Eduard Novak

It is sorrowful heart that I pass along the news from the IIHF's website that Czech national team and Kladno hockey legend Eduard Novak passed away on October 21st, 2010. Novak, who died of a heart attack, was about a month shy of his 64th birthday.

Born in Bustehrad, near Kladno, the left winger Novak represented Czechoslovakia in the 1970s. Those were magical times in Czech hockey history, as they challenged Soviet supremacy in international hockey. Novak was part of the 1976 and 1977 gold medal World Championship teams (also winning silver in 1971 and 1975). He also won two Olympic medals, bronze in 1972 and silver in 1976.

All told, Novak played. in 113 international games, scoring 48 goals.

At the club team level Novak was a Czech Hockey Hall of Fame player most notably playing with Kladno in their own golden era. Kladno won five Czechoslovak championships in the 1970s, as well as the 1977 European Cup. Novak, who also briefly played with Kosice and Zlin, played 562 Czech games and scored 306 goals.

Later in his career he was allowed to travel freely to pursue a career in Austria, Japan and Germany, where he also began his coaching career.

Novak returned to the Czech Republic and coach many teams at several levels, including his old Kladno team. He, along with close friend Frantisek Kaberle Sr also taught at a legendary hockey school they operated. A young Jaromir Jagr is amongst the alumni from that school.

Although I do not believe Eduard Novak can be seen in the following video, here's a look at a Kladno-Toronto Maple Leafs exhibition match at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1978.