Former Czech ice hockey great Josef Černý dies at 85

Sport

Former Czech ice hockey great Josef Černý dies at 85

2025-07-25 02:34 Last Updated At：02:40

PRAGUE (AP) — Josef Černý, one of the highest-scoring forwards in the former Czechoslovakia who helped his country win three Olympic medals, has died. He was 85.

His former Czech club, Kometa Brno, announced his death on Thursday.

Černý hit 75 goals in his 210 appearances for Czechoslovakia. With 478 goals in the domestic league and in international games, he was the sixth best scorer in the country, according to the Sport daily.

He said he considered his “biggest one” to be the second goal in a memorable 2-0 victory over the Soviet Union at the 1969 world championship in Stockholm.

That was the first major tournament after the Soviet-led occupation of Czechoslovakia in August of the previous year that crushed a period of liberal reforms known as the Prague Spring.

“I scored more than 400 goals but the Russian one I value the most,” he once said.

Černý played in the team that finished runner-up at the Olympic tournament in Grenoble in 1968, and claimed bronze in 1964 in Innsbruck and in 1972 in Sapporo. He also won four silver medals and four bronzes at world championships.

He retired from international hockey briefly before the 1972 worlds in Prague that Czechoslovakia won.

In his 21 seasons in the domestic league, he became the first player to score 400 goals.

Černý rejected an option to emigrate in fear of the persecution of his family, he once said.

After retirement, he turned to coaching at home and in Austria and Italy.

In 2007, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

The Czech ice hockey association offered condolences to his relatives, calling him “a legendary forward.”

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Wembanyama returns from injury scare to fuel Spurs past Bucks, 119-101

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama returned from a first-quarter injury scare to score 22 points and grab 10 rebounds and lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 119-101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

Stephon Castle added 19 points and 10 assists and Julian Champagnie had 13 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio. The Spurs led by 39 points early in the fourth quarter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points as Milwaukee suffered its third straight loss.

It was the Bucks' second straight lopsided loss after being booed at home during a 139-106 setback to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

Wembanyama startled the sellout crowd at the Frost Bank Center and it had nothing to do with his freshly shaved scalp.

He returned to the court after making knee-to-knee contact with Antetokounmpo's left leg under the Bucks basket with 9:18 remaining in the first quarter. Wembanyama dropped to the court in pain before rising and hobbling unassisted in a half sprint toward the locker room.

The 7-foot-4 center from France suffered a hyperextended knee on Dec. 31 in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks in a similar play. He returned to watch from the bench on New Year's Eve but missed the next two games.

Wembanyama returned to the bench at the close of the first quarter Thursday, but this time he went back on the court to start the second quarter.

Wembanyama had 11 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot while playing 12 minutes, 27 seconds in the second quarter.

San Antonio outscored Milwaukee 35-26 during the second quarter in taking a 66-53 lead at the half. The lead expanded to 37 points in the third quarter as both teams sat their starters to open the fourth.

Kyle Kuzma had 18 points and Bobby Portis added 13 points for the Bucks.

Bucks: At Atlanta on Monday night.

Spurs: Host Minnesota on Saturday night.

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