Gábor Ocskay Jr. will be inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame as the winner of this year's Richard “Bibi” Torriani award which goes to outstanding players from non top hockey playing countries.
Few players have had success in both domestic league and international play to the extent of Hungarian
Gabor Ocskay. At the national level, he spent his entire career with the Alba Volan Szekesfehervar team in the domestic league, leading the team to nine championships in his 16 seasons (1993-2009).
Internationally, Ocskay was equally successful. He started representing his country as a 17-year-old, playing in both the U20 World Championship C-Pool and senior World Championship C-Pool. He went on to play in 16 straight World Championships between 1993 and 2008, notably in 1998 and 2000 when the team won the C-Pool to earn promotion to B-Pool.
The nation’s finest moment came in 2008, however, when it beat top-seeded Ukraine, 4-2, on the final day of the World Championship Division I Group B in Sapporo, Japan, to earn Ocskay and his teammates promotion to the top division for the first time in 70 years.
This incredible achievement was diminished by Ocskay’s untimely death. He had missed much of 2004 with heart trouble, but he appeared to have made a full recovery. However, just two days after helping Alba Volan win its seventh straight league title in March 2009, Ocskay suffered a fatal heart attack.
Six weeks later, the Hungarian national team travelled to Switzerland for the World Championship, thrilled by the historic achievement but heavy-hearted because their great number 19 was not there with them.
While his untimely death stunned the Hungarian hockey world, Ocskay had long ago established himself as an influential athlete in his homeland. His father had also played internationally, but the younger Gabor was adored by fans and respected by opponents. In all, he played 187 games for Hungary and was named player of the year three times in the domestic league.
source: IIHF