Augusta, a left winger, played at the 1969 World Championship at the age of 22 where Czechoslovakia won a bronze medal in the closest tournament ever.

All three medallists finished tied on eight wins and two losses, but the Soviet Union and Swedes placed higher because of the goal difference. 

Augusta also won World Championship silver medals in 1974, 1975, and 1978.

At the 1976 Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Czechoslovakia also won the silver medal.

Although Augusta did not play internationally after 1978, he continued to play for Dukla Jihlava, a Czech team, until 1982.

In all, he won eight national championships with his club team.

After retiring, he turned to coaching, first as an assistant with Jihlava and then assuming head coaching duties in 1996. 

Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1991, Augusta became assistant coach of the Czech Republic at the 1999 World Championships, where they won the gold medal. 

Augusta was then head coach for the next three seasons, winning the gold medal again in 2000 and 2001 during a hugely successful period for the Czech team.

He also coached them at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, where the team finished seventh. 

"Josef Augusta is closely related to the most successful period of our hockey history," said Tomas Kral, President of the Czech Ice Hockey Association.

"We are losing not only an excellent hockey player and an extremely successful coach, but also a great man and friend."