Helsinki painted red, white and blue

It truly was Slavic power in Helsinki on Sunday, as Russia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic locked out the medal positions. The Russians overpowered the spirited Slovaks in the final by a score of 6:2, whilst the Czech Republic battled to hold on to their bronze medal thanks to a 3:2 victory over the hosts, Finland.

Thousands lined Bratislava's streets on Monday
Photo: Ziakoo.sk

Fans from all across Slovakia packed into town squares in almost every town in the country, but their heroes couldn't find a way to shut out the incredibly talented Russians. Whilst the tournament's leading scorer, Yevgeni Malkin, was kept off the scoresheet in the third period, visibly getting frustrated by his lack of opportunities, it was Russia's second line of Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Syomin and Pavel Datsyuk that did the damage. Syomin scored twice for Russia and was voted their man of the match for the final. Slovakia took the lead in the second minute of the game to the delight of the numerous travelling support, as skipper Zdeno Chára opened his account for the tournament with a ripper from the blueline, flying high into Semyon Varlamov's top corner. Russia started to rally back soon after, and a defensive mix-up allowed Alexander Ovechkin to burst into the Slovaks zone, and send a pass across the face of goal to his Washington Capitals team-mate, Alexander Syomin, who netted past the tournament's top netminder, Ján Laco.

The second period was where Russia really took the game away from the Slovaks, and sealed their goal medal.  The Russians scored three unanswered goals to give them one hand on the trophy after forty minutes. Goals from Alexander Perezhogin, Alexei Tereshchenko and Alexander Syomin gave the Russians a 4:1 lead at the second intermission, which despite their great comeback against Canada in the quarterfinals, looked a bridge too far for the hurting Slovaks. Pavel Datsyuk scored four minutes into the third period to take the game to 5:1, which saw head coach Vladimir Vujtek take the decision to pull Ján Laco, through no fault of the new Donbass Donetsk netminder at all. Peter Hamerlík took his place, and made eight saves. The Slovaks got a powerplay in the middle of the period, their first for two games, and they would find the net again, as Zdeno Chára crashed the net and managed to put the puck home after a good pass by Tomáš Surový. However, the Russians were not to be denied, and Slovakia could not muster enough offence to get back into the game. With two minutes left on the clock, Malkin put the cherry on top of what had been a perfect tournament for the Pittsburgh Penguins forward, as well as the Russian team. Malkin scored to take the score to 6:2, and meant that the Russians would go undefeated through the tournament, not even dropping a single point. Ilya Nikulin raised the IIHF trophy aloft, giving the Russians their first tournament victory since 2009.

Tomáš Kopecký points to the sky for Pal'o
Photo: Hokejportal.sk

Following the game, the Slovaks sportsmanship and spirit has been commended by all corners. The faces of youngsters Libor Hudáček and Tomáš Tatar were ones of sadness and disappointment, but for the veterans, who may not get many more chances to win medals, the overall emotion was pride. Pride that a small country from central Europe, who have been kept away for so long from tasting success, managed to pick up a silver medal which an unfancied team, and more pressure on securing their Olympic qualification. Zdeno Chára and Tomáš Kopecký swapped their jersies following the game for Pavol Demitra ones, once again showing how much of a galvanising force the memory of the late former captain has been to this team. Monday afternoon saw the team welcomed back to a heroes welcome in Bratislava, with fans lining the street to catch a glimpse of their team, with silver medals glistening in the May sun around their necks. Whilst questions will still be raised about the talent coming up through the ranks, these questions can take a back seat for the moment, whilst the current team enjoys their success in Helsinki.

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The Czechs wanted more than bronze going into this tournament, but it wasn't to be for the Czechs. Following their semi final loss to Slovakia, they managed to retain enough spirit and desire in order to take the bronze medal away from the hosts, and bring back a piece of glory from a so-so tournament, although the place in the limelight appears to be for their eastern neighbours.

The Czechs celebrate their bronze
Photo: IIHF.com

The first period of their game saw the Czechs play probably their best hockey of the tournament, as they put the Finns to the sword, scoring three times in the opening frame. Both teams traded chances in the early going, with the game taking on a fast and furious pace, but the Czechs would open the scoring through Petr Průcha. The SKA St. Petersburg forward managed to get a piece of a Lukáš Krajíček point shot on the powerplay which deflected it away from Petri Vehanen and into the goal. However, despite their poor play, the Finns managed to equalise in the seventeenth minute, as Miko Pyorala scored a beautiful goal, beating Krajíček all ends up before firing the shot past Jakub Štěpánek. It only took 29 seconds for the Czechs to re-gain the lead though, as Jiří Novotny's willingness to get the puck on net saw it squeak between Vehanen's pad and the post. Just under two minutes later the score went to 3:1, this time the goal coming from Boston Bruins forward David Krejčí. The goal resulted as a result of some beautiful one touch passing between Krejčí and Aleš Hemský, luring Vehanen out of position before the Bruins forward tapped the puck into the empty goal.

Petr Nedvěd holds the bronze aloft
Photo: IIHF.com

There was little of note in the second period, as the game lulled following the frantic first period, but the third period saw the Czechs almost throw the bronze medal through their ill-discipline. With Jakub Nakladal in the box in the 49th minute, the Finns pulled a goal back through Jussi Jokinen, who split the defence with his blistering speed, before firing high into the top corner. The Czechs only mustered one shot on goal in the third period, compared to Finland's thirteen, but Štěpánek stood tall, and despite Finland's best attempts, the Czechs held on to grab their second bronze medal in succession, to the delight of tournament debutants Petr Nedvěd and Petr Fránek, separated by almost twenty years in age.

It remains to be seen whether or not Alois Hadamczik is the man to lead the Czechs back to the promised land after their 2010 gold medal, but there are plenty of positives that the Czechs can take from this tournament. With Lev Praha now officially in the KHL, prepare to see many of this Czech team lacing up for the new KHL side over the coming years.

World Championships: Slovak delight. Czech heartache

Apologies for the lack of updates during the last month or so. University's been consuming most of my time.

It's always a shame that the IIHF World Championships always come smack bang in the middle of exam season, and whilst many fans have been bemoaning the ludicrous ticket prices which have left thousands of empty seats at every game, for the fans of Slovakia and the Czech Republic, this years edition of the World Championships have been on the whole positive ones. Whilst Slovakia, who have already guaranteed a medal for the first time since 2003, they go into the final hoping to repeat the great team of 2002, which managed to defy the odds to defeat the Russians 4:3, thanks to a Peter Bondra goal 100 seconds from the end. The Czechs, who fell to their next door neighbours in the semi final will look to pick up their second bronze medal in succession, following their third consecutive semi final appearance. It was a bitter blow for Alois Hadamczik's team, who went into Saturday's game with Slovakia as favourites, but it was another good performance from a Czech team still reeling from the loss of three stalwarts in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl tragedy in September.

Miroslav Šatan has three goals in knockout play
Photo: Jeff Vinnick - IIHF.com

Slovakian hockey has been in the doldrums for some time. Fourth place at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver was the anomaly on the last four years, as the national team failed to make the quarter finals in four successive years from 2008 to the home tournament in 2011. However, new head coach Vladimir Vůjtek appears to be just what the team needed, following the failure of the Glen Hanlon experiment. Vůjtek, who called Slovakia's run in Helsinki the greatest achievement of his coaching career so far, has the team playing a no nonsense counter-attacking style, no doubt in part due to the discovery of former Lev Poprad and future Donbass Donetsk netminder Ján Laco as the country's new #1 netminder for the World Championships. Granted, barring injury Jaroslav Halák will still be the go to guy, but Laco has been in imperious form throughout the tournament, with numerous comparisons being made to the role that Ján Lašák played in the 2002 gold medal victory in Sweden.

Slovakia face Russia in the final
Photo: Andre Ringuette - IIHF.com

There is no doubt that there is an incredible belief in the Slovakian camp, and they seem united in achieving success in the memory of one person in particular. Former national team captain Pavol Demitra. There was hardly a dry eye in Slovakia following the emotional scenes of his exit from the national team stage in Bratislava in 2011, and the loss of what many saw as a national hero following his incredible performances in the 2010 Olympics has seemed to galvanise the team. Captain Zdeno Chára said in an interview that the semi final win against the Czechs was for Demitra, whilst Branko Radivojevič, who has looked a brand new player in this years tournament, with 8 points in 8 games, proudly showed off his Demitra memorial t-shirt that he wears under his jersey following the game against the Czech Republic. Sport has a strange, almost mystical power at being to unite people during times of trouble, and seeing the celebrations following the victory, from Bratislava to Košice, Prešov to Čadca are truly remarkable.

The Czechs had their ups and their downs
Photo: Andre Ringuette - IIHF.com

While stories will be written in the weeks to come about the Slovakian team, whether or not they defeat the heavily favoured Russians, it would be unfair to overlook the Czech Republic, who played some great games in the tournament, and have no doubt missed a number of key players. The omission of Jaromir Jágr is a big one, whilst Roman Červenka, Filip Novak, Jakub Klepiš and Marek Kvapil all ruled themselves out of contention through injury or fatigue following a gruelling Gagarin Cup final in the KHL. It took a while for the Czechs, and especially Petr Nedvěd to get going in the tournament, and at times the team seemed to be rather disjointed, but a couple of players made a name for themselves in the World Championships this year. České Budějovice netminder Jakub Kovář, whose NHL rights are still held by the Philadelphia Flyers, emerged as a very solid netminder at this level. He still had a tendency to concede soft goals at inopportune times, but Budějovice may have a tough time keeping a hold of him if KHL or even the Flyers come looking, despite Kovář having a contract for next season.

Will Jakub Kovář stay with České Budějovice?
Photo: Andre Ringuette - IIHF.com

The Achilles heel for the Czechs was their inability to score goals at the key times, and their powerplay at times looked toothless. They had enough chances against Slovakia, and were desperately unlucky at times, hitting the post twice in the opening period of the semi final, but they struggled to put the puck against the net. They only managed one goal against the top two seeds, Russia and Sweden in the preliminary group stage, whilst they needed a shootout to defeat the spirited Norwegian team which also made the quarter finals. The quarter final against Sweden was a great performance in what was arguably the game of the tournament so far, as Milan Michálek's winner 29 seconds from the end sent millions of Czech fans into raptures following their capitulation in the middle of the game. However, it was another year of what could of been for the Czech Republic, as they bowed out from the semi finals for the second year in succession. No doubt questions will be asked following the poor performance against Slovakia, but considering they finished ahead of Sweden, Canada and the United States, they should not be too down following this tournament, and Hadamczik should be given time to build his team.

However, this tournament appears to be about Slovakia now. For a team which has five Czech Extraliga and five Slovak Extraliga players on their roster to make the World Championships final is an incredible achievement, especially following the losses of top pairing defenceman Dominik Graňák and forward Marcel Hossa. This tournament can't be a flash in the pan though, as the Olympics were, as youth hockey in Slovakia is struggling enough as it is. I know I tend to straddle both sides of the rivalry between the Czechs and the Slovaks, but there is nothing that I want more than for both teams to succeed, and to be great forces within ice hockey. The rivalry can be nasty at times, but for many people, Czechs and Slovaks are still like brothers.

The Czechs go into the bronze medal game against a Finland side that was humiliated against the Russians, and surely they will have more national pride than to play poorly again in front of their home fans. It is always difficult to get motivated for a bronze medal game, but the Czechs have their chance to bring back a medal for the third year in succession. It's going to be incredibly tough for Slovakia to defeat Russia this evening, but they've already shown against the U.S, Canada and the Czech Republic that they relish the role of being the underdog. History is often to said to repeat itself, and it is only fitting that ten years later, back in Scandinavia, Slovakia have a chance to pick up their second gold medal since becoming an independent country. The Czechs already have six, including an Olympic gold. The Slovaks see it as their chance to close the gap between the two countries and get their fair share.

The end of the road for two Czech greats?

The conclusion of the Extraliga semi-finals have not only created a huge buzz around the final featuring surprise package Kometa Brno, but also after news that two of the best Czech players in modern years could have played their last game. Regular season scoring leader Petr Nedvěd has been coy with the press regarding his future, and although it would be a surprise for the 40 year old to retire after his brilliant season, it looks like he won't return to Liberec. In an interview with MF Dnes following his teams Game 6 loss to Pardubice, Nedvěd gave no indication of his plans for next season, stating: "I'm frustrated and tired. During the off-season I will think and see how I feel." (source)

Petr Nedvěd could be on his way back to Prague...
Photo: Jaroslav Appeltauer

Nedvěd, who returned to the national team during the Euro Hockey Tour may be making his first appearance at a IIHF World Championship this coming May, as all signs point to head coach Alois Hadamczik making the Liberec captain a member of his squad. It appears that Nedvěd is relishing the possible chance to lead the Czech Republic to World Championship glory, as once again speaking with MF Dnes, he said, "The coach can call and we will solve the problems.  Although I feel the bitterness of defeat, I want to go for the championship."  Nedvěd scored 5 goals in 6 EHT games this season.


Although retirement is certainly a possibility for the 40 year old forward, it seems that he is looking to finish his career elsewhere from Liberec, although he made sure to point out that he would not rule out the possibility of returning to the White Tigers. One possibility, which has been talked about in the media following Liberec's elimination was that their captain leaving to join Lev Praha, who will compete in the KHL from next season. Whilst Nedvěd turned down advances from Dinamo Minsk in the off-season, the chance to earn a better wage whilst living in Prague may be appealing, although the other side of the argument is whether or not the 40 year old will relish the prospect of playing in a league which stretches across half the world's surface.

Straka faces a difficult summer, with an aging squad
and the prospect of losing a number of big names.
Photo: Milan Podpera.

Another stalwart of Czech hockey whose future is in doubt is Plzeň's Martin Straka. Following their defeat to Kometa Brno in the semi-finals, the Plzeň fans spent minutes chanting the name of their clubs owner and player-coach, who applauded his fans with a aura of resignation about him. However, we will have to wait a few weeks before we hear anything regarding his future, as Straka has obligations to fill with his owner's cap on, as big names such as Radek Duda are still unsigned for next season. Straka also faces problems regarding his aging team, as an article on iSport.cz (source) hints that Jiří Hanzlík and Jiří Vykoukal, both 38 years of age, could both be hanging up the skates.


Straka, a member of the 1998 Nagano Gold Medal team is now 39 years of age, cut a forlorn figure on the bench following Kometa's thrashing of his team in Game 5. With all his other duties as the figurehead of the Plzeň organisation, it remains to be seen whether or not the former Pittsburgh Penguin and New York Ranger will return in a playing capacity. Straka, who was another tipped to join the Czech Republic World Championship squad ruled himself out of the running. In an article on Nova Sport's website, he said, "I'm tired, and my performances have been poor. Someone else deserves the championship place..... Team leaders are there to score goals, but I only scored two in the playoffs."

It's been a rocky road for the Indians, as they have been consistently the best team in the regular season over the past three years, but all they have to show for this is one series win, which was this year in a thrilling seven game series with Zlín. Straka loves his hockey club, but it is entirely plausible that we could have seen the last of him, at least on the ice.

Slovaks fall to the Danes twice.

Team Slovakia's preparations for the upcoming World Championships in Finland and Sweden got off to a rocky start this week, following two losses to Team Denmark in Košice. The first game saw Denmark run out 3-1 winners thanks to a brace from 21 year old defenceman Simon Grønvaldt, with Branko Radivojevič's scrappy effort in the 38th minute being the only time Slovakia managed to beat Frederik Andersen in the Denmark net. In the second game, Slovakia managed to get more goals, but they still ended up losing the game as Denmark ran out 4-3 winners following a shootout. Juraj Mikúš scored twice for the home side, tapping in a rebound for his first and then re-directing a Rene Vydarený point shot for his second. However, the Danes would get the last laugh, as Frederik Andersen proved spectacular in the shootout and got the victory for Denmark.

Slovakia fell to a superior Danish powerplay.
Photo: (Tomáš Surový), sportky.topky.sk.

Speaking after the second game, head coach Vladimír Vůjtek seemed to be in positive spirits, as speaking with hokejportal.sk (link), he said, "Today we gave a much better performance than Friday. From the beginning we tried to play at a faster tempo. It was not perfect, but we gelled better and we put them under pressure. When we took the lead we should have won, but we made mistakes."

Two goal man Juraj Mikúš, also speaking after Game 2 said, "Today we played better than yesterday, but we made too many mistakes in defence. I think we were not big favourites against the Danes. Two losses are not a tragedy, but it's a shame because we were better". Mikúš, who was Slovakia's best player at the BelSwissBank tournament in February (My take on it) once again proved his worth as a natural goalscorer, something which Spartak Moskva's Štefan Ružička failed to do once again, being held scoreless in the two games with Denmark. Whilst there are few players who had a successful season as Ružička in the KHL, the 27 year old former Philadelphia Flyer has yet to really prove his worth in a Slovakia jersey, scoring only 2 goals in 11 World Championship games over the past two seasons. If he's not careful, he won't make the cut.

Július Hudáček allowed four goals in Saturday's match
Photo: sportky.topky.sk.

Slovakia fielded a roster which will be certain to change come to the start of the WC on the 4th of May, but it's fair to say that a fair few of the squad that lost to Denmark will make their way to Scandinavia. Two places that already look to be settled are the netminder positions, as all signs point towards Slovakia's two main goalies being Třinec's Peter Hamerlík, who played in Friday's game, and Július Hudáček, the former Košice goalie coming off a very successful debut season in the Allsvenskan for Södertälje who featured in Game 2. It signals a change in the policy of the Slovakia selection system, as it appears that new blood is being given a change. It appears that it is the end of the road for hardy veterans Rastislav Staňa and 2002 World Championship winner Ján Lašák, who are not in contention for places. Peter Budaj ruled himself out of playing in the tournament due to playing such a small number of games for the Canadiens in the NHL (link), which leaves HC Lev's Jan Laco as the only feasible contender to grab the other goalie spot for the tournament.


There is still plenty of time for Slovakia to turn around their fortunes before the Championships start in May, and on the whole Vůjtek seems to be bringing a bit of positivity back to Slovakian hockey after the catastrophe of last years performance in front of the home crowd, and with the possibility of a number of additions to the roster, Slovakia could prove to be quite the dark horse in Scandinavia.