Archive: Sport | Ice-hockey

In Sports News: Petra Kvitová downs Sharapova in a thrilling Wimbledon final; Peschke in the doubles and Iveta Benešová in the mixed doubles also prove victorious; hockey star Jágr shocks Pens fans by signing with the Philadelphia Flyers; free agent goalie Tomáš Vokoun agrees deal with Washington, home to fellow Czech netminder Michal Neuwirth.

Thirty-nine-year old star Czech hockey player Jaromír Jágr will return to the NHL in the 2011/2012 season after signing with the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. The winger, who won two Stanley Cups during his NHL career but played the last three seasons in the KHL, had received offers from the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings. But both teams withdrew their offers on Friday after failing to hear from the player; the Penguins' management said it had never intended to get into a bidding war over the winger. Other clubs that expressed an interest in the player, who most recently shined at the World Championships in Slovakia, reportedly included Montreal (home to the player’s agent and former Habs player Petr Svoboda). According to sources, Philadelphia signed a one-year contract with Jágr worth 3.3 million US dollars.

Thirty-nine-year old star Czech hockey player Jaromír Jágr will return to the NHL in the 2011/2012 season after signing with the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. The winger, who won two Stanley Cups during his NHL career but played the last three seasons in the KHL, had received offers from the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings. But both teams withdrew their offers on Friday after failing to hear from the player; the Penguins' management said it had never intended to get into a bidding war over the winger. Other clubs that expressed an interest in the player, who most recently shined at the World Championships in Slovakia, reportedly included Montreal (home to the player’s agent and former Habs player Petr Svoboda). According to sources, Philadelphia signed a one-year contract with Jágr worth 3.3 million US dollars.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have offered Czech hockey veteran Jaromír Jágr a one-year contract to return to the NHL. Pittsburgh’s GM Ray Shero said the team had offered a fair price and had been impressed by the star Czech player at this year’s World Championships in Slovakia. Jágr - who has played in the Continental Hockey League over the last three years – is expected to reach a decision soon. Jágr began his NHL career with Pittsburgh 20 years ago and won back-to-back Stanley Cups. The Detroit Red Wings have also expressed an interest in acquiring Jágr, while at one point a potential move to Montreal was also highlighted in the media.

Czech tennis players Kvitová, Berdych breeze through first three rounds at Wimbledon but Cetkovaská crushed by Lisicki in 4th; the Czech U21 and U17 football teams suffer defeats at the European and World championships; the national inline hockey team edges the US by a score of 3:2 in the final of the World Championships; hockey goalie Ondřej Pavelec is now a Winnipeg Jet.

Jágr gets a Golden Stick; Czechs ready for Wimbledon; Ujfaluši signs on with Galatasaray; Women’s basketball team defeats UK at Euro Championship

Former NHL star Jaromír Jágr won his 10th Golden Stick prize for the top Czech ice hockey player of the season on Saturday ahead of Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec. Jágr won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nagano Olympic tournament with the Czech team in 1998 before moving to play for the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers. The winger who spent the last three seasons at Russia's Avangard Omsk is now looking for an extension to his rich career, probably in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings mentioned as the hottest bidder by Czech media.

The Boston Bruins, with Czechs David Krejčí and Tomáš Kaberle, won the Stanley Cup after beating the Vancouver Canucks 4:0 in the seventh game of the final series on Wednesday. Defenseman Tomáš Kaberle won the cup five years after his older brother František who triumphed with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. With 12 goals and 11 assists, the 25-year-old forward David Krejčí became the NHL playoffs leading scorer, as the first Czech in the league’s history.

The demolition began on Saturday of Prague’s historic Štvanice ice hockey rink. The city-owned venue, which was completed in 1932 as the first hockey rink in the country, was in state of severe disrepair, and the local authorities ordered its demolition on Friday despite the fact it was registered as a protected monument. The authorities argued its reconstruction would have been too expensive. The Štvanice ice hockey rink hosted four world championships, the last of them in 1959. Due to its poor state, the ice rink was closed down in January this year.

The SKA Saint Petersburg hockey club has officially confirmed that they are working to acquire Czech hockey star Jaromír Jágr. Russian media reports that the 39-year-old forward may sign a contract this week. The team’s general manager Alexej Kasatonov said that Jágr was one of the candidates for strengthening the team, and that he was sure Jágr’s former team, Omsk, would be making an offer as well, as he currently has no contract.