HC Litvinov has a long history of producing great hockey players who have represented the Czech Republic internationally and had success abroad. It wasn't until 2015, however, that the club finally won a domestic Czech title, and with it qualify for the Champions Hockey League.

by Karolina Antosova

It finally happened in the 2014–15 season when HC Litvinov won the Czech Extraliga title, defeating pre-season favourites Ocelari Trinec in the finals. The series was decided in Game 7 and, on the road, Litvinov won 2–0 to win their first-ever championship and secure a berth in the Champions Hockey League. “This is some kind of reward after our success last season that we can play in the CHL. We take it as really prestigious,” says Litvinov GM Robert Kysela.

From hard beginnings...

But the way to the top wasn’t very easy. Litvinov began writing its history in 1945, so they will celebrate their 70th anniversary in November 2015. In the very beginning there was no ice rink and obviously no players. But after 14 years of hard work, in 1959, Litvinov made it to the highest Czechoslovak league.

In those early years among the top teams, Litvinov had to survive threats of relegation many times. In each case, however, the team survived in the top league – sometimes with a bit of luck.

...to a shining end of the century

In the late 1960s, Litvinov started to assert themselves as one of the more dangerous teams in league. There were two reasons why – centre Ivan Hlinka and defenceman Jiri Bubla – who were also key players on the Czechoslovakian national team and would become two of the earliest Czech players in the NHL. 

In particular, Hlinka was the team's star and leader. He later became head coach of the Czech national team, leading them to gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. He’s a real icon in Litvinov, where the local arena, the home of HC Litvinov, is named after him. In that arena throughout the '70s, it was normal to see 10,000 fans packed in to watch an exciting team play. 

During Hlinka’s era of stardom, he was idolized by local boys and a new generation of Litvinov stars was being raised. Names like Robert Reichel, Jiri Slegr and Martin Rucinsky became heroes not only locally, but thanks to the gold Olympic medal from Nagano and their time in the NHL they were also nationally and internationally famous as well.  

Finally a title

Seventeen years after earning Olympic gold, Slegr and Rucinsky (both 44) were still active players! And where better than in Litvinov for them to finish their illustrious careers? They still had one more mission to accomplish. And especially in the case of Rucinsky, he was not there just to fill empty space on the roster. In the 2014–15 season he was second in points and also goals in the whole Czech league. 

The only player ahead of Rucinsky in both categories was teammate Viktor Hubl. On a line with Rucinsky and Frantisek Lukes, Hubl was on fire. Remember these names for sure, as you will hear about them this season in the CHL.

But offence wasn’t the only weapon of the team wearing black and yellow. With Pavel Francouz in the net it was incredibly hard for any opponent to score. When you look at the goalie’s statistics, just one question comes to mind: “Is here any other goalie in the Czech league?”

It really looked like Francouz played in a league by himself in the 2015 playoffs. He was the leader in every significant goaltending statistic – the best goals-against average, the best save percentage, the most saves, wins and shutouts. It really wasn’t any wonder that Litvinov won their first title in club history.

Litvinov had hockey fever – it was like the '70s again, as fans went to enormous efforts to try to secure rare playoff tickets. One generous fan was so appreciative of his team's efforts  that he rented a charter flight for the team to fly across the country from Litvinov to Trinec for Game 7. The reason? He didn't think travelling by bus was fit for champions. 

Rebuilding after victory

The team that will try to defend the championship and compete in the CHL will look a bit different. As some players came up with big performances, they obviously attracted interest from elsewhere. The biggest name on the move is Francouz. After the biggest season of his career, he is off to Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL. His replacement is not too shabby, though, in 25-year-old Slovak Jaroslav Janus, who has KHL and World Championship experience.

And not surprisingly, Rucinsky and Slegr have both decided to end their careers on this high note. And who can blame them? These two elementary school classmates retired at the same time. 

Jakub Petruzalek joined Litvinov in the middle of the season and was a key player in the championship victory as well. The circumstances that led the 30-year-old gunner home from Russia were less than happy, however, following the sudden death of his girlfriend. He took the first flight home to be with his family during the times of trouble. But not to stay without hockey, he chose to play for Litvinov as a kind of therapy. And the team welcomed him warmly. 

Petruzalek even decided not to be paid – instead of paying him, he asked the club to send money to charity. But as he already announced, he will play abroad again in 2015–16, so Litvinov will lose another key player.

But as Lukes, Hubl and Hanzl will still play for Litvinov, the team will be still enormously dangerous offensively. How much? We will see. But the goals are already set. “We want to advance from the group stage but also enjoy it,” Kysela explains. “We are not a founding member of the CHL. We probably won’t be able to play in the league every season, so let's make the most of it.” 

Team facts

Click here for current information about the club.