IIHF announce death of former top Soviet Union ice hockey player

By Michael Pavitt
Wednesday, 29 June 2016

The IIHF have announced the death of Yuri Shipitsyn ©IIHF

Former Soviet Union international ice hockey player Yuri Shipitsyn has died of a heart-attack at the age of 53.

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) have confirmed the news, with Shipitsyn dying on Monday (June 27).

Shipitsyn represented the national team at two World Junior Championships during his career and was a member of the team which claimed the bronze medal in 1981.

He had previously been selected for the Soviet team for the Under-18 European Championships, where he claimed a bronze medal in 1979.

The team, including Shipitsyn, were able to surpass that achievement the following year when they were able to earn gold.

During his career, Shipitsyn predominately competed for Spartak Moscow, representing the club in 234 games and ended as league runners-up in 1991.

He also played for Dynamo Minsk, Dinamo Riga and Avangard Omsk, before spells in minor leagues in Switzerland and Germany in the latter stages of his career.

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