Budapest - Ice hockey fans and players are mourning the loss of Hungarian international Gabor Ocskay, who died on Tuesday night of a heart attack.

"Gabor suffered a heart attack at midnight, and there was nothing they could do to help him," the player's father told the local news agency MTI.

Ocskay, 33, was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2004. He was given the green light to resume playing after a four-month break, subject to ongoing medical monitoring.

The coach of Alba Volan, Ocskay's home team in the town of Szekesfehervar, said the player went for regular specialist medical examinations.

The last check up was in January, and everything appeared fine, Lajos Enekes said.

Hungary's national ice hockey team captain, Balazs Kangyal, spoke of his shock at the tragedy.

"I chatted with Gabor for half an hour on Tuesday. I phoned him later at 10.30 to wish him a happy name day, but he didn't answer," Kangyal said.

"He complained of being tired, but after a long, exhausting season, this was no wonder," he added.

Ocskay was due to start training next week for the ice hockey world championship to be held in Switzerland from April 24.

He was the top scorer in the 1992 European junior championships, a feat he repeated three times in the Hungarian league. In 2006 he was voted Hungary's best forward for the second time.

Ocskay's untimely death is the second such sporting tragedy Hungary has suffered in the past year.

Last July, two-time Olympic gold medal winning canoeist Gyorgy Kolonics died of a heart attack during training in Budapest. (dpa)