Ivan Hlinka

Ivan Hlinka was a Czech professional ice hockey player and coach, born on 26 January 1950 and died on 16 August 2004, and is considered one of the most important figures in Czech hockey history. A big centre who scored from the slot, he spent most of his career with HC Litvinov, became its captain at 20 and played 256 games for Czechoslovakia, winning world titles in 1972, 1976 and 1977 plus an Olympic bronze in 1972 and silver in 1976. In 1981 he and Jiri Bubla joined the Vancouver Canucks, the first Czechoslovak players allowed to play in the NHL by their country's authorities, and he set a Canucks rookie record of 60 points. As a coach he led the Czech national team to gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics and spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament honours him.