Czech Republic men's national ice hockey team

The Czech Republic men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of the Czech Republic. Since 2021, the team has been officially known in English as Czechia.[2] It is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six", the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States.[3][4] It is governed by the Czech Ice Hockey Association. The Czech Republic has 85,000 male players officially enrolled in organized hockey (0.8% of its population).[5]

Czech Republic
Shirt badge/Association crest
AssociationCzech Ice Hockey Association
Head coachRadim Rulík
AssistantsJiří Kalous
Marek Židlický
CaptainRoman Červenka
Most gamesDavid Výborný (218)
Top scorerMartin Procházka (61)
Most pointsDavid Výborný (147)
Home stadiumO2 Arena
Team colors     
IIHF codeCZE
Ranking
Current IIHF8 Decrease 2 (28 May 2023)[1]
Highest IIHF2 (2006)
Lowest IIHF8 (2023)
First international
Czech Republic  6–1  Russia
(Stockholm, Sweden; 11 February 1993)
Biggest win
Czech Republic  11–0  Italy
(Hanover, Germany; 6 May 2001)
Biggest defeat
Finland  7–0  Czech Republic
(Stockholm, Sweden; 11 February 2012)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances30 (first in 1993)
Best result Gold: (1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2010)
World Cup
Appearances3 (first in 1996)
Best result 3rd: (2004)
Olympics
Appearances8 (first in 1994)
Medals Gold: (1998)
Bronze: (2006)
International record (W–L–T)
416–208–48
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1998 Nagano Team
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Turin Team
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 1996 Austria
Gold medal – first place 1999 Norway
Gold medal – first place 2000 Russia
Gold medal – first place 2001 Germany
Gold medal – first place 2005 Austria
Gold medal – first place 2010 Germany
Silver medal – second place 2006 Latvia
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Germany
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Switzerland
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Slovakia
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Finland/Sweden
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Finland
World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Toronto

History edit

The Czechs won the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and won three straight gold medals at the world championships from 1999 to 2001.[6][7] In the next three years, the team did not get a medal at the world championships—not even home at the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships held in Prague and Ostrava, thus keeping the "world championship home ice curse" alive. The following year, however, the Czechs won gold at the 2005 tournament, the only world championship where, due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, all NHL players were available to participate.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics, the Czechs won a bronze medal, defeating Russia 3–0 (roster) in the bronze medal game. At the 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, the Czechs earned silver, falling to Sweden in the final, the only time the Czechs have lost the final game of the tournament. The Czech Republic won the 2010 World Championships in Germany. For the first time in history, the Czech Republic did not qualify for the quarterfinals at the 2022 Winter Olympics and finished in ninth place, their lowest placement in history.[8] However, they won a bronze medal at the 2022 IIHF World Championship later the same year, ending its longest medal drought in IIHF tournaments history, which had lasted since 2012. In 2023, the Czech Republic finished in eighth place at the World Championship, which is the worst placement in history.

Tournament record edit

Olympic Games edit

Games GP W OW T OL L GF GA Coach Captain Finish Rank
1920–1992 As part of   Czechoslovakia
  1994 Lillehammer 8 5 0 0 0 3 30 18 Ivan Hlinka Otakar Janecký 5th place match 5th
  1998 Nagano 6 5 0 0 0 1 19 6 Ivan Hlinka Vladimír Růžička Champions  
  2002 Salt Lake City 4 1 0 1 0 2 12 8 Josef Augusta Jaromír Jágr Quarter-finals 7th
  2006 Turin 8 4 0 0 0 4 23 20 Alois Hadamczik Robert Lang Bronze Medal Game  
  2010 Vancouver 4 2 1 0 2 13 11 Vladimír Růžička Patrik Eliáš Quarter-finals 7th
  2014 Sochi 5 2 0 0 3 13 15 Alois Hadamczik Tomáš Plekanec Quarter-finals 6th
  2018 Pyeongchang 6 2 2 0 2 16 15 Josef Jandač Martin Erat Bronze Medal Game 4th
  2022 Beijing 4 0 2 0 2 11 12 Filip Pešán Roman Červenka Playoffs 9th

World Championship edit

Championship GP W OW T OL L GF GA Coach Captain Finish Rank
19201992 As part of   Czechoslovakia
  1993 Munich, Dortmund 8 6 1 1 0 33 10 Ivan Hlinka Otakar Janecký Bronze Medal Game  
  1994 Bolzano, Canazei and Milan 6 1 2 3 17 20 Ivan Hlinka Otakar Janecký Quarter-finals 7th
  1995 Stockholm, Gävle 8 4 0 4 17 16 Luděk Bukač Jiří Kučera Bronze Medal Game 4th
  1996 Vienna 8 7 1 0 42 15 Luděk Bukač Robert Reichel Champions  
  1997 Helsinki, Tampere, Turku 9 6 0 3 30 20 Ivan Hlinka Robert Reichel Bronze Medal Game  
  1998 Basel, Zürich 9 6 2 1 33 16 Ivan Hlinka Robert Reichel Bronze Medal Game  
  1999 Oslo, Hamar, Lillehammer 12 9 0 3 46 24 Ivan Hlinka Pavel Patera Champions  
  2000 St. Petersburg 9 8 0 0 0 1 41 19 Josef Augusta Robert Reichel Champions  
  2001 Nuremberg, Cologne, Hanover 9 6 2 1 0 0 37 13 Josef Augusta Robert Reichel Champions  
  2002 Gothenburg, Karlstad, Jönköping 7 6 0 0 0 1 31 17 Josef Augusta Jaromír Jágr Quarter-finals 5th
  2003 Helsinki, Tampere, Turku 9 6 0 1 0 2 36 21 Slavomír Lener Robert Reichel Bronze Medal Game 4th
  2004 Prague, Ostrava 7 6 0 0 1 0 28 8 Slavomír Lener Martin Straka Quarter-finals 5th
  2005 Vienna, Innsbruck 9 8 0 0 0 1 25 9 Vladimír Růžička David Výborný Champions  
  2006 Riga 9 4 1 2 0 2 26 24 Alois Hadamczik David Výborný Final  
  2007 Moscow 7 3 0 1 3 23 19 Alois Hadamczik David Výborný Quarter-finals 7th
  2008 Quebec City, Halifax 7 3 1 2 1 29 19 Alois Hadamczik Tomáš Kaberle Quarter-finals 5th
  2009 Bern, Kloten 7 4 0 0 3 26 14 Vladimír Růžička Marek Židlický Quarter-finals 6th
  2010 Cologne, Mannheim, Gelsenkirchen 9 5 2 0 2 25 16 Vladimír Růžička Tomáš Rolinek Champions  
  2011 Bratislava, Košice 9 8 0 0 1 36 18 Alois Hadamczik Tomáš Rolinek Bronze Medal Game  
    2012 Helsinki, Stockholm 10 6 1 0 3 32 19 Alois Hadamczik Tomáš Plekanec Bronze Medal Game  
    2013 Stockholm, Helsinki 8 3 1 0 4 20 14 Alois Hadamczik Jiří Novotný Quarter-finals 7th
  2014 Minsk 10 3 2 2 3 24 27 Vladimír Růžička Tomáš Rolinek Bronze Medal Game 4th
  2015 Prague, Ostrava 10 5 1 1 3 32 26 Vladimír Růžička Jakub Voráček Bronze Medal Game 4th
  2016 Moscow, St. Petersburg 8 5 1 2 0 27 12 Vladimír Vůjtek Tomáš Plekanec Quarter-finals 5th
    2017 Paris, Cologne 8 3 2 0 3 23 17 Josef Jandač Jakub Voráček Quarter-finals 7th
  2018 Copenhagen, Herning 8 3 3 0 2 29 18 Josef Jandač Roman Červenka Quarter-finals 7th
  2019 Bratislava, Košice 10 7 0 1 2 47 23 Miloš Říha Jakub Voráček Bronze Medal Game 4th
2020 Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic[9]
  2021 Riga 8 3 2 0 3 27 19 Filip Pešán Jan Kovář Quarter-finals 7th
  2022 Helsinki, Tampere 10 6 0 1 3 32 24   Kari Jalonen Roman Červenka Bronze Medal Game  
    2023 Tampere, Riga 8 4 0 1 3 22 19   Kari Jalonen Roman Červenka Quarter-finals 8th
  2024 Prague, Ostrava

World Cup of Hockey edit

Year GP W OW T OL L GF GA Coach Captain Finish Rank
1996 3 0 0 3 4 17 Luděk Bukač Jaromír Jágr Round 1 8th
2004 5 2 0 0 1 2 19 15 Vladimír Růžička Robert Reichel Semi-finals  
2016 3 1 0 1 1 6 12 Josef Jandač Tomáš Plekanec Group stage 6th

Euro Hockey Tour edit

Year GP W OW T OL L GF GA Rank
1996–97 9 0 2 7 15 36 4th
1997–98 12 7 2 3 47 29  
1998–99 12 3 5 4 28 27  
1999–00 12 7 1 4 31 20  
2000–01 12 3 1 3 5 27 29 4th
2001–02 12 3 2 1 6 34 36 4th
2002–03 12 4 1 3 4 33 33  
2003–04 12 2 4 3 3 24 28  
2004–05 11 2 2 1 3 3 28 33 4th
2005–06 13 1 1 2 9 29 46 4th
2006–07 14 2 2 2 8 33 42  
2007–08 12 4 1 1 6 33 44  
2008–09 12 3 1 2 6 36 43 4th
2009–10 12 3 2 3 1 3 31 27 4th
2010–11 12 3 1 1 7 27 39 4th
2011–12 12 5 2 1 4 31 29  
2012–13 12 6 0 0 6 16 24  
2013–14 12 4 1 1 6 16 31  
2014–15 12 4 1 2 5 33 31  
2015–16 12 4 2 0 6 32 37  
2016–17 12 6 0 1 5 43 39  
2017–18 12 6 1 0 5 32 31  
2018–19 12 4 1 0 7 30 34 4th
2019–20 9 3 3 1 2 25 19  
2020–21 12 5 1 2 4 30 29  
2021–22 12 5 0 2 5 33 32  
2022–23 12 4 2 2 4 26 33  

Team edit

Current roster edit

Roster for the 2023 IIHF World Championship.[10][11]

Head coach: Kari Jalonen

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team
3 D Ronald Knot 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 94 kg (207 lb) (1994-08-03) 3 August 1994 (age 29)   Tucson Roadrunners
6 D Michal Kempný 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 88 kg (194 lb) (1990-09-08) 8 September 1990 (age 33)   HC Sparta Praha
7 D Tomáš Dvořák 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 90 kg (200 lb) (1995-06-07) 7 June 1995 (age 28)   HC Dynamo Pardubice
8 F Ondřej Beránek 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) 88 kg (194 lb) (1995-12-21) 21 December 1995 (age 28)   HC Energie Karlovy Vary
10 F Roman ČervenkaC 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 89 kg (196 lb) (1985-12-10) 10 December 1985 (age 38)   SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
13 F Jiří Smejkal 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) 83 kg (183 lb) (1996-11-05) 5 November 1996 (age 27)   Ottawa Senators
14 F Filip Chlapík 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 89 kg (196 lb) (1997-06-03) 3 June 1997 (age 26)   HC Ambrì-Piotta
18 F Dominik Kubalík 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 86 kg (190 lb) (1995-08-21) 21 August 1995 (age 28)   Detroit Red Wings
19 F Jakub Flek 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) 74 kg (163 lb) (1992-12-24) 24 December 1992 (age 31)   HC Kometa Brno
23 F Lukáš Sedlák 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) 96 kg (212 lb) (1993-02-25) 25 February 1993 (age 31)   HC Dynamo Pardubice
25 F Radan Lenc 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 88 kg (194 lb) (1991-07-30) 30 July 1991 (age 32)   HV71
30 G Šimon Hrubec 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 87 kg (192 lb) (1991-06-30) 30 June 1991 (age 32)   ZSC Lions
33 D Jan Košťálek 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 85 kg (187 lb) (1995-02-17) 17 February 1995 (age 29)   HC Dynamo Pardubice
47 D Michal JordánA 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 90 kg (200 lb) (1990-07-17) 17 July 1990 (age 33)   SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
48 F Jiří Černoch 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) 90 kg (200 lb) (1996-09-01) 1 September 1996 (age 27)   HC Energie Karlovy Vary
50 G Karel Vejmelka 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 90 kg (200 lb) (1996-05-25) 25 May 1996 (age 27)   Arizona Coyotes
52 F Michael Špaček 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 85 kg (187 lb) (1997-04-09) 9 April 1997 (age 27)   HC Ambrì-Piotta
53 F Radim Zohorna 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 104 kg (229 lb) (1996-04-29) 29 April 1996 (age 27)   Toronto Marlies
61 F Martin Kaut 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 80 kg (180 lb) (1999-10-02) 2 October 1999 (age 24)   San Jose Barracuda
67 D Jakub Zbořil 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 84 kg (185 lb) (1997-02-21) 21 February 1997 (age 27)   Boston Bruins
69 F Daniel Voženílek 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 88 kg (194 lb) (1996-02-10) 10 February 1996 (age 28)   HC Oceláři Třinec
71 F Vladimír SobotkaA 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 89 kg (196 lb) (1987-07-02) 2 July 1987 (age 36)   HC Sparta Praha
72 F Filip Chytil 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) 81 kg (179 lb) (1999-09-05) 5 September 1999 (age 24)   New York Rangers
77 D David Němeček 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 94 kg (207 lb) (1995-06-29) 29 June 1995 (age 28)   HC Sparta Praha
84 D Tomáš Kundrátek 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 94 kg (207 lb) (1989-12-26) 26 December 1989 (age 34)   HC Kometa Brno
94 G Marek Langhamer 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 85 kg (187 lb) (1994-07-22) 22 July 1994 (age 29)   Ilves
96 F David Tomášek 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 84 kg (185 lb) (1996-02-10) 10 February 1996 (age 28)   HC Sparta Praha

Retired numbers edit

Coaching history edit

Olympics
World Championships

Uniform evolution edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  2. ^ Miller, Gord [@GMillerTSN] (20 December 2021). "the Czech Federation officially requested that it be referred to as 'Czechia' in all competitions" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ "NHL announces World Cup of Hockey for 2016". The Canadian Press. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Russia – Czech Republic". IIHF. 2 November 2015. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  5. ^ "About". czehockey.cz. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  6. ^ Marc Di Duca (2006). Czech Republic: The Bradt Travel Guide. p. 31. ISBN 9781841621500. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  7. ^ Efstathia Sioras; Michael Spilling (2010). Czech Republic. p. 112. ISBN 9780761444763. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Swiss avenge group stage loss, advance to QF". iihf.com. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  9. ^ Steiss, Adam. "2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship cancelled". iihf.com. IIHF. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Národní tým odcestuje na MS 2023 se 3 brankáři a 22 hráči do pole" (in Czech). ceskyhokej.czdate=6 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Team Roster Czechia" (PDF). iihf.com. 12 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Jalonen převzal hokejovou repre sebevědomě. Cíl z MS? Jedině zlato" (in Czech). TN.nova.cz. 11 March 2022.

External links edit