Jan Suchý (10 October 1944 – 24 August 2021) was a Czech

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player. He played for the Czechoslovakia men's national team at the

Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annua ...

and the Winter Olympic Games, and was inducted into the

IIHF Hall of Fame The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the Interna ...

Biography

Suchý was born on 10 October 1944 in

Havlíčkův Brod Havlíčkův Brod (, until 1945 Německý Brod; german: Deutschbrod) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law a ...

(that time known as Německý Brod). From the ages of 8 to 19, Suchý played for a local team, Jiskra Havlíčkův Brod. He then played for the Czechoslovakian army team

Dukla Jihlava HC Dukla Jihlava, founded in 1956, is an ice hockey team in the Czech Republic. It won the Czechoslovak Extraliga title 12 times: six consecutive championships beginning in 1967, then in 1974, four consecutive championships beginning in 1982, an ...

from 1963 to 1979, during which time he helped them win seven Czechoslovakian league titles. By his last season he had scored more goals than any defenceman in league history. He then continued to play in Austria and Germany until 1984. He played in the Czechoslovakia national team in the world championships of 1965, 1966, 1968–71, 1973 and 1974, scoring 22 goals in 68 games, and winning four silver medals and three bronze medals. He also played in the ice hockey tournament of the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

, winning a silver medal with his team. Suchý won the first two

Golden Hockey Stick The Golden Hockey Stick ( cs, Zlatá hokejka) is an award given to the top Czech ice hockey player. It was originally awarded to the top player in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League, beginning in the 1968–69 season. After the Czech Republic ...

awards as Czechoslovakia's best player in 1969 and 1970. He was named the best defenceman at the ice hockey world championships in 1969 and 1971. He was also the first European to be placed on an NHL protected list (by the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

). Suchý was inducted into the

in 2009. He died on 24 August 2021, at the age of 76.

Notes

References

External links

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Jan Suchý
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suchy, Jan 1944 births 2021 deaths Czech ice hockey defencemen Czechoslovak ice hockey defencemen HC Dukla Jihlava players Ice hockey players at the 1968 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1968 Winter Olympics Olympic ice hockey players for Czechoslovakia Olympic medalists in ice hockey Olympic silver medalists for Czechoslovakia Ice hockey people from Havlíčkův Brod IIHF Hall of Fame inductees Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in Austria Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in West Germany Czechoslovak expatriate ice hockey people Expatriate ice hockey players in West Germany Expatriate ice hockey players in Austria