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 history 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

Association	Czech Ice Hockey Association
General manager	Jiří Šlégr
Head coach	Radim Rulík
Assistants	Jiří Kalous Tomáš Plekanec Marek Židlický
Captain	Roman Červenka
Most games	David Výborný (218)
Top scorer	Martin Procházka (61)
Most points	David Výborný (147)
Home stadium	O2 Arena
Team colors
IIHF code	CZE
Ranking
Current IIHF	4 4 (27 May 2024)[1]
Highest IIHF	2 (2006)
Lowest IIHF	8 (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)
Olympics
Appearances	8 (first in 1994)
Medals	Gold: (1998) Bronze: (2006)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances	32 (first in 1993)
Best result	Gold: (1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2024)
World Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 1996)
Best result	3rd: (2004)
International record (W–L–T)
416–208–48

Medal record
Olympic Games
	1998 Nagano	Team
	2006 Turin	Team
World Championship
	1996 Austria
	1999 Norway
	2000 Russia
	2001 Germany
	2005 Austria
	2010 Germany
	2024 Czechia
	2006 Latvia
	1993 Germany
	1997 Finland
	1998 Switzerland
	2011 Slovakia
	2012 Finland/Sweden
	2022 Finland
World Cup
	2004 Toronto

History

The Czech national team was formed following the breakup of Czechoslovakia, as the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic was recognized as the successor to Czechoslovakia and retained in the highest pool (A), while Slovakia was required start international play in pool C. See also Post-Cold War period of the IIHF world championships.^[6][7][8][9]

The Czechs won the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. In 2024, the team was recognized with the IIHF Milestone Award, given by the International Ice Hockey Federation to a team that made a significant contribution to the development of international hockey.^[10][11] The 1998 Olympic hockey tournament was also the first the include National Hockey League players.^[11] The IIHF reported the gold medal to be "the most important event in the country's history after the 1968 Uprising".^[10]

The Czechs won three straight gold medals at the world championships from 1999 to 2001.^[12][13] 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.^[14] 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. At the 2024 IIHF World Championship, they ended their 14-year gold drought after winning it for the first time since 2010, also as hosts.^[15]

Tournament record

Olympic Games

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
2026 Milan / Cortina	To be determined

World Championship

Championship	GP	W	OW	T	OL	L	GF	GA	Coach	Captain	Finish	Rank
1920 – 1992	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[16]
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	10	7	1	–	2	0	36	17	Radim Rulík	Roman Červenka	Champions
2025 Stockholm, Herning				–					Radim Rulík	Roman Červenka

World Cup of Hockey

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

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
2023–24				–
2024–25				–

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2025 IIHF World Championship.^[17][18]

Head coach: Radim Rulík

No.	Pos.	Name	Height	Weight	Birthdate	Team
7	D	David Špaček	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	86 kg (190 lb)	(2003-02-18) 18 February 2003 (age 22)	Iowa Wild
8	F	Ondřej Beránek	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)	90 kg (200 lb)	(1995-12-21) 21 December 1995 (age 29)	Karlovy Vary
10	F	Roman Červenka – C	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)	89 kg (196 lb)	(1985-12-10) 10 December 1985 (age 39)	Dynamo Pardubice
17	D	Filip Hronek – A	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	85 kg (187 lb)	(1997-11-02) 2 November 1997 (age 27)	Vancouver Canucks
18	F	Filip Zadina	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)	86 kg (190 lb)	(1999-11-27) 27 November 1999 (age 25)	HC Davos
19	F	Jakub Flek	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)	76 kg (168 lb)	(1992-12-24) 24 December 1992 (age 32)	Kometa Brno
20	D	Daniel Gazda	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)	94 kg (207 lb)	(1997-08-13) 13 August 1997 (age 27)	Ilves
22	F	Jáchym Kondelík	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	107 kg (236 lb)	(1999-12-21) 21 December 1999 (age 25)	Dynamo Pardubice
23	F	Lukáš Sedlák	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)	96 kg (212 lb)	(1993-02-25) 25 February 1993 (age 32)	Dynamo Pardubice
24	F	Adam Klapka	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)	107 kg (236 lb)	(2000-09-14) 14 September 2000 (age 24)	Calgary Flames
26	D	Jiří Ticháček	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	77 kg (170 lb)	(2003-01-30) 30 January 2003 (age 22)	Rytíři Kladno
36	D	Jakub Krejčík	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)	87 kg (192 lb)	(1991-06-25) 25 June 1991 (age 33)	Sparta Praha
43	F	Michael Špaček	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)	85 kg (187 lb)	(1997-04-09) 9 April 1997 (age 28)	Sparta Praha
44	F	Matěj Stránský	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	98 kg (216 lb)	(1993-07-11) 11 July 1993 (age 31)	HC Davos
50	G	Karel Vejmelka	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	90 kg (200 lb)	(1996-05-25) 25 May 1996 (age 28)	Utah Mammoth
55	D	Libor Hájek	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	95 kg (209 lb)	(1998-02-04) 4 February 1998 (age 27)	Dynamo Pardubice
77	D	Filip Pyrochta	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	80 kg (180 lb)	(1996-06-24) 24 June 1996 (age 28)	Mladá Boleslav
80	G	Daniel Vladař	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	85 kg (187 lb)	(1997-08-20) 20 August 1997 (age 27)	Calgary Flames
84	D	Tomáš Kundrátek	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	94 kg (207 lb)	(1989-12-26) 26 December 1989 (age 35)	Oceláři Třinec
86	F	Petr Kodýtek	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)	67 kg (148 lb)	(1998-08-17) 17 August 1998 (age 26)	HIFK
88	F	David Pastrňák – A	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)	82 kg (181 lb)	(1996-05-25) 25 May 1996 (age 28)	Boston Bruins
94	F	Jakub Lauko	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	77 kg (170 lb)	(2000-03-28) 28 March 2000 (age 25)	Boston Bruins
96	F	Daniel Voženílek	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	97 kg (214 lb)	(1996-02-10) 10 February 1996 (age 29)	EV Zug
98	F	Martin Nečas	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	90 kg (200 lb)	(1999-01-15) 15 January 1999 (age 26)	Colorado Avalanche

Retired numbers

• 4 – Karel Rachůnek
• 15 – Jan Marek
• 63 – Josef Vašíček

Coaching history

Olympics

• 1994 and 1998 – Ivan Hlinka
• 2002 – Josef Augusta
• 2006 – Alois Hadamczik
• 2010 – Vladimír Růžička
• 2014 – Alois Hadamczik
• 2018 – Josef Jandač
• 2022 – Filip Pešán

World Championships

• 1993–1994 – Ivan Hlinka
• 1995–1996 – Luděk Bukač
• 1997–1999 – Ivan Hlinka
• 2000–2002 – Josef Augusta
• 2003–2004 – Slavomír Lener [cs]
• 2005 – Vladimír Růžička
• 2006–2008 – Alois Hadamczik
• 2009–2010 – Vladimír Růžička
• 2011–2013 – Alois Hadamczik
• 2014–2015 – Vladimír Růžička
• 2016 – Vladimír Vůjtek
• 2017–2018 – Josef Jandač
• 2019 – Miloš Říha
• 2021 – Filip Pešán
• 2022–2023 – Kari Jalonen^[19]
• 2024 – Radim Rulík

Uniform evolution

• National team jerseys
• 
  1994 Olympic jerseys
• 
  IIHF jerseys 1996–1998
• 
  IIHF jerseys 1998–2002
• 
  2006 IIHF jerseys
• 
  2009 IIHF jerseys
• 
  2014 Olympic jerseys
• 
  2015–2019 IIHF jerseys
• 
  2018 Olympic jerseys
• 
  2019–2021 IIHF jerseys
• 
  2021 IIHF jerseys
• 
  2022 Olympic jerseys
• 
  2022–2023 IIHF jerseys
• 
  2024 IIHF Jerseys

See also

• Bohemia national ice hockey team
• Czechoslovak national ice hockey team
• Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia men's national ice hockey team