"We have the Olympic Games ahead of us, an event that brings together not only athletes but entire nations. That’s why I’m very pleased that our hockey players will represent us in jerseys bearing the national emblem, a symbol of pride. I believe they’ll also bring us a bit of luck," said Czech general manager Jiri Slegr.
Since becoming an independent nation, the Czechia hockey team won their first and only Gold medal in men's hockey back in 1998. Since then, they've only come away with a Bronze medal in 2006.
Head coach Radim Rulik’s squad will begin their Winter Olympics journey on Thursday, February 12th, when they go up against tournament favourites in Team Canada.
The very next day, David Pastrnak and his teammates will face France, and they’ll wrap up the group stage on Sunday, February 15th against Switzerland.
The top teams from each of the three groups advance directly to the quarterfinals, along with the best second-placed team. The remaining teams will play a preliminary round for a spot in the quarterfinals.