<p>Czech Republic national ice-hockey team coach Milos Riha has died aged 61, the Czech Ice Hockey Association (CSLH) said on Tuesday.</p>.<p>"Yes, unfortunately I can confirm he has passed away," CSLH spokesman Zdenek Zikmund told AFP, declining to say when Riha died.</p>.<p>A former forward, Riha was admitted to a Prague hospital in mid-August with an unspecified illness.</p>.<p>"The last month was a big struggle," his son Milos told the website of the Sport daily on Tuesday.</p>.<p>"For us all, the demise of such a great and wonderful man with a big heart is an undescribable shock," he added.</p>.<p>Riha took over the Czech national team in 2018 and led it to the fourth place at the 2019 world championships in Bratislava.</p>.<p>He was supposed to carry on at the 2020 championships in Switzerland which, however, were cancelled because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.</p>.<p>The CSLH announced after the 2019 tournament that Riha would be replaced by Filip Pesan as of the 2020/2021 season.</p>.<p>Riha has coached Spartak Moscow, Mytishchi, Avangard Omsk and SKA St Petersburg in the Continental Hockey League, earning the award for the competition's best coach for the 2010/2011 season.</p>.<p>He also won two Slovak titles with Slovan Bratislava.</p>
<p>Czech Republic national ice-hockey team coach Milos Riha has died aged 61, the Czech Ice Hockey Association (CSLH) said on Tuesday.</p>.<p>"Yes, unfortunately I can confirm he has passed away," CSLH spokesman Zdenek Zikmund told AFP, declining to say when Riha died.</p>.<p>A former forward, Riha was admitted to a Prague hospital in mid-August with an unspecified illness.</p>.<p>"The last month was a big struggle," his son Milos told the website of the Sport daily on Tuesday.</p>.<p>"For us all, the demise of such a great and wonderful man with a big heart is an undescribable shock," he added.</p>.<p>Riha took over the Czech national team in 2018 and led it to the fourth place at the 2019 world championships in Bratislava.</p>.<p>He was supposed to carry on at the 2020 championships in Switzerland which, however, were cancelled because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.</p>.<p>The CSLH announced after the 2019 tournament that Riha would be replaced by Filip Pesan as of the 2020/2021 season.</p>.<p>Riha has coached Spartak Moscow, Mytishchi, Avangard Omsk and SKA St Petersburg in the Continental Hockey League, earning the award for the competition's best coach for the 2010/2011 season.</p>.<p>He also won two Slovak titles with Slovan Bratislava.</p>