Viktor Blinov

The 1968 Olympic gold medallists. Viktor Blinov is 2nd from the left in the front row.

In 1968 one of the up and coming stars of Soviet hockey was a fellow named Viktor Blinov (not to be confused with Yuri Blinov). However that year the 23 year old Olympic star died during a training session.

Tass, the Soviet news agency, said "the hard shooting defenseman" fell while practicing with his club team, Moscow Spartak. He lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital where he died. It was later ruled to be a heart attack.

He played three seasons with the Soviet national team, scoring 10 goals in 32 games. Blinov starred at the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics, where the Soviets won a gold medal.

An arena in his hometown of Omsk is named after him. The arena also hosts the Viktor Blinov Memorial Hockey Tournament.