Vladimír Dzurilla


Vladimír Dzurilla was a Slovak ice hockey goaltender playing for Czechoslovakia.
Dzurilla, a refrigerator repairman by profession, was goalie for the Czechoslovak national team for over 16 years, winning three gold, three silver and four bronze medals at world championships as well as one silver and two bronze Olympic medals. However, in most of these tournaments Dzurilla and Jiri Holecek were battling to be Czechoslovakia's top goaltender and each were given their share of games.
For North American fans, he is mostly known for stopping 29 shots in a 1-0 win over Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup.
He suffered a fatal heart attack at his home in Düsseldorf, Germany on July 25, 1995, only days before his 53rd birthday.