The Rinkside Review

Everything Czech hockey, all in English. 🇨🇿 🏒 Licensed freelancer. Hockey enthusiast. Contact: [email protected]

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

I often get asked where my passion for Czech hockey comes from. 🇨🇿

My love for Czech culture (including the hockey) runs deep – it's in my blood. As my grandfather was from the Czech Republic, I found myself surrounded by the traditions of the country from birth.

It’s for that reason that I feel joy whenever I watch #narodnitym. It’s always a wonderful thing to watch fans from all across the country come together to support the nation with such energy and enthusiasm. It’s something that the Czechs are famous for, with the atmosphere often being referenced by foreign journalists as one of the best in the world. I know that if my grandfather was still here to witness it, he would feel immense pride.

Over my time here, I’ve certainly personally learned “kde domov můj”. The Czech Republic is my home and I couldn’t be prouder of that fact.

With all that being said, @czehockey do toho! ✊🍀

#CeskyHokej

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

The first period between @HCPCE and @hcvitkovice featured fireworks as John Ludvig and Krzysztof Maciaś squared off. 🥊🧨

Ludvig is no stranger to rough stuff, boasting an impressive NHL fight card that includes bouts against tough guys like Matt Martin and Mark Kastelic. That experience showed as he took the win, but hats off to 21-year-old Maciaś- stepping up against a larger, more experienced fighter takes guts.

#TELH #ceskyhokej

[Ondřej Chramouský @chramousky]

JOHN LUDVIG si ted v klidku zaboxoval 🤪

MACIAS bez šance.

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

Kristián Pospíšil’s creative spark has been reignited since joining Jakub Flek and Lukáš Cingeľ on a line for the past two matches.⚡️

Last night, the @HCKometa fan favourite capitalised on a rare mistake by Adámek, scoring the game-winning goal with a beautiful backhand, before waving to the adoring fans in the Brno ‘kotel’.

#TELH #hckometa #ceskyhokej

[Tipsport extraliga @telhcz]

Kristián Pospíšil využil chybu soupeře 👀 Nadělil tak fanouškům @HCKometa důvod k radosti 🔥

#TELH | #momentytelh | #KOMTRI

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

A @HCKometa debut for @Brabenec_Jann.

Whenever I watch Kometa's U20 side, Brabenec always catches my eye. He plays with an engaging mix of skill and grit that is fun to watch.

A bright future ahead. ✊

#TELH #ceskyhokej #ChampionsGoBeyond

[HC Kometa Brno @HCKometa]

👥 Do prvního osmifinále @championshockey ve švédské 🇸🇪 Luleå jdeme v této sestavě!

V brance Gašper Krošelj, junior Jan Brabenec naváže na rodinnou tradici Brabenců v Kometě ✊🏻

Živý přenos sledujte na 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝟏
Online přenos 📲 https://t.co/hjk2fg5mpi

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

Malcolm Subban will undeniably provide strength for @HCPCE in shootouts.

Over his entire NHL career, Subban proved himself to be a specialist in this area. He won all 6 shootouts he participated in, allowing just one goal on 22 shots. ⛔️

Clutch.

#TELH #hockeytown #ceskyhokej

[HC DYNAMO PARDUBICE @HCPCE]

Nová kapitola 📖 #hockeytown

𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐦 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐨

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

With the news that Malcolm Subban has signed for @HCPCE, someone needs to teach him the lyrics to “Kde domov můj” as soon as possible!

#TELH #hockeytown #ceskyhokej

[NHL @NHL]

MALCOLM SUBBAN JUST CRUSHED THE U.S. NATIONAL ANTHEM! 🤭

The reactions are priceless.

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

A really classy move by @HCPCE. 👏

Carsen Twarynski suffered an injury right at the end of his try-out. Instead of taking the easy route and releasing him, Pardubice decided to extend his time at the club to properly evaluate the injury.

This move reflects positively on the club and the entire #TELH, as this kind of positive player treatment further enhances the league’s reputation among potential players. ✊

#hockeytown #ceskyhokej

[HC DYNAMO PARDUBICE @HCPCE]

Dynamo prodloužilo zkoušku Carsena Twarynskiho ℹ️

Carsen utrpěl zranění v dolní části těla, které ho vyřadilo ze hry. Sportovní úsek Dynama se proto rozhodl prodloužit zkoušku kanadského útočníka. Klub i hráč tak získají čas na důkladnou analýzu zranění a případné rozhodnutí o dalším postupu.

📲 https://t.co/UbMOoWkfbY

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

With the international break underway, I'd like to shine a light on a team whose progress I've enjoyed following: @hcolomouc. 🐓

This off-season saw some tweaks after finishing bottom last year:

•The club made a bold move, supplementing their Czech/Slovak core with a sprinkling of overseas players. This is particularly notable as they hadn’t iced a North American player since Canadian Kevin Sundher in 2017/18. 🇨🇦

•Evan Stella is the first Swede to play for Olomouc in the modern #TELH era. Though his stats might not be flashy, he plays with a tremendous heart and team-first attitude. 🇸🇪

•Trevor Cosgrove is the club's first American reinforcement since Doug Weiss in the 1990/91 season. He has admirably filled the skates left by Jakub Sirota, managing 5 PP assists so far. 🇺🇸

•Róbert Petrovický took over as head coach, succeeding Jan Tomajko, who moved on to lead the Czech U18 team (but continues to co-own the club). Petrovický has maintained Tomajko's philosophy of making the Zimní stadion Olomouc a fortress; the Moravian club currently ranks 3rd in the league for home points. 🏡

•Under Petrovický's guidance, Olomouc are a highly disciplined team, registering the 2nd lowest penalty minutes taken. They also show strong defensive commitment, ranking 2nd in the league for blocked shots. 💪

•Goaltending saw a key addition with Oldřich Cichoň joining Matěj Machovský permanently between the pipes. Cichoň has provided valuable reliability in his four appearances, posting an impressive GAA of 1.40 and a save percentage of 95.7%. ⛔️

When I think of Olomouc, the club’s identity immediately centres on being gritty, determined and patient. Their commitment to developing hardworking yet skilful players who thrive in a more significant role has been evident over the years. Utah/Tucson’s Michal Kunc stands out as the prime example of this patience paying off handsomely.

It was therefore perfectly fitting that their victory last night so perfectly embodied this identity. They fought hard and showed relentless determination until the very final buzzer, scoring the dramatic winning goal with just three seconds remaining on the clock!

Looking forward to seeing them continue to build on their positive start. ✊

#hcolomouc #VšeciSpolu

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

Not sure he’s experienced enough to wear the ‘C’ to be honest…

After captaining the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers and Omsk, Jágr now gets the privilege of leading his hometown club.

#TELH #ceskyhokej

[Rytíři Kladno @RytiriKladno]

Dnešním kapitánem proti Pardubicím bude Jaromír Jágr. 👑

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

He’s been absolutely lights out for you guys for a long time now! His glove hand in particular has always impressed me whenever I’ve seen him.

Malík is a huge reason as to why Plzeň are up in second position- there’s no doubt that if he continues to impress he will follow in Hlavaj’s footsteps.

Hats off to @HC_Plzen for how well you develop talent in general. 🎩

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

Regarding the #narodnitym, I would have liked to see Nick Malík get a chance, given his excellent consistency with HC Plzeň over the past few seasons. Given his age (23) and his maintained high level of play, I personally expect that he will be the next goalie out of the #TELH to join Michal Postava and Šimon Zajíček in getting a contract with an NHL organisation in the not-too-distant future. ✊

#hcplzen #ceskyhokej

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

Brandon Maxwell doing Brandon Maxwell things! 🕺

A natural born showman, Brandon is one of the most entertaining characters to play in the modern #TELH. At the beginning of the year, I had the pleasure of speaking exclusively and extensively with him about his career.🎙️

Brandon is as good at telling a story as he is celebrating with fans after a win!
Check out the full interview here: ⤵️

https://t.co/uw9Mj6euo3

What a guy! 🙌

#ceskyhokej

[nina♡ @ninafeelz]

alright who do i need to speak with in order to get our goalies to do this?!?

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

The @czehockey squad for the Euro Hockey Tour was released yesterday. 🇨🇿

✅ Pavel Čajan has been rewarded for his stellar start with Litvínov, earning his first-ever call-up to the national set up.

✅ Additionally, the blueline welcomes back D-man Radim Šimek for a long overdue return. His blend of experience, leadership and physicality will be a huge boost to the defensive depth.

✅ Kristian Reichel and Luboš Horký are included after helping their sides top the DEL (🇩🇪) and SHL (🇸🇪) respectively.

✅ NL forwards Matěj Stránský and Dominik Kubalík are included after getting off to a hot start. Stránský has been particularly dominant, leading the NL in both goals (15) and total points (26). Kubalík isn't far behind, ranking fifth in the league with 20 points of his own. 🇨🇭

Češi do toho!🤞🍀

#ceskyhokej #narodnitym

[Český hokej @czehockey]

👥 Repre sezóna může začít! 🤙 Radim Rulík nominoval na finskou zastávku Euro Hockey Tour těchto 28 hráčů. 🔥 Na koho se v dresu národního týmu nejvíc těšíte? 😍

Gólman Pavel Čajan bude s týmem přítomen na kempu v Česku, k zápasům na sever již neodcestuje. ℹ️

Více informací 👉 https://t.co/dPKbg9ZMhp

#narodnitym #ceskyhokej

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

Three Czech goalies are off to a hot start this #NHL season, all featuring in the Top 10 for save percentage (SV%). 🇨🇿

3️⃣ Jakub Dobeš (@CanadiensMTL)
•5 games played
•.950 SV%

5️⃣ David Rittich (@NYIslanders)
•2 games played
•.939 SV%

8️⃣ Dan Vladař (@NHLFlyers)
•5 games played
•.932 SV%

Skvělá práce, borci! ✊🔥

#ceskyhokej

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

Jared McIsaac signs for @CBRoyals in the CWSHL. ✍️

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jared last season. He spoke openly about how playing with @hcverva helped him regain his enjoyment of hockey.🎙️

Jared is a great guy off the ice who will also undoubtedly showcase his high level of skill on it.

Wishing him all the best and every success back home. 🇨🇦

#TELH #chemici #ceskyhokej

https://t.co/hVqMjMVaHV

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

A fresh-faced and inexperienced @HCKometa lineup delivered a shock defeat to Swiss powerhouse, EV Zug! As a result, they qualify for the last 16 of the @championshockey League.
Major highlights from the game included:

✅ A stunning 2 goal debut performance from 20-year-old forward, David Moravec jr.
✅ A goal for 16-year-old sharpshooter Michal Hartl.
✅ A heroic 41 save effort from 20-year-old netminder, Jan Kavan.

It’s worth noting that Zug's roster was stacked with familiar names and veterans boasting extensive NHL and top European experience, including Tomáš Tatar, Dominik Kubalík, Grégory Hofmann, Jan Kovář and David Skleníčka. ⭐

Conversely, Kometa travelled without their 4 highest scoring offensive weapons, Jakub Flek, Šimon Stránský, Hynek and Tomáš Zohorna. ❌

A remarkable result. Hats off. 🎩

#hckometa #ChampionsGoBeyond #ceskyhokej

[HC Kometa Brno @HCKometa]

VÍTĚZSTVÍ! 💙

Omlazená sestava v Zugu předvedla srdnatý a obětavý výkon, díky němuž veze do Brna tři body a postup do osmifinále @championshockey ✅

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

A second shutout in October for @ilveshockey netminder, @pavlat_dominik. ⛔️

The Tabor-native stopped 2️⃣9️⃣ shots to help lead #Ilves to victory. 👏

#Liiga

[Ilves Hockey @ilveshockey]

✊ DOMINO! ✊ DOMINO!

Dominik Pavlátille Liiga-kauden toinen nollapeli 29 torjunnalla! 🔥

#Ilves #Liiga @pavlat_dominik @smliiga

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

It took less than a minute for @lintu95 to find the net for @bkboleslav. 🎯

His reaction to the goal tells you that he approved of that move. 🥶

#TELH #ceskyhokej

[Tipsport extraliga @telhcz]

Rychlý úvod v Mladé Boleslavi 🌬️

#TELH | #momentytelh | #MBLMHK | @bkboleslav

[The Rinkside Review @TRRHockey]

Absolutely love to see content like this. ♥️

An experience two young lads will never forget. Actions like this are what build a community bigger than hockey.

Hats off to the kindness shown by the players and staff at @HCPCE, and the Debra and Dynamo Fans organisations for making such a beautiful day possible. 👏

Memories to last a lifetime.

[HC DYNAMO PARDUBICE @HCPCE]

Dva kluci, kteří si získali naše srdce ❤️‍🩹

Jiří Smejkal před tréninkem vyzvedl malého Vojtu s nemocí motýlích křídel. U stadionu už na ně čekal Matyáš, který trpí spinální svalovou atrofií. Oba následně čekal zážitek na celý život. Za spolupráci děkujeme organizaci Debra a Dynamo Fans 🫂 #vicnezhokej