Czechoslovakia Men's National Ice Hockey Team
The Czechoslovak national men's ice hockey team was one of the world's premiere teams for the duration of its existence.
The successor to the Bohemian national ice hockey team, which was a European power prior to World War I, the Czechoslovakian national team first appeared at the 1920 Summer Olympics, two years after the creation of the state. In the 1940s, they established themselves as the best team in Europe, becoming the first team from the continent to win two World Championships (1947 and 1949). After the arrival of the Soviet Union on the international hockey scene in the 1950s, the Czechoslovaks regularly fought Sweden and Canada for silver and bronze medals, but sometimes beat the Soviets. In total, they won the gold medal six times.
Due to the split of the country Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the team was disbanded and replaced with the Czech and the Slovak national men's hockey teams. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) recognized the Czech national men's hockey team as a successor of Czechoslovakia national ice hockey team and kept it in the top group, and the Slovak national men's hockey team was demoted to Pool C.
Read more about Czechoslovakia Men's National Ice Hockey Team: Notable Events, Notable Players, Olympic Record, Canada Cup Record, European Championship Record, World Championship Record
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