BRNO, Czech Republic – Frantisek Sevcik, a star with the Czechoslovak national team in the late 1960s, passed away in Brno on 22 July at the age of 75. He was a member of the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame and most famously played on a line with Jozef Golonka and Jaroslav Jirik at the World Championship.

Sevcik was born in Vilemovice in 1942 and rose to prominence in the Czechoslovak league even as a teenager. He started with Kometa Brno in 1961, the team for which he would play the majority of his domestic-league career.

The right winger played on a line with Jirik and Zdenek Kepak in league play and within three years Sevcik was named to the national team, helping the Czechs win silver at the 1965 World Championship in Tampere, Finland.

Sevcik also played at the 1966, 1969, and 1970 Worlds, winning another silver in Ljubljana (’66) and two consecutive bronze medals in the latter two tournaments.

The highlight of his career, though, was the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble. It was there that Sevcik had a goal and assist to lead his country to a stunning 5-4 win over the vaunted Soviets. The win enabled Czechoslovakia to earn a silver medal, and Sevcik was named to the All-Star Team as a forward for his sensational performance that year.

In all, he played in five IIHF events and won a medal in each one. He played with Brno until 1973 and retired in 1977 after four years in lower divisions.

Sevcik was inducted into the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014 where he stands alongside the greatest players of his nation forever.

ANDREW PODNIEKS