This Day in Hockey History – January 1, 1992 and 1993 – Changing Countries

Jan 1, 2019

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As the 1990s began, the world was changing in ways that had major impacts on international sports. The timing of the annual IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship made it center stage for introducing these changes. As 1991 ended, the Soviet Union dissolved, and on January 1, 1992, its World Junior team changed its name to the Community of Independent States (CIS). Exactly one year later, Czechoslovakia separated on December 31, and at the game the next day, the combined team became Czech-Slovak. Neither team let the altered identities hold them back from medaling.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union coincided with the start of the World Juniors, held at Fussen, Germany on December 26, 1991. Out of the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was formed. Its World Juniors team continued to use the name Soviet Union for their four December games, all of which they won (beating Switzerland 10-2, Sweden 4-3, Finland 4-1, and Germany 7-0. Then, on January 1, 1992, “the era of Soviet hockey officially ended” when the team changed names to the Community of Independent States. The arena lowered the Soviet flag, and the anthem was replaced with the International Ice Hockey Federation anthem. The team was able to keep their traditional jerseys for the tournament. Their coach, Piotr Vordhiov, told the press, “I think the reaction will be calm. I am sure nobody will leave the team.” However, he “had not informed the players of the change and refused to allow reporters access to the teenagers.” On the first day of the new year and new team name, they faced their only defeat of the tournament (losing 5-2 to Czechoslovakia). They went on to defeat team USA 5-0 and team Canada 7-2 to win the gold medal. The 1992-93 World Juniors was the first in which Russia competed as such.

Czechoslovakia was formed from separate countries in 1918 and divided again briefly during the Second World War. In 1989, they went through a nonviolent “Velvet Revolution” that ushered in a non-Communist government. However, this served to highlight some of the differences (especially political) between the formerly separate countries, and as a negotiated “Velvet Divorce,” they chose to separate into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The split would go into effect on December 31, 1992.

By that time, the Czechoslovakian team had played four games at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Gävle, Sweden in December, 1992. They lost to Finland 5-2, defeated the USA 6-5, lost to Sweden 7-2, and (on December 30) tied Russia 1-1. As the year ended, officials at the World Juniors, once again, lowered the flag of a country, this time Czechoslovakia, and replaced it with that of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Slovak goalie Igor Murin commented, “We are a team without borders.” For their next game, on January 1, 1993, the Czechoslovakian references on their jerseys were blacked out. They crushed Japan 14-2 on that January 1 game.

“That was very tough. At that time, we had a very tight group,” Pavol Demitra told IIHF.com in an interview published in May 2011. “I remember after the New Year, we’d won a couple of games, and then they didn’t play our national song anymore. That was very weird.” Demitra would lose his life just four months later in the catastrophic plane crash in Russia that killed the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team of the KHL on September 7, 2011.

According to the Canada Press, “The Czech and Slovak players appeared to remain neutral during the historic event. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder and smiled for their official team picture.” However, coach Jan Sterbak told them, “The separation is not pleasurable but it is not a tragedy. The majority of the players regret it. It is the wish of the politicians and not hockey players.”

Their last two games were first on January 2, when they beat Germany 6-3, and finally on January 4th, where they won 7-4 against Canada.

Starting with the next World Juniors, the new Czech team would remain in Pool A, but the new Slovak team would have to work its way up from Pool C (which it managed in 1996). For that last World Juniors as a combined team, they earned the bronze medal.

“I remember that after we won the bronze medal, everybody sang the Czechoslovakian national anthem all together, and that was very special,” Demitra said.