Czechs ahead of the World Cup: there are fears, a lot of pressure is expected. The national team is betting on the team!

The Czech national hockey team is looking forward to a spectacular start of the Czech championship in Prague. On Friday, Radim Rulík’s charges will play the opening game against Finland in front of a sold-out O2 Arena. The Czechs are obviously eager to win a medal in front of their fans. But the road to it will not be easy. The players, coaches and fans know it. But everyone is looking forward to it.

The hockey championship in the Czech Republic is a huge event. Not just a celebration of hockey itself, but of the sport in the country. Tickets for the national team’s games are dusty. The ride to the golden dream begins on Friday, May 10. The highlight of the tournament, the medal matches, will take place on Sunday 26 May

The Czech team will enter the tournament with great expectations from the public. The hunger for success is huge in our country. This also brings with it a certain weight of responsibility and pressure. The home fans will of course create a boisterous backdrop, which on the one hand may seem like an imaginary sixth player on the ice.

On the other hand, it also puts pressure on the players. During the championship, the coaching nation will wake up again for a few days. It will be extremely difficult for the hockey players to make the best of it. The line between success and failure is very thin. In a way, the quarterfinals are expected to be the turning point again.

The peak of the preparation didn’t go so well

During the preparation for the World Championship, the Czech national hockey team played a total of nine games with a record of six wins and three defeats. In practice, it can be said that the Czech team did not lose even once against weaker teams. However, when it entered matches against elite European teams, it had problems.

In friendly matches, Radim Rulík’s charges defeated Germany, Austria and Slovakia twice in succession. In the final stage of the preparation, the national team presented itself at the home tournament of the Euro Hockey Tour series. And it was there that they stumbled significantly.

First the Czechs lost to Finland 1:4, then to Sweden 0:2 and to Switzerland 1:2. During the three-match dress rehearsal they scored only two goals. It was the worst home tournament in the history of the EHT. A few hours later, Radim Rulík appeared before the press to announce the final nomination for the home World Championship.

CZECH PREPARATION BEFORE THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Rulík wants to compensate for less NHL stars with team spirit

“I think that at the moment we have less NHL players than our opponents. We want to present ourselves with heart and dedication,” said Czech bench boss Radim Rulík at Sunday’s press conference. He believes that the team he and his colleagues have selected can pull together and withstand a lot of pressure at home.

“I will try to influence the team so that we don’t look at what will happen on Tuesday, when we have a game on Friday. We have to take one step at a time and play a great tournament. But I will keep my expectations to myself,” Rulík revealed only partially. The national team will play a total of seven matches in the championship’s regular group.

CZECH TEAM MATCHES AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

The national team is certainly not going into the tournament as favourites. On the contrary, there is also a certain nervousness among the fans. However, it will be important how the players deal with the difficult situation on the ice. It is an absolute must to qualify for the top eight. After that, the fate of the tournament will be decided by a single game. Either the national team will burn out or play for the medals.

CZECH NOMINATIONS FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

BRANKERS:
Lukáš Dostál (Anaheim Ducks, NHL)
Petr Mrazek (Chicago Blackhawks, NHL)
Karel Vejmelka (Arizona Coyotes, NHL)

DEFENSES:
Michal Kempný (HC Sparta Praha)
Radko Gudas (Anaheim Ducks, NHL)
Jan Rutta (San Jose Sharks, NHL)
Tomáš Kundrátek (HC Oceláři Třinec)
Libor Hajek (HC Dynamo Pardubice)
Jan Ščotka (HC Kometa Brno)
Jakub Krejcik (HC Sparta Praha)
David Spacek ( Iowa Wild, AHL)

FORWARDS:
Ondřej Beránek (HC Energie Karlovy Vary)
Radan Lenc (HV71, SWE)
Matěj Stránský ( HC Davos, SWI)
Michal Kovařčík (Mikkelin Jukurit, FIN)
David Kämpf (Toronto Maple Leafs, NHL)
Roman Cervenka ( SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, SWI)
David Tomasek (Färjestad BK, SWE)
Jakub Flek (HC Kometa Brno)
Jáchym Kondelík (Banes Motor České Budějovice)
Ondřej Kaše (HC VERVA Litvínov)
Dominik Kubalik (Ottawa Senators, NHL)
Ondřej Palát (New Jersey Devils)
Lukáš Sedlák (HC Dynamo Pardubice)
Daniel Voženílek (HC Oceláři Třinec)
Pavel Kousal (HC Sparta Praha)

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