12/ogn-overwatch-apex-team-envyus-mit-finalem-triumph-in-korea) (in German). *[Sport1](/source/Sport1_(Germany))*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. ["EnVy Reworks Overwatch Roster"](https://envy.gg/envy-reworks-overwatch-roster/). April 23, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

1. Lingle, Samuel (August 23, 2016). ["Rogue ends long EnVyUs winning streak in one of best Overwatch matches ever"](https://dotesports.com/overwatch/news/rogue-beats-envyus-overwatch-3748). *[Dot Esports](/source/Dot_Esports)*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. Alambeigi, Alena (December 19, 2016). ["Team EnVyUs crowned MLG Vegas 'Overwatch' Invitational champions"](https://news.yahoo.com/team-envyus-crowned-mlg-vegas-234523844.html). *[Yahoo News](/source/Yahoo_News)*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. Holländer, Matthias (March 9, 2017). ["EnVyUs in der zweiten APEX-Phase"](https://www.sport1.de/news/esports/overwatch/2017/03/die-besten-im-westen-envyus-in-der-overwatch-apex) (in German). *[Sport1](/source/Sport1_(Germany))*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. Goslin, Austen (November 9, 2017). ["Former pro player, coach INTERNETHULK passes away at 30"](https://www.heroesneverdie.com/2017/11/9/16630410/internethulk-team-liquid-envy-us-community). *[Heroes Never Die](/source/Heroesneverdie.com)*. [Polygon](/source/Polygon_(website)). Retrieved November 1, 2022.

1. Alonzo, Damian (April 27, 2017). ["How pro Overwatch team Rogue's DPS tactics can help you on the ladder"](https://www.pcgamer.com/how-pro-overwatch-team-rogues-dps-tactics-can-help-you-on-the-ladder/). *[PC Gamer](/source/PC_Gamer)*. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

1. Carpenter, Nicole (June 2, 2017). ["Former Team EnVyUs player INTERNETHULK will join Team Liquid as head coach"](https://dotesports.com/overwatch/news/internethulk-envyus-team-liquid-14993). *[Dot Esports](/source/Dot_Esports)*. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

1. Yim, Miles (May 4, 2020). ["Team Liquid turns to caster Jatt as new League of Legends coach"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/esports/2020/05/04/team-liquid-coach-jatt/). *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. ["Dennis Hawelka Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information"](https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/dennis-hawelka-obituary?pid=187370081&fhid=8515). *Legacy.com*. November 28, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

1. Jones, Ali (September 11, 2017). ["Blizzard paid tribute to Internethulk during last night's Overwatch League"](https://www.pcgamesn.com/overwatch/internethulk-death). *[PCGamesN](/source/PCGamesN)*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. Carpenter, Nicole (December 28, 2017). ["INTERNETHULK's family thanks the community for their support"](https://dotesports.com/overwatch/news/internethulk-update-parents-19802). *[Dot Esports](/source/Dot_Esports)*. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

1. Carpenter, Nicole (November 15, 2017). ["Blizzard to honor INTERNETHULK with a seasonal Overwatch League award"](https://dotesports.com/overwatch/news/dennis-internethulk-hawelka-award-overwatch-league-18721). *[Dot Esports](/source/Dot_Esports)*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. Mitchell, Ferguson (November 16, 2017). ["Overwatch League Award Created to Honor Recently Passed Coach, Dennis Hawelka"](https://archive.esportsobserver.com/overwatch-league-honor-award/). *The Esports Observer*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. Ring, Oliver (November 16, 2017). ["Overwatch League introduces award in memory of INTERNETHULK"](https://esportsinsider.com/2017/11/overwatch-league-introduces-award-memory-internethulk). *Esports Insider*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

1. Carpenter, Nicole (November 17, 2017). ["Blizzard adds in-game memorial for late Overwatch pro Dennis "INTERNETHULK" Hawelka"](https://dotesports.com/overwatch/news/overwatch-memorial-internethulk-18778). *[Dot Esports](/source/Dot_Esports)*. Retrieved November 2, 2022.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [InternetHulk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InternetHulk) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InternetHulk?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.