In the 1940s, they became one of the best teams in Europe. They won two World Championships in 1947 and 1949. After the Soviet Union started playing international hockey in the 1950s, they often played against Sweden and Canada for medals. Sometimes, they even beat the Soviets. In total, they won the gold medal six times.
Because Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, the team was replaced by the Czech and Slovak national teams. The International Ice Hockey Federation chose the Czech team to continue in the top group. The Slovak team started in the lowest level and moved up to the top division by 1996.
Notable events
The Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team played their first game on April 24, 1920, in Antwerp. They lost to Canada. Their last game was on December 19, 1992, in Moscow. They beat Switzerland.
The team won many games over the years against teams like Yugoslavia, Belgium, East Germany, and Japan. But they also lost a game to Canada in 1924.
In 1948, six players were on a plane that crashed while they were traveling to the UK for games. The plane was flying from Paris to London when the crash happened.
Notable players
Here are some famous players from the Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team:
The Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team was very good at European competitions. They were especially successful in the 1940s, winning two World Championship titles in 1947 and 1949. This made them one of the top teams in the sport at that time.
Since 1993 Czechoslovakia has been split and was succeeded by Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Images
Historical ice hockey jerseys from the Czechoslovakia national team, used in the 1967 World Championship.Historical ice hockey team jerseys from Czechoslovakia, used in the late 1960s and early 1970s.Historic ice hockey team jerseys from Czechoslovakia, used between 1985 and 1989.