HC Slovan, Bratislava: history and achievements

Since the emergence of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), it has replenished a few fairly prominent European clubs. Now the Croatian "Medvazhchak", and the Riga "Dynamo", and even the Chinese "Kunlun" play in the KHL. Among all that splendor, the "Slovan" (Bratislava) was not lost.

Czechoslovak and Slovak stages

HC Slovan (Bratislava) was founded in 1921. But then the name of the team was different - it was called "CSK Bratislava." The current name appeared only eighteen years later - in 1939.

In the championship of Czechoslovakia, "Slovan" (Bratislava) has achieved serious success far from immediately. The team sat "on dry rations" without titles until 1979 - almost sixty years. Before that the club from Bratislava could boast only the title of champions of the Slovak Hockey League in 1941 and 1942.

The first big trophies came to the "Slovan" only in the early seventies. The team won three consecutive (1972-1974) annual international tournaments (Spengler Cup), which is held in the Swiss city of Davos since 1921.

The championship in the domestic championship "Slovan" (Bratislava) was only in the late seventies (season 1978/1979). After the division of Czechoslovakia into two sovereign states, the "hawks" became the real hegemons of the Slovak Extraliga - eight victories in the tournament speak for themselves. It became clear that Slovan in Slovakia was boring and cramped, so the management decided that the club should try itself in a more status hockey project, which was the Continental Hockey League.

The modern stage

In 2012, "Slovan" (Bratislava) made his debut in the championship of the KHL. Opponents of the division at the Slovak club were CSKA, Minsk "Dynamo", "Spartak" and "Dynamo" (Riga). Later, the Croatian "Medvezhchak" and the Finnish "Yokerite" were added. Surprisingly, the first pancake did not come off. The team immediately reached the playoffs, taking sixth place in the Western Conference.

In the following seasons, "Slovan" (Bratislava)

Hockey showed far from convincing. Eventually, the leader of the Slovak Extraliga, Richard Linter, called on the club to return home, saying that playing most matches in a country where they do not even know the names of hockey players of "Slovan" is senseless. In response to this statement, the KHL functionary Alexander Medvedev responded that the exit of Slovan from the KHL could destroy Slovak hockey.

In the regular season 2016/17 "Slovan" could not get into the playoffs, behind the "Yokirit" - the last team of the West, which got into the playoffs, by eight points.

Main coach

Now, "Slovan" is headed by the Czech Milos Riha. He had a pretty full career as a hockey player: he played both for domestic clubs and for the American team of Minnesota Nord Stars.

Career coach Ryha also started in the Czech Republic. His record includes such clubs as: "Brno", "Pardubice", "Karlovy Vary". He also worked for a certain time in Russia, training Chemist, Spartak, Atlant, SKA (St. Petersburg) and Avangard (Omsk).

In the "Slovan" Milos Riha came in 2015, but under his leadership the team has not yet made serious progress. Cech can only write himself an asset in the eighth place in the West and exit to the playoffs in the 2015/2016 season.