WJC: Why are the Czechs so much better than Slovakia?

[Bedards Dad]

There may already be a thread or answer on here for this, but I couldn'd find it.

But why did the Czechs become so much better than Slovakia? We all know the history of the split. At one time they were a top team, then bam, the 2 teams go in opposite directions.

You would think a country split would have similar talent on both ends, so what give?

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[overnath]

More $ (or Kč), better jr system

 

[Zolik37]

registered players :
Czech Republic 100,668
Slovakia 8,280

even Japan has more registered players than Slovakia

 

[zorz]

I've heard that before 1993 many Slovaks were upset about not many of them being on Team Czechoslovakia usually. Years after the split only proved them wrong as Czech hockey has more success since then. The level of hockey was always different despite of that it was one country. Those are just facts.

 

[Dynamo81]

Both countries were somewhat lucky to have a number of world class players appear during the same period, they were born during the Czechoslovakian baby boom.

Also do not forget Czech Republic has 10 times more Registered Players than Slovakia so in the perspective they are doing well.

I believe Slovakia has a good class of youngsters coming up in years to come (A Slovakian can correct me if I am wrong), we will see in the junior competitions to come.

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

Both countries were somewhat lucky to have a number of world class players appear during the same period, they were born during the Czechoslovakian baby boom.

Also do not forget Czech Republic has 10 times more Registered Players than Slovakia so in the perspective they are doing well.

I believe Slovakia has a good class of youngsters coming up in years to come (A Slovakian can correct me if I am wrong), we will see in the junior competitions to come.

Then the was the Czech golden generation. That had to encourage a lot of young men to play hockey.

**

This part will get me in trouble...

I have also felt, in recent years, Slovakia passed the Czechs (in quality) at the pro level.

I know the Czechs win most times during head to head matches but if you look at top level NHL players, the Czech players are older and producing less than their Slovakian counterparts.

IMO.

 

[Zolik37]

I've heard that before 1993 many Slovaks were upset about not many of them being on Team Czechoslovakia usually. Years after the split only proved them wrong as Czech hockey has more success since then. The level of hockey was always different despite of that it was one country. Those are just facts.

How many Czechs were/are better than: Gáborík, Hossa, Chára, Višnovský, Demitra Švehla, Šatan, Pálffy, Bondra since we split? Jágr and?

 

[zorz]

Then the was the Czech golden generation. That had to encourage a lot of young men to play hockey.

**

This part will get me in trouble...

I have also felt, in recent years, Slovakia passed the Czechs (in quality) at the pro level.

I know the Czechs win most times during head to head matches but if you look at top level NHL players, the Czech players are older and producing less than their Slovakian counterparts.IMO.

In that case you can add that Austria and Slovenia passed the Czechs also.

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

In that case you can add that Austria and Slovenia passed the Czechs also.

I was being serious - and maybe you are too.

When I look at the scoring leaders in the NHL, the Czech players don't seem to appear anywhere near as often as they did in the past. There also seems to be less of them than Slovakians and other nations.

I know at the 2006 Olympics, even tho I THINK they lost to the Czechs, Slovakia was one of the better teams. Didn't they also finish 4th in Vancouver?

The Czechs have gone thru a awful drought of top end talent in recent years.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

How many Czechs were/are better than: Gáborík, Hossa, Chára, Višnovský, Demitra Švehla, Šatan, Pálffy, Bondra since we split? Jágr and?

Elias, Reichel, Holik, Hasek, Krejci, Vokoun, Hejduk, Hamrlik, Ruzicka, Straka, Slegr...

 

[slovakiasnextone]

Most of the reasons have already been pointed out, but anyway: First of all this seems like a weird time to ask this question, especially phrased like "so much better", because IMO in the past the gap has been actually much bigger than it is today (though it is caused by the Czechs getting worse, less kids playing and so on)- not saying they´re still not much better though.

Obviously the numbers of registered players have a tremendous effect on that, also the same goes for numbers of rink and all. Then there´s the fact that economically CZE is more developed than Slovakia and has always been for that matter.

zorz, the Czech republic having more international succes than Slovakia is a no brainer for eveyone who thinks at least a little considering the conditions that hockey works/has worked in both countries in some ways already before the split. However you can´t deny the fact that Slovakia still managed to win three WC medals and to finish 4th and 5th in the Olympics between 1993 and 2010 without a single Czech players while there was more competition than during times of Czechoslovakia due to dissolution of USSR/other nations improving. That seems to tell me that there probably was a huge potential to have like only 5 or less Slovaks on the team. I dunno, I can´t really say anything serious about the issue, I didn´t live during Czechoslovakia times. But you are right in that sense that demanding for example that the team be split 50:50 sound pretty crazy and I guess those people never understood that unlike in football there was never a time when the Slovak teams just continually dominated like he football teams did in the 1970s, which had an impact on the NT as well and resulted in a predominantly Slovak when Czechoslovakia won the Euro in 1976.

 

[slovakiasnextone]

Slovakia´s top NHLers currently (and maybe in the last 2-3 seasons) maybe are bigger superstars thanh their Czech counterparts, but do not kid yourself KevyD, the numbers of Slovaks in the NHL are slim and falling each year, out of the 11 playing this season, only 3 can be considered "young" (and the youngets of them Sekera has already celebrated his 25 birthday), cmpared to that there are 40 Czechs in the NHL and they have a solid generation of late 80´s born NHLers. Also all over Europe in the big leagues there´s more Czechs, who are having a bigger impact, not even talking about the gap between the two domestic leagues.

2006 was a long time ago when it comes to hockey and I still can´t believe what kind of opportunity we wasted back then. 2010 was a result of many circumstances and we iced a team, which will be with a few exceptions pretty much retired in the next 5 years.

That said, when it comes to the Czechs they have 5 teams that are way ahead of them when it comes to junior development and another one traling on their tail, so everything´s hardly bright and shiny for them.

Slovakia meanwhile has different more important worries than the Czechs currently.

 

[zorz]

Most of the reasons have already been pointed out, but anyway: First of all this seems like a weird time to ask this question, especially phrased like "so much better", because IMO in the past the gap has been actually much bigger than it is today (though it is caused by the Czechs getting worse, less kids playing and so on)- not saying they´re still not much better though.

Obviously the numbers of registered players have a tremendous effect on that, also the same goes for numbers of rink and all. Then there´s the fact that economically CZE is more developed than Slovakia and has always been for that matter.

zorz, the Czech republic having more international succes than Slovakia is a no brainer for eveyone who thinks at least a little considering the conditions that hockey works/has worked in both countries in some ways already before the split. However you can´t deny the fact that Slovakia still managed to win three WC medals and to finish 4th and 5th in the Olympics between 1993 and 2010 without a single Czech players while there was more competition than during times of Czechoslovakia due to dissolution of USSR/other nations improving. That seems to tell me that there probably was a huge potential to have like only 5 or less Slovaks on the team. I dunno, I can´t really say anything serious about the issue, I didn´t live during Czechoslovakia times. But you are right in that sense that demanding for example that the team be split 50:50 sound pretty crazy and I guess those people never understood that unlike in football there was never a time when the Slovak teams just continually dominated like he football teams did in the 1970s, which had an impact on the NT as well and resulted in a predominantly Slovak when Czechoslovakia won the Euro in 1976.

I don't know how that exactly worked as well. Just saying what I've heard. I'm too young too to remember

I was being serious - and maybe you are too.

When I look at the scoring leaders in the NHL, the Czech players don't seem to appear anywhere near as often as they did in the past. There also seems to be less of them than Slovakians and other nations.

I know at the 2006 Olympics, even tho I THINK they lost to the Czechs, Slovakia was one of the better teams. Didn't they also finish 4th in Vancouver?

The Czechs have gone thru a awful drought of top end talent in recent years.

No, I was not being serious. I was trying to point out that with the other two teams it's all about 1 player (Vanek, Kopitar). With Slovakia it's about 3 players right now (Chara, Gaborik, Hossa). It's good to have these guys for sure, but I value the depth more. With 1 great line you won't win anything, but with solid balanced team you have a chance to medal at every tournament. I didn't watch other Slovakia games in Vancouver, so I don't know how they got to the medal round. All I know is they were defeated by the Czech team face to face.

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

I didn't watch other Slovakia games in Vancouver, so I don't know how they got to the medal round. All I know is they were defeated by the Czech team face to face.

That's funny...

The Slovakian posters said after one of the losses (I am paraphrasing) "On paper we are so much better than the Czechs. How do we keep losing to them?"