The hockey championship starts in the Czech Republic. Good luck and goals guys, the fans say to the Czech players

In Group A, the Czech Republic will compete against Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, Great Britain and Canada. The premiere at the world championship awaits coach Radim Rulík. On the contrary, the experienced Roman Červenka, who held this role at the previous two championships, will lead the team to the World Championship as captain. His assistants are New Jersey forward Ondřej Palát and defender Radko Gudas from Anaheim.

“It is usually the case that leaders are experienced players. But it’s not just about the three of us and who has the letter on the jersey. It’s about playing as a team and pulling it together. That’s how they presented themselves on the ice, playing for each other. That decides the important moments.” 38-year-old Červenka, who is also a captain in Swiss Rapperswil, told journalists.

Czech fans were pleased with the choice of Červenka. “Right choice. The assistants are probably also well chosen, now it’s just a little bit of luck; Roman is the best captain; Well done, experienced captain…; I don’t think anyone doubted it. Clear choice; Červenka is the biggest heartthrob, I can’t imagine the championship without him; I didn’t even expect anyone else. The last world champion in our team…; As expected. Good luck guys and goals” users write on social networks.

Czech fans have high expectations, even though the national team did not do very well in the last tournament before the championship.

“The Czechs are looking forward to the World Championship. You can tell when you go to a pub, a restaurant – everywhere they talk about the World Cup and that team. I am not sure if the fans clearly expect success from the Czech national team. It is due to the last preparatory tournament in Brno, in which the Czechs did not win even once in three matches. In addition, there was a much-discussed nomination from which Radim Rulík de facto eliminated three reinforcements from overseas, which the fans would certainly like to see there. But I think that with the first meeting against Finland, the excitement will increase even more – especially if the Czechs manage to win.” says Czech Radio sports commentator Petr Kadeřábek.

It was Finland, along with Sweden and Switzerland, that was one of the three opponents that the Czechs lost to at the hockey games last week. When announcing the lineup for the World Cup, coach Rulík confirmed that the choice was influenced by the bad results at the hockey games. The roster before the opening match against Finland consists of 22 players – three goalkeepers, seven defenders and twelve forwards.

“The Czech team is not completely weak. Firstly, they have good goalkeepers, maybe not among the absolute best in the world, but all three are balanced, so that could play a big role. In attack, there is a question of what form Dominik Kubalík can have. He was the top scorer at last year’s World Cup, when the Czech Republic recorded its worst result at the World Cup. So if the game is played in the individual attacking lines and Kubalík, Tomáš Sedlák or perhaps David Tomášek contribute with goals, success is also possible. That team has what it takes to succeed,” states Kadeřábek.

A lot of pressure

The Czech hockey team has been waiting for another World Championship title since 2010. They won the last medal – bronze – two years ago. The pressure on the 58-year-old national team coach Rulík and his charges is great.

“The pressure is huge. But on the other hand, the players are very experienced. It is one of the oldest teams ever to play in the World Cup. So they can handle the pressure. But they never played in front of a home audience, with the exception of Roman Červenka,” reminds Kadeřábek.

As for the coach, according to him, Rulík is strict and makes sure that the players follow his instructions. “For them to communicate with each other on the ice, that’s the most important thing. And of course he professes a completely different style of hockey than Kari Jalonen professed. He relied on a very fierce defense, it was a kind of classic Finnish ice hockey, where you wait for the opponent to make a mistake, but you don’t make a mistake from your own line. Radim Rulík initiates all-area hockey, there is a lot of movement. So I think that the Czech team will present itself a lot thanks to the home environment with a very attractive game.” sports commentator believes.

Czech ice hockey players are starting the championship in new jerseys. To the delight of not only many fans, but also the players themselves, the great national emblem is returning to the uniforms. At the same time, they also feature the much-criticized union logo, which has been moved to the shoulders. And twice. The jerseys are very similar to those worn by the Czechs at the Beijing 2022 Olympics.