Gábor Ocskay
Encyclopedia
Gábor Ocskay, Jr. was a Hungarian
ice hockey
player. As the center of the first line, he played a huge part in his national team's promotion to the 2009 World Championship
. He died of a heart attack weeks before the start of the 2009 Championships.
, but spent his childhood in Székesfehérvár
, Fejér county and during his entire career he played for Alba Volán Székesfehérvár
. Officially he has been a member of the club since 1983 and that time he has started to develop a famed on-ice relationship with right winger Krisztián Palkovics. Among hockey fans in Hungary the pair was just known as "The Twins".
Started to play regularly in the Hungarian First Division in the 1993-94 season and won the championship nine times, the last seven being consecutive. After long-time captain, Balázs Kangyal has left the team, he became his successor, but due to some difficulties at the end of the 2008-09 EBEL
regular season, he decided to give up this position. However, he has been the real spiritual leader of the team for a long time.
and sidelined for four months, but later has received a medical permission to continue his career. He died of a heart attack
in Budapest
late on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, aged 33, three days after helping his side win its tenth Hungarian title.
After the shocking news of his death, both his club and the Hungarian Federation has decided to retire his famous #19 jersey from their teams. On the day of his funeral, the ice hall of Székesfehérvár has been named after him. Ice hockey fans around the country have started to raise money to build a statue for him in front of the entrance of the ice hall.
for the Hungarian national team and since 1993 he has played in every single World Championship for them. With him the team won the Pool C (now Division II) tournament in 1998 and 2000, and by winning the 2008 Division I tournament
in Sapporo, Japan
, it gained promotion to the highest level of the World Championship
for the first time since 1939.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player. As the center of the first line, he played a huge part in his national team's promotion to the 2009 World Championship
2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was the 73rd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 46 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for the 2010 competition...
. He died of a heart attack weeks before the start of the 2009 Championships.
Domestic career
Ocskay was born in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, but spent his childhood in Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
, Fejér county and during his entire career he played for Alba Volán Székesfehérvár
Alba Volán Székesfehérvár
SAPA AV19 Székesfehérvár is a Hungarian ice hockey team that currently plays in OB I bajnokság, in the Austrian Erste Bank Hockey League and in MOL Liga...
. Officially he has been a member of the club since 1983 and that time he has started to develop a famed on-ice relationship with right winger Krisztián Palkovics. Among hockey fans in Hungary the pair was just known as "The Twins".
Started to play regularly in the Hungarian First Division in the 1993-94 season and won the championship nine times, the last seven being consecutive. After long-time captain, Balázs Kangyal has left the team, he became his successor, but due to some difficulties at the end of the 2008-09 EBEL
Austrian Hockey League
The Austrian Hockey League , called the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level ice hockey league in Austria.-History:...
regular season, he decided to give up this position. However, he has been the real spiritual leader of the team for a long time.
Death
In 2004, he was diagnosed with a heart diseaseHeart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
and sidelined for four months, but later has received a medical permission to continue his career. He died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
late on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, aged 33, three days after helping his side win its tenth Hungarian title.
After the shocking news of his death, both his club and the Hungarian Federation has decided to retire his famous #19 jersey from their teams. On the day of his funeral, the ice hall of Székesfehérvár has been named after him. Ice hockey fans around the country have started to raise money to build a statue for him in front of the entrance of the ice hall.
International play
He won 187 capsCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for the Hungarian national team and since 1993 he has played in every single World Championship for them. With him the team won the Pool C (now Division II) tournament in 1998 and 2000, and by winning the 2008 Division I tournament
2008 IIHF World Championship Division I
The 2008 IIHF Division I World Championship was an ice hockey tournament under the authority of the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was contested from April 13-19, 2008. The tournament was played amongst two separate groups, with the best team in each group, and , advanced to the top-level...
in Sapporo, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, it gained promotion to the highest level of the World Championship
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
for the first time since 1939.
Awards
- Hungarian Player of the Year
- 1994, 1995 and 2006
- Best Scorer of the Hungarian First Division
- 1994-95, 1997-98, 1998-99
- Best Forward of the Hungarian First Division
- 1993-94, 2006-07