Josef Cerny was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in may 2007. The ceremony was held in Moscow during the 2007 IIHF World Championship
photo: © Jani Rajamaki / IIHF
85-year-old Czech won 11 IIHF medals
Josef Cerny, one of the most decorated international hockey players of all time, passed away yesterday at the age of 85. During a career that spanned more than two decades in his domestic league, and some 13 years with the national team, Cerny was a leader, a goalscorer, and a winner.
In four successive Olympics (1960-72) the left winger helped the Czechs win three medals, and in nine World Championships he won another eight medals, four silver and four bronze. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2007 and a year later was similarly honoured by the Czech Hall of Fame.
“The Czech Ice Hockey Federation expresses its sincere condolences,” the organization wrote on its website yesterday.
Although he began his senior career with Plzen, Cerny moved on to Kometa Brno in 1958 to serve in the military. He remained there for two decades, during which time he played a record 686 games and became the first player in league history to surpass 400 goals (he finished with 403). Playing alongside Frantisek Vanek, Cerny helped Brno win three straight European Cup championships, 1966-68, and an additional seven consecutive league titles, from 1960 to 1966.
Josef Cerny, one of the most decorated international hockey players of all time, passed away yesterday at the age of 85. During a career that spanned more than two decades in his domestic league, and some 13 years with the national team, Cerny was a leader, a goalscorer, and a winner.
In four successive Olympics (1960-72) the left winger helped the Czechs win three medals, and in nine World Championships he won another eight medals, four silver and four bronze. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2007 and a year later was similarly honoured by the Czech Hall of Fame.
“The Czech Ice Hockey Federation expresses its sincere condolences,” the organization wrote on its website yesterday.
Although he began his senior career with Plzen, Cerny moved on to Kometa Brno in 1958 to serve in the military. He remained there for two decades, during which time he played a record 686 games and became the first player in league history to surpass 400 goals (he finished with 403). Playing alongside Frantisek Vanek, Cerny helped Brno win three straight European Cup championships, 1966-68, and an additional seven consecutive league titles, from 1960 to 1966.
photo: © Kometa Brno archive
Cerny made his IIHF debut at the 1959 World Championship at home in Czechoslovakia, helping the team win a bronze medal after wins over Sweden, Finland, and Canada in the medal round. A year later, he played at the Olympics in Squaw Valley, where a loss to the gold-medal hosts on the last day prevented the Czechs from claiming the bronze.
Cerny played at six more World Championships in the 1960s, but the most memorable was the last, in 1969, which came after the Soviet invasion of Prague in the spring of 1968. He scored the insurance goal on March 21, 1969, an emotionally riveting 2-0 win over the Soviets, which led to a bronze medal.
“I scored more than 400 goals, but the Russian one I value the most,” he famously said.
The Czechs came within a goal of winning silver at the 1964 Olympics, settling for a bronze, but Cerny was named to the All-Star Team as a forward after recording eleven points in eight games (including six goals). He won Olympic silver in 1968 and another bronze in 1972 as team captain. He also wore the “C” for his final two World Championships, in 1970 and ’71.
In all, Cerny had 37 points in 59 WM games and another 27 points in 26 Olympic appearances.
Cerny's final season as a player-coach came with the Austrian club, Graz, in 1978-80. This led to a lengthy career in coaching, first in Austria and later back home, finishing with Brno, where it all started in the late 1950s.
Cerny played at six more World Championships in the 1960s, but the most memorable was the last, in 1969, which came after the Soviet invasion of Prague in the spring of 1968. He scored the insurance goal on March 21, 1969, an emotionally riveting 2-0 win over the Soviets, which led to a bronze medal.
“I scored more than 400 goals, but the Russian one I value the most,” he famously said.
The Czechs came within a goal of winning silver at the 1964 Olympics, settling for a bronze, but Cerny was named to the All-Star Team as a forward after recording eleven points in eight games (including six goals). He won Olympic silver in 1968 and another bronze in 1972 as team captain. He also wore the “C” for his final two World Championships, in 1970 and ’71.
In all, Cerny had 37 points in 59 WM games and another 27 points in 26 Olympic appearances.
Cerny's final season as a player-coach came with the Austrian club, Graz, in 1978-80. This led to a lengthy career in coaching, first in Austria and later back home, finishing with Brno, where it all started in the late 1950s.