HC Vitkovice Steel

Czech Extraliga shows up two hattricks

Lukáš Klimek scored three goals during today's game of the 35th Czech Extraliga round between Zlín and Vítkovice. Thanks to its 26-year forward HC Vítkovice Steel fed its tie hopes until the game's very ending. However in time 59.05 Čajánek scored an empty net goal to make the final score a 5-3 victory for Zlín. In another game of the day Lukáš Krenželok scored three Slavia's goals to win surprisingly 2-4 at home of the fearless Czech Extraliga standings leader Plzeň. Accidentaly both hattrick scorers of the round grew up in the team of Vítkovice.

Thomas Wellinger at Spengler with Vitkovice

EHC Biel Swiss defender Thomas Wellinger will play Spengler Cup with Czech team HC Vitkovice.
Wellinger is the sixth Biel player to play the traditional tournament, besides Reto Berra and Patrick Kane (HC Davos), Jacob Micflikier, Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Tyler Seguin (Team Canada)

Four teams perfect in Extraliga

Six games were played in Czech Extraliga today. When two rounds are played Trinec, Vitkovice, Plzen and Brno all have six points.

Spengler Cup program unveiled

The program of the 2012 edition of the Spengler Cup, which takes place from December 26 to 31 in Davos, was releaved. Like in last edition, the six teams were divided into two groups, named Torriani and Cattini.

Invited as special guest for its 75th anniversary, HC Fribourg-Gotteron will have the honor of playing the opening match against Russian Salavat Yulaev Ufa on December 26 afternoon. At night Team Canada and Adler Mannheim will open the Cattini group.
Czech HC Vitkovice Steel completes the group Torriani while host HC Davos is the third team of Cattini Group. Here the complete fixture

Spengler Cup participants named

Today the Spengler Cup officials released the names of the participants for this year's Spengler Cup. Favourite for the tournament win is Salavat Yulayev Ufa (KHL). The other participants are Adler Mannheim (DEL), host HC Davos and Fribourg-Gottéron (both NLA), HC Vítkovice (Czech Extraliga) and a team consisting of Canadian players.

The first Australian player ever to play in Czech Extraliga

Nathan Walker, 17, played the first Czech Extraliga game of his career. His Vítkovice beat Mladá Boleslav 8-4 and Walker from Sydney, Australia scored one assist. Nathan is the first Australian player to play in a European elite league.

Start of Czech Extraliga postponed

Originally, Tipsport Extraliga would start this Friday, Sep 16, with seven games. Because of Yaroslavl jet crash all the first round games are postponed. "Jan Marek, Karel Rachůnek and Josef Vašíček were friends of many Czech Extraliga players. Their friends would be unable to attend Jan Marek's funeral if we will make them play hockey on Friday," Czech Extraliga head commisioner Stanislav Šulc said. New dates for the games is unknown, the clubs will arrange date of their 1st round games themselves.

The Czech top-level ice hockey competition will start on Sunday, Sep 18, with games of the second round.

Another World Champion retires

July, 26, 2011 can be written in the hockey chronicles as a day of two World Champions retirement. Just a few hours after Kris Draper announced his retirement, a similar statement was made by another IIHF World Championship gold medalist. Martin Prusek, 36, a former goaltender of the Ottawa Senators and the Columbus Blue Jackets in NHL accepted an offer from HC Vítkovice Steel to become their goaltender coach.

Spengler Cup announces participants

Europe's oldest hockey tournament announced the definitive participants today. Once again there will be six teams: host HC Davos and traditional participant Team Canada will face Kloten Flyers, Dinamo Riga, Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg and HC Vitkovice. For Dinamo Riga and Wolfsburg, it will be the first ever Spengler. The 85th edition of the Spengler Cup will, as usual, be played in Davos from December 26 to 31.

Prusek’s re-premiere

Goaltender Martin Prusek, former player of the NHL teams Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets, will have re-premiere in his professional career in the Czech Extraliga. Prusek signed a three-year deal with the HC Vítkovice Steel team, but during the 2010/2011 pre-season heart troubles were detected of this goaltender. They probably were aftermaths of his collapse in the last season's KHL game between his Dinamo Riga and Balashikha. From this reason Prusek was forbidden any physical activity and was prepared for possibility of the end of his professional career. But after rehabilitation when Prusek was in care of Czech doctor's he was better and started training. After 5 games with HC Olomouc(271min; 1.55AVG; 0.952%) in Czech 1.liga the 1999 World Champion with Czech republic is going for his re-premiere in Czech Extraliga today, in the game between Vítkovice and Kladno(30.1.2011; 17:00CET).