Rytíři Kladno is a Czech

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team based in the city of Kladno

Kladno

Kladno is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 25 km northwest of Prague. Kladno is the largest city of the region and holds a population together with its adjacent suburban areas of more than 110,000 people...

. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga

Czech Extraliga

The Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe....

, the top flight level of ice hockey in the Czech Republic.

Teams in the Czech Extraliga are known by the names of sponsors, which can change periodically; the Kladno team is currently known as Rytíři Kladno ("The Knights"). Their home arena is Zimní Stadion Kladno.

Czechoslovakia Championships won: 6 (1959, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980)

European Championships won: 1 (1977)

History

Kladno was a particularly strong team in the late 1970s, when it won four consecutive league titles (1975–1978), and again in 1980. The team's star, Milan Nový

Milan Nový

Milan Nový is a retired Czech ice hockey center. He played 16 seasons in the Czechoslovak Elite League, winning six league championships between 1974 and 1980....

, was league MVP in 1977, 1981, and 1982, and won six scoring titles. František Pospíšil

Frantisek Pospisil

František Pospíšil was a Czech ice hockey defenceman and coach.He played in the Czechoslovak Elite League for Poldi Kladno from 1961-1978, then in Germany for EV Landshut in 1978-79. He won the Golden Hockey Stick as the top player in Czechoslovakia in 1971 and 1972...

 was league MVP in 1971 and 1972. Jaromír Jágr

Jaromir Jagr

Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...

 played for his hometown Kladno for part or all of the four seasons he played in Czechoslovakia.

Club names

• 1924 - HOSK Kladno
• 1948 - Sokol Kladno
• 1977 - Poldi SONP Kladno
• 1995 - HC Poldi Kladno
• 1997 - HC Velvana Kladno
• 2000 - HC Vagnerplast Kladno
• 2003 - HC Rabat Kladno
• 2007 - HC GEUS OKNA Kladno
• 2010 - HC Vagnerplast Kladno
• 2011 - Rytíři Kladno

NHL alumni

Kladno has produced several National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 (NHL) players, including Jaromír Jágr

Jaromir Jagr

Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...

, Patrik Eliáš

Patrik Elias

Patrik Eliáš is a Czech professional hockey left winger and alternate captain for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League . A long-time Devil and currently the team's longest-tenured skater, Eliáš is the franchise's all-time leading scorer, while also holding franchise records for most...

, Tomáš Vokoun

Tomas Vokoun

Tomáš Vokoun is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

, Marek Židlický

Marek Zidlicky

Marek Zidlicky is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:Marek Zidlicky was selected 176th overall, in the sixth round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft on June 24, 2001...

, Radek Smoleňák

Radek Smolenák

Radek Smoleňák is a Czech professional ice hockey winger currently playing with HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga-Playing career:...

, Michal Pivoňka

Michal Pivonka

Michal Pivoňka is a retired National Hockey League player. He played his entire NHL career with the Washington Capitals. Selected by the Capitals in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, Pivonka defected to the United States during the summer of 1986...

, Martin Procházka

Martin Procházka

Martin Procházka is a professional ice hockey face currently playing for HC Kladno in the Czech Extraliga. Procházka was drafted 135th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft and played 32 games in the National Hockey League for the Leafs and Atlanta Thrashers...

, Pavel Patera

Pavel Patera

Pavel Patera , is a professional ice hockey player. He is currently a centre for the HC Kladno in the Czech Extraliga. Patera was drafted by the Dallas Stars at 1998 NHL Entry Draft as the 153rd pick overall.-Career:Patera has played in several countries...

, Milan Hnilička

Milan Hnilicka

Milan Hnilička is a former Czech ice hockey goalie who played in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers and the Los Angeles Kings. He was drafted 70th overall by the New York Islanders in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. In 2000, Milan won the Calder Cup while playing for...

, Tomáš Plekanec

Tomas Plekanec

Tomas Plekanec is a Czech professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . After beginning his career for HC Kladno of the Czech Extraliga, he was selected 71st overall by the Canadiens in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft...

, brothers Tomáš

Tomas Kaberle

Tomáš Kaberle is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman, currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. He previously played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins....

 and František Kaberle

František Kaberle

František "Frank" Kaberle is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman, currently playing for HC Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga. During the 2005–06 season, he won his first Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. He has previously played for Modo Hockey, the Los Angeles Kings, the Atlanta...

, David Krejčí

David Krejcí

David Krejčí is a Czech professional ice hockey center currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

, Milan Nový

Milan Nový

Milan Nový is a retired Czech ice hockey center. He played 16 seasons in the Czechoslovak Elite League, winning six league championships between 1974 and 1980....

, Jaroslav Jiřík

Jaroslav Jirík

Jaroslav Jiřík was a Czech former professional ice hockey right winger. He became the first player that an Eastern Bloc country released to play in the National Hockey League when he appeared in three games with the St. Louis Blues in the 1969–70 season.Jiřík played seventeen seasons in the...

, Ondřej Pavelec

Ondrej Pavelec

Ondřej Pavelec is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender, who plays for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

, Jakub Voráček

Jakub Vorácek

Jakub Voráček is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League...

, Michael Frolík

Michael Frolik

Michael Frolík is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

, Jiří Tlustý

Jiri Tlusty

Jiří Tlustý is a Czech professional ice hockey player who is a member of the Carolina Hurricanes organization of the National Hockey League...

, Petr Tenkrát

Petr Tenkrat

Petr Tenkrát is a Czech ice hockey forward, playing for Oulun Kärpät in SM-Liiga.- Playing career :He won SM-Liiga-silver in 2003 and bronze in 2006. SM-gold in 2004 and 2005.Tenkrát's contract with Kärpät ended after the season 2005–06...

, Ivan Huml

Ivan Huml

Ivan Huml is a Czech professional ice hockey player who currently plays for HC Kometa Brno in the Czech Extraliga...

, Petr Tatíček

Petr Taticek

Petr Tatíček is a Czech professional ice hockey centre who played for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. He is currently playing for HC Davos in Switzerland's National League A....

, Miloslav Hořava

Miloslav Horava

Miloslav Hořava is a Czech ice hockey coach and former player. He played on the Silver medal winning ice hockey team at the 1984 Winter Olympics and bronze medal winning team at the 1992 Winter Olympics for Czechoslovakia....

, Pavel Skrbek

Pavel Skrbek

Pavel Skrbek is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman, currently playing for Frölunda HC in the Swedish Elitserien. He played briefly in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators earlier in his career.-Playing career:Skrbek played one year in his native...

, Zdeněk Nedvěd

Zdenek Nedved

Zdeněk Nedvěd is a professional ice hockey player who played 31 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs....

, Jiří Fischer

Jiri Fischer

Jiří Fischer is a former professional ice hockey defenceman in the National Hockey League . Fischer went into cardiac arrest in a November 2005 game, and subsequently retired due to his heart problems...

, Ladislav Kohn

Ladislav Kohn

Ladislav Kohn is a former National Hockey League right winger.He was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the seventh round, 175th overall, of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He played in Finland's SM-liiga with the Espoo Blues from 2003 to 2007 before moving to Russia with HC CSKA Moscow...

.

External links

• Official web site (in Czech)
• Kladno Sport
• Meltzer, Bill. "Kladno: Small Town, Big Draft Legacy" article at NHL.com Retrieved 06-27-06.