Milos Riha: emotional fans’ favorite

KHL.ru continues telling the stories of those who became league’s legends. Today, the talk is about the late Milos Riha, who spent almost 10 years coaching different KHL clubs.

Riha’s coaching journey in Russia didn’t commence with Spartak as many might have assumed given his strong ties to the Red-and-Whites. His association with Spartak came later. Instead, in 2005, the Czech coach moved to Voskresensk and assumed leadership of the local team, Khimik.

During that particular season, several noteworthy events unfolded in the history of the franchise. The team underwent a relocation from its historical home in Voskresensk to a newly constructed arena in Mytishchi. In the fall, the club managed to significantly bolster its lineup by acquiring players from the financially struggling Lada. Notable names like Maxim Semyonov, Filipp Metlyuk, Alexander Semin, Alexander Boykov, and the Sevostyanov brothers, Sergei and Mikhail, joined the team’s roster. At the outset of the season, Riha even had the chance to coach Ilya Kovalchuk, who was in the midst of contract negotiations in the NHL and eventually signed a temporary agreement with Khimik.

The season was marked by a great deal of intrigue. However, the anticipated outcome sought by the management failed to materialize. In the initial round of the elimination stage, Khimik narrowly edged out Neftekhimik with a 3:2 victory, securing their place in the decisive fifth match with a minimal 2:1 score. Yet, their progress was halted in the second round by a defeat at the hands of Lokomotiv, with the score standing at 1-3. Following the conclusion of the season, Riha returned to his homeland.

Milos Riha
490 games, 267 wins
07.09.2005 Debut in the Russian championship with Khimik.
10.12.2007 Return to Russia at the helm of Spartak.
08.09.2008 First game in the KHL with a win over his former team – Atlant (6:5 OT).
30.01.2010 First appearance as a coach at the KHL All-Star Game.
14.10.2010 Appointed as a head coach for Atlant Moscow Region.
02.04.2011 Qualifies to the Gagarin Cup finals with Atlant.

Replacing Bragin in Spartak

In the fall of 2007, Spartak, who had skipped the previous season due to financial difficulties, actively sought a new coach to replace the future mentor of the Russian youth and national teams, Valery Bragin. The Red-and-Whites was then languishing at the bottom of the standings, and their management was considering candidates, including even the eventual Gagarin Cup champion Bob Hartley.

Perhaps Spartak would have extended an offer to the Canadian, who lead Avangard to the cup in 2021. However, the candidacy of Riha emerged on the horizon as a priority, given his prior experience in Russia and strong language skills. Spartak needed to salvage the season, not embark on experiments.

Under Riha’s leadership, Spartak quickly found renewed vigor. The Muscovites embarked on an impressive winning streak, secured a playoff spot, and played such compelling hockey that the media at the time commented, that the task of any contender was to avoid facing Spartak in the elimination stage.

As a result, the Red-and-Whites entered the playoffs against SKA and gave the favorite a run for their money, although ultimately lost the series with a 2-3 score. There was no question about whether to retain Riha within the team – it was a given.

A fans’ favorite

Riha effectively utilized PR techniques. The coach gladly engaged with journalists and fans, dedicating as much time as necessary. Once, after receiving a penalty that sidelined him for the rest of the game, he climbed into the stands and sat among the Spartak fans.

Fans are usually emotional individuals. Thus, Riha’s similar working style—open, stylish, a coach who would argue with referees—resonated with them. A decade later, Italian Massimo Carrera, also with a similar temperament, would lead Spartak’s football team. He too would become a beloved figure, similar to Riha.

However, while PR and emotions play their roles, is hard to get the fans’ appreciation without results. And Riha delivered. Under his guidance, Spartak, with a modest budget, advanced through the first round of the playoffs twice, defeating SKA and Dynamo Moscow 3-0 and 3-1, respectively.

In 2010, Spartak had the potential for more. In the second round, the team led 2-1 in the series against Lokomotiv, and in the fourth game, they held the lead until the final minutes. At that time, experts unanimously said: stay up and lead 3-1, and you’ll reach the Western Conference finals. However, Lokomotiv leveled the score in the very last moments, and in OT, they scored the winning goal, gaining a psychological advantage and ultimately defeating Spartak.

After that season, Spartak’s boards granted Riha unrestricted authority—not only as a coach but also in making selection decisions. The team’s squad-building process was less than optimal. Just a few days remained before the start of the championship, and Spartak lacked clarity in their lineup—playing and practicing with six units for the Mayor of Moscow Cup.

It was Riha who invited legendary goalie Dominik Hasek to Spartak. At 45 years old, Hasek had led Pardubice to a championship as the main goalkeeper. Contradictions between them began shortly after the start of the season. The goalie was displeased with the team’s weak defense and began gathering partners for video analysis sessions without the coach’s involvement. Naturally, Riha was not pleased with this.

Meanwhile, Spartak kept losing game after game, often with a significant score difference. Riha informed the leadership that the season was beyond salvation. It was time to think about the next one. The coach’s departure was imminent. “The guys stopped believing in me,” he said after his resignation. And he shed tears.

04.05.2011 Appointed as SKA’s head coach.
20.05.2011 Honored as the KHL’s top head coach.
25.11.2012 Fired as SKA’s head coach despite topping the league’s standings.
18.09.2013 Appointed as Avangard’s head coach.
02.06.2015 Appointed as Slovan’s head coach.
KHL’s silver medal winner (2011)
KHL’s top head coach (2011).
KHL All-Star Game (2010, 2012).
Slovakia champion (2002, 2005).
Czech Extraleague’s silver medal (2003, 2007).
Czech Extraleague’s coach of the year (1997).

Best results, and bad luck

Soon after leaving Spartak, Riha was invited to Atlant. So it was Mytishchi again, but this time the outcome was much better than in 2006.

In that year, Atlant’s management decided to make a serious bid for success. Throughout the season, the team’s roster was bolstered by many renowned players – Jan Marek, Fyodor Fyodorov, Vadim Yepanchintsev, Andrey Zyuzin, Jaroslav Obsut, and others.

However, Atlant’s chances of winning the championship were extremely slim. Salavat Yulaev was simply too strong that season. A powerful, balanced lineup led by the superstar trio of Alexander Radulov, Patrick Thoresen, and Igor Grigorenko. Beating such a team was difficult, almost unreal – and Atlant eventualy lost 1-4 in the finals.

Nevertheless, the Moscow Region side looked impressive. They played an aggressive attacking game with high-pressure tactics. Even the formidable Lokomotiv couldn’t withstand them in the semifinals, and yet their roster included players like Pavol Demitra, Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek, Alexander Korolyuk, Alexander Guskov, and Jori Lehtera, among the others.

Second place was the best result in Atlant’s history. Adding this to the extensive history of Khimik, the team achieved the same result only once before, back in the 1988-1989 season.

However, Riha didn’t achieve further success in the KHL. With SKA, where he went after Atlant, he was eliminated in the semifinals and was fired during the subsequent season. With Avangard in 2014, he didn't even make it to the elimination stage.

Riha’s last team in the League was Slovan, a team he led to national championship victories in 2002 and 2005. But in the first season in Bratislava, the Slovaks suffered from a first-round exit. In the second season, they didn’t make it to the playoffs. During the third season, Riha was dismissed from his position.

At one step to the IIHF WC bronze medal

However, the next phase in Riha’s career would have been envied by many coaches around the world – in 2018, he took over as the head coach of his country’s national team.

Nevertheless, Riha only led Team Czechia in one major tournament – the 2019 IIHF World Championship. There, in the familiar city of Bratislava, the Czechs played well. In the group stage, they only lost to Russia, who had assembled a star-studded lineup featuring Andrei Vasilevsky, Mikhail Sergachyov, Dmitry Orlov, Nikita Kucherov, Evgeny Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya Kovalchuk, and others. In the playoffs, they lost to Canada, and Russia once again in the bronze medal game, after SO.

After the last game of the tournament, Riha said, “We were the stronger team.” In that match, the Czechs outshot the Russians 50 to 31. “I didn't fulfill the task,” Riha added. And again, he teared up.

Riha didn’t get a second chance to grab a World Championship medal. He was supposed to lead the team to the 2020 tournament in Switzerland, but it was canceled due to the coronavirus.

The announcement that Riha would leave Team Czechia was made in June 2019, almost a year before his coaching contract was set to expire. “It’s terrible. I don’t know how we’ll work now,” the coach reacted. “We received such a blow from Czech hockey after everything we did for it. I’m very disappointed. I don’t like their decision,” Riha noted.

Whether this story directly affected Riha’s health or not is impossible to say. However, it’s clear that this emotional person took the situation deeply to heart, even from his comments.

The author of the original article was well acquainted with Riha, having written his blog called ‘Do-to-ho,’ worked with the coach both as a journalist and a press attaché at Spartak, and shared many mutual acquaintances. They revealed that Riha began experiencing health issues during his time at Slovan. Even then, colleagues warned him that the situation was serious.

In mid-August 2020, Riha was admitted to the hospital. On Sep 1st, the coach passed away, leaving behind a unique image of an open, emotional, and heartfelt individual.

Dossier

Milos Riha

Born: Dec 6, 1958, in Prerov, Czechoslovakia.
Playing career: 1976-1978 – Prerov, 1978-1980 – Dukla Trencin, 1980-1983, 1985-1986 – Viktovice, 1983 – 1986 – Gottwaldov, 1986-1987 – Kometa Brno, 1987-1991 – Banik Hodonin.
Honors: Czechoslovakia champion (1981).
Coaching career: 1993-1994 – AC Zlin, 1996-1999, 2002-2004, 2006-2007, 2012-2013, 2014-2015 – Pardubice, 1999-2000 – Karlovy Vary, 2000-2001 – Sparta Prague, 2001-2002, 2004-2005, 2015-2017 – Slovan, 2005-2006 – Khimik, 2007-2010 – Spartak, 2010-2011 – Atlant, 2011-2012 – SKA, 2013-2014 – Avangard, 2018-2020 – Team Czechia
Honors: Slovakia champion (2002, 2005), KHL silver medal (2011), KHL Best coach (2011).