Czechoslovakian Ice Hockey
Today the Czech Republic and Slovakia are known as two separate nations. Both nations have been fairly successful over the years, politically, and economically. Another aspect area of success to arise out of these two nations has been athletics, as they have been known to participate in several international competitions over the years. Earlier in the 20th century however, these two nations were combined into one nation. This country was known as Czechoslovakia, and like its predecessors, this country endured years of success in regards to athletics.
Czechoslovakia was a multi-ethnicity nation that was born following the conclusion of World War I. This nation was considered to be part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during this time period. As this nation developed, they continued to grow other aspects of life outside of politics, such as athletics. Over the years, Czechoslovakia wasn’t truly known for their athletic dominance over certain countries, but they were definitely great competitors. At one point the Czechs decided to pursue the game of ice hockey. Ultimately the Czechs developed into a world power when it came to the game of ice hockey, specifically around the 1940’s. It did take time however, as they had to work out the kinks to their game and expand the sport across the nation. As the Czechs started to develop as ice hockey players, it was apparent that their game differed greatly from that of the Canadians, who considered ice hockey their national game. In Czechoslovakia, ice hockey was known as “Bandyhokej”. According to Wikipedia, “Bandyhokej” was considered the game that was essential in developing the game of ice hockey. Countries all over the world including, Czechoslovakia, Russia, ...
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...d 1950’s Czechoslovakia was considered a world power. If they had stayed as one nation there is an argument to be made that they could have been the best nation in the world when it comes to ice hockey. There have been several incredible stories to come out of Czechoslovakian ice hockey, along with several incredible players and teams along the way. The Czech hockey players definitely suffered a few bumps in the road, such as tragedy and legal issues, but they also had many positives. They expanded the game across their nation to be considered a world power at one point, and that legacy has carried over to the future. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have taken things from hockey in Czechoslovakia and expanded it to their individual nations. Overall it is pretty incredible what Czechoslovakia went through in the process of developing into a very strong hockey nation.
... milestone game in 1980, hockey in the United States has grown significantly at the professional and amateur levels. (USA Hockey, N.d.)
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