Czech Republic ice hockey coach Riha dies at 61

Czech Republic national ice-hockey team coach Milos Riha has died aged 61, the Czech Ice Hockey Association (CSLH) said on Tuesday.

"Yes, unfortunately I can confirm he has passed away," CSLH spokesman Zdenek Zikmund told AFP, declining to say when Riha died.

A former forward, Riha was admitted to a Prague hospital in mid-August with an unspecified illness.

"The last month was a big struggle," his son Milos told the website of the Sport daily on Tuesday.

"For us all, the demise of such a great and wonderful man with a big heart is an undescribable shock," he added.

Riha took over the Czech national team in 2018 and led it to the fourth place at the 2019 world championships in Bratislava.

He was supposed to carry on at the 2020 championships in Switzerland which, however, were cancelled because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The CSLH announced after the 2019 tournament that Riha would be replaced by Filip Pesan as of the 2020/2021 season.

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.

He also won two Slovak titles with Slovan Bratislava.