Gábor Ocskay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gábor Ocskay |
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| Born | 11 September 1975 Budapest, Hungary |
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| Died | 24 March 2009 (aged 33) Budapest, Hungary |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Alba Volán Székesfehérvár | ||
| National team |  Hungary |
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| Playing career | 1992–2009 | ||
Gábor Ocskay, Jr. (Hungarian: ifjabb Ocskay Gábor; 11 September 1975 – 24 March 2009) was a famous Hungarian ice hockey player. He was a key player, often playing as the center on the team's top line. He helped his national team reach the 2009 World Championship. Sadly, he passed away from a heart attack just weeks before the tournament. After his death, Gábor Ocskay received special honors. In 2016, he was given the Torriani Award by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). He was also added to the IIHF Hall of Fame, which is a very high honor in ice hockey.
Playing for His Club Team
Gábor Ocskay was born in Budapest, but he grew up in Székesfehérvár. He spent his entire ice hockey career playing for one team, Alba Volán Székesfehérvár. He officially joined the club in 1983.
During his time with Alba Volán, he formed a strong partnership with Krisztián Palkovics. They were both forwards and played together so well that fans called them "The Twins."
Gábor started playing regularly in the Hungarian First Division during the 1993-94 season. He helped his team win the Hungarian championship nine times. The last seven of these wins were in a row, which is a great achievement! He was also a true leader for the team for many years.
Playing for His Country
Gábor Ocskay played 187 games for the Hungarian national team. He played in every World Championship tournament since 1993.
Hungary won the Pool C tournament in 1998 and 2000. This tournament is now called Division II. In 2008, Hungary won the Division I tournament. This win was very important because it meant Hungary would play in the top Ice Hockey World Championships for the first time since 1939. Gábor was a big part of this success.
His Passing
In 2004, Gábor was diagnosed with a heart disease. He had to stop playing for four months. However, he later received permission from doctors to continue his career.
He passed away from a heart attack in Budapest on March 24, 2009. He was 33 years old. This happened just three days after he helped his team win their tenth Hungarian title.
After the sad news, both his club and the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation decided to retire his jersey number, #19. This means no other player on those teams will wear that number again. On the day of his funeral, the ice hall in Székesfehérvár was named after him. Fans across the country also started collecting money to build a statue of him outside the ice hall.
Awards and Honors
Gábor Ocskay received several awards for his amazing hockey skills:
- 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
- Torriani Award and the IIHF Hall of Fame
- 2016
See also
- List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career
