Ivan Hlinka ✝

Ivan Hlinka (January 26, 1950 – August 16, 2004) was a Czech professional ice hockey player and coach. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in Czech ice hockey history. A big centre, his playing style was comparable to Phil Esposito, often scoring with shots from the slot.\n', ' Hlinka began to play ice hockey at a young age. When he was six years old, he was playing HC Litvínov\'s youth team. He played in Czechoslovak league for the first time when he was 16.\n', ' At age 20, he became a captain Litvínov\'s men\'s team and played in the Czechoslovak national team for the first time. He played 256 games as a member of the Czechoslovak national team and scored 132 goals in international games. He also played in 544 games in Czechoslovak league and scored 347 times. Hlinka was named the Golden Hockey Stick winner as the country\'s top player in 1978.\n', '