The press service of Spartak Moscow, the club where he made his name, reported his death by saying: "Sad news came this morning.

"After a long illness, Alexander Akimovich Martynyuk has died.

"Eternal memory to the legendary striker of Spartak and the Soviet national team."

The report mentioned that Martynyuk continued to play veteran ice hockey for Spartak and Legends of USSR hockey into his seventies.

As well as being a member of the team that won the world title in 1971 and 1973, Martynyuk also played in the 1972 Super Series against the Canadian team.

In 1973 he set a national hockey record by scoring eight goals in a World Championship match against Germany.

As part of Spartak, Martynyuk became the champion of the USSR three times - in 1967, 1969 and 1976.

In total, in the USSR Championships, he played 410 matches and scored 212 goals.

Martynyuk’s former Spartak and Soviet Union team-mate Alexander Yakushev said he would be remembered not just as an athlete, but as a person who treated everyone kindly.

"Another partner of mine died, with whom I played for Spartak for many years," Yakushev told Russia's official state news agency TASS.

"He was a very technical, very smart player, and, of course, it was a pleasure to play with him."

Yakushev added that Martynyuk was treated with "great respect - not only for his high skill, but also for his human qualities.

"Because he was a good-natured, gentle person, kindly.

"He literally treated everyone around him well - he did not know how to spoil relations.

"He treated everyone with sympathy, and he was treated very warmly, so this is a very big loss for me.

 "Recently, he was very seriously ill, he was in the hospital."