Coaches and players have come and gone on the Latvian men’s national team but for decades Janis Kveps had been around in Latvian hockey. On Tuesday, the long-time doctor of the Latvian national team passed away at the age of 79.

Born in the town of Cesvaine in 1940, Kveps studied medicine in Riga and had been involved in Latvian hockey since the ‘60s with Dinamo Riga in the Soviet league and later after the country’s independence in the ‘90s with the national team.

Despite his age, Kveps – or “doks” as many called him – continued to work as team doctor until the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship when he retired after more than 20 years with the team and got an emotional farewell by the Latvian Hockey Federation.

In the hockey circles in Latvia and internationally he was not only respected for his professional skills but also as a great person. With many stories ranging several decades to tell, many called him a history book of Latvian hockey.

Indeed, in his late ages he published a book and in 2014 he was awarded the Order of the Three Stars from his country.

The farewell will take place tomorrow at the Katlakalna Evangelical Lutheran Church.