In the O2 arena, the preparations for the hockey championship are at their peak | iRADIO

In Prague’s O2 arena with a capacity of over seventeen thousand spectators, the basic group A will take place, in which the opponents of the Czech team will be Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, Great Britain and Canada.

The Ostravar Arena, with an auditorium for almost ten thousand people, will be the venue for Group B, in which Slovakia, the USA, Germany, Sweden, Latvia, France, Kazakhstan and Poland will compete for the four places to advance to the quarter-finals. The British are returning to the elite after a one-year hiatus, the Poles are back after 22 long years.

Basic groups will end on Tuesday, May 21. Last teams in groups will be relegated. The playoff quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday, May 23, two will take place in Ostrava and two in Prague. The final fights are on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26.

It will only be played in the O2 arena. Gold is defended by Canada, which in 2015 in the Czech Republic dazzled with a breathtaking performance. The star-studded team, led by Sidney Crosby, won all ten games in total. The silver from last year is defended by the Germans, the sensational bronze was won by the Latvians a year ago.

‘Honor and Privilege’

Canada will be led just like last year by Arizona coach André Tourigny. “I consider it an honor and a privilege. Every time you have a chance to win, a chance to fight for the title, you can’t waste it. Last year proved to us that dedication is stronger than anything else. We were extremely proud of the team as they came through the tournament. We want to carry it over to this year’s tournament and build on it,” said Tourigny.

The Czechs, who were fourth nine years ago and eighth last year, will try to deal with the pressure of their home environment this time. The last to celebrate the title at home two years ago were the Finns in Tampere, where the Czech team ended their ten-year wait for a valuable metal from a major event.

“I turned off the internet. I am free from him. I think this is the best way. And I recommend it to guys too. If you’ve ever played sports and you can empathize with their feelings, it’s really not easy. I’m really looking forward to working with the team,” said coach Radim Rulík.

‘No one wants to lose’

However, the expectations associated with the domestic championship are still felt by the players. “The pressure is there, everyone takes it differently. But I think that if we go there to enjoy it and perform the performances that we perform in the clubs, then we don’t have to worry that we won’t be able to do it,” said goalkeeper Petr Mrázek.

“When we say ‘enjoy it,’ athletes certainly know what we mean.” We will work hard. We are going to fight to make the best possible result and nobody wants to lose. The first step is to advance to the quarter-finals, then the most important match will come,” he added.

“I don’t feel nervous yet, there is still time for it. But he will probably come. Now I still have such an emotional vacation before it all starts,” forward Lukáš Sedlák said with a smile.

“Anyway, I hope it doesn’t put us down. I haven’t experienced a domestic championship yet, it’s special. It will be something new for me. But I can only influence certain things. Although it will sound like a cliché – I will only focus on the first substitution, the first match,” said Sedlák.

Team composition

According to the rosters, it is clear that the WC in Prague is also an attraction not only for Czech players. Canada has six world champions and three Stanley Cup winners in its selection, there are two NHL draft picks Owen Power from Buffalo and the exceptional talent Connor Bedard from Chicago.

The Americans will also have a strong team composed almost exclusively of NHL players. The Finns, who before last year’s seventh place, played three consecutive finals and won the title twice, want to return to the medal positions. It’s a similar situation for Sweden, who celebrated their second consecutive gold in 2018 but have since failed to find a way to the semi-finals.

The Swiss will also be able to rely on a few reinforcements from the NHL, who have joined the broader world elite. The Slovaks will go into battle with a pair of the highest-ranked players in the 2022 draft.

Experienced Canadian coach Craig Ramsay has at his disposal former number one forward Juraj Slafkovski from Montreal and number two Šimon Nemec, defender of New Jersey. Another Slovak star is fullback Martin Fehérváry from Washington. On the side of the Slovaks, there will also be an almost home environment in Ostrava.

“We know which of the players will come to the championship. You can sort of gauge the strength and ambition of that team, but just because someone has names doesn’t mean they’ll have good chemistry and play well. Only the matches will show the reality. It certainly does not mean that we should be afraid of someone,” said Sedlák.

Missing from the championship for the third year in a row is Russia, which, like Belarus, was temporarily excluded from all its tournaments by the international federation IIHF due to war aggression in Ukraine.

In 2015, 741,690 fans attended matches in Prague and Ostrava, which is still a valid attendance record. There is great interest in the peak of the international season this time as well. It was already indicated by the number of tickets purchased in advance, which for the basic part is higher than nine years ago. The matches of the Czech team are sold out.

View the photo gallery from the preparations for the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship.

CTK

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