HOCKEY, HOLLYWOOD AND JERRY BRUCKHEIMER

Over the last 30 years, Jerry Bruckheimer has been involved in more than his share of Hollywood power plays. The executive producer of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies and "CSI" TV dramas would rather take his power plays on ice, however, playing his favourite sport - hockey.

Bruckheimer's passion for the game came up earlier this month at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif. It was during a session for one of two new shows he's producing for the fall, ABC's "The Forgotten" (the other being the cable crime drama "Dark Blue," which stars Dylan McDermott).

Christian Slater was asked how he came to be cast as the lead in "The Forgotten," a drama about a team of amateur sleuths who look into cold cases involving forgotten murder victims.

"Jerry plays hockey, and I think in the locker room, my agent also plays on maybe a different team, but they ended up talking about it. And Jerry said he was looking for an actor for a new show that he was doing, and my agent put it together. So this all sort of came together in the locker room."


Jerry Bruckheimer and Gary Bettman

Bruckheimer confirmed the story. He said he was changing and sitting next to an agent who said: "I understand you're casting your show, 'The Forgotten.' And have you ever thought of Christian Slater?"

Recalls Bruckheimer: "I said, 'Christian Slater is a terrific actor. Would he actually do television?' And he said, 'Let me talk to him.' And that's how it started."

Slater himself doesn't play hockey, and laughed when it was suggested to him he better start lacing 'em up if he wants to stay in the Hollywood power loop. "I'm going to have to get in the game," he said.

Asked after the session if he'd ever consider suiting up opposite some Canadian TV critics, savvy Bruckheimer joked that we'd be "too good."

The 63-year-old Detroit native has invested in a new sports arena in Las Vegas, and his name always comes up in rumours about possible ownership in an NHL franchise there. He got into hockey after working out with former L.A. Kings tough guy Marty McSorley. Another ex-King, Luc Robitaille, is part of Bruckheimer's puck posse. Now Bruckheimer scrimmages at least once a week whenever he's in the L.A. area, with famous actor clients such as Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr., sometimes joining him on the ice.

Bruckheimer's not the only TV mover and shaker to put his passion on ice. On the east coast, actor/writer/producer Denis Leary suits up once-a-week in Brooklyn, N.Y., with cast and crew members of his series "Rescue Me" before heading to the set. Leary even works hockey players into his series, like former Boston Bruin great Phil Esposito, who usually pops in once a season as a hot-headed rival firehouse captain.

Not all of the actors who skate in Bruckheimer's league are famous - yet. David Henrie, a 20-year-old who stars in the Disney/Family Channel comedy "The Wizards of Waverly Place," plays hockey with the producer on a regular basis. Henrie grew up in the not-so-hot hockey bed of Phoenix, but nonetheless, as a youngster, took part in hockey tournaments all across North America. He couldn't believe his luck when he moved to L.A. to pursue his acting career and got invited to skate with Bruckheimer and the many stars - from hockey and Hollywood - who make the games part of their weekly routine.

This year, Bruckheimer jammed his two press tour sessions between dates for his annual "Bad Boys" hockey tournament in Las Vegas. It's named after his 1994 Will Smith film "Bad Boys." On the ice is a mix of Hollywood and professional hockey talent, with Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick, Jarome Iginla and Paul Kariya taking part in past years.

Apparently the tourney lives up to its name. Kiefer Sutherland used to play every year, but not anymore. "The deal runs four days," Sutherland said at last year's press tour, and, by the fourth day, "it's just not conducive to playing hockey anymore."

Too tough for Jack Bauer? Maybe the Leafs should start recruiting from Jerry Bruckheimer's Hollywood hockey league.


Ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky arrives with his wife Janet Jones for the premiere of пїЅThe Hangover,пїЅ at the GraumanпїЅs Chinese Theatre in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California on June 2, 2009.

VISITING COPENHAGEN WITH ME AND SWEDISH NHLers

Danish hockey fans had a rare opportunity to watch a parade of the biggest Swedish NHL stars when the Icebreakers visited Copenhagen 5-6 August 2009.

On 5-6 August, the Icebreakers, a charity team formed by Peter Forsberg and Markus Näslund in 2002, visited Copenhagen to play two games against an All-Star Danish teams and the local team of Rødovre. It was the first time in its history, the Icebreakers played outside Sweden and Finland.


Danish Frans Nielsen vs. Russians. 1997 World Championship

Icebreakers' featured an impressive lineup of some of the biggest Swedish NHL stars: Peter Forsberg, Markus Näslund, Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Bäckström, the Sedin twins,. Indeed, in both games, the Icebreakers played with a superline centered around Forsberg with Bäckström, Näslund and Zetterberg, and this line received plenty of icetime. The Danish Allstar team included NHL'ers Frans Nielsen (NY Islanders) and Peter Regin (Ottawa Senators) as well as North American legionars Sebastian Dahm and Morten Madsen. Unfortunately, the Danish teams missed some of the biggest NHL prospects, Mikkel Bødker (Phoenix Coytotes), Lars Eller (St. Louis Blues)and Philip Larsen (Dallas Stars). If available, Bødker and Eller would have played both games as they grew up with Rødovre.

Great hockey players, exciting hockey, but what to do between the games? Do not worry, my friends. Actually a lot of fun and interesting places to watch around! Let's have a look.

Copenhagen may take you farther than the Danish capital, Scandinavia’s largest city. You just might find yourself transported to a place where Hans Christian Andersen indulged your childhood fantasies of red shoes, ugly ducklings, Thumbelina or the Little Mermaid, still perched precariously in the harbor.



"WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL..."

One of this city’s greatest attributes is its ability to enchant visitors with its charm and cordiality, engulfing them with a welcome that is more reminiscent of a small town than a cosmopolitan metropolis. A stroll along Nyhavn (“New Harbor”), with its beckoning cafes, may entice you to taste some of the Danish specialties, such as smorrebrod (open sandwiches), polser (hot dogs) and frikadeller (meatballs), along with a cold Danish beer. Bring your skates for a dash around the central ice rink or enjoy the variety of stores along the Stroget, a pedestrian shopping area connecting east and west Copenhagen.
The kid in you – and with you – will clamor for Tivoli Gardens, one of the world’s best loved amusement parks. Since 1843, the architecture of this fairytale-come-to-life has bid tourists and locals alike to surrender to the charms of its merry-go-round, theatres and gourmet restaurants, all situated in the heart of the city.



ROYAL WATCHING…AND A UNIQUE 'TWOFER'

Whatever you do, don’t miss the historic Changing of the Guards. Every day at noon, crowds gather at Amalienborg Palace in the city center for the splendid pageantry of this colorful event. Queen Margrethe, her husband Prince Henrik, and the Crown Prince Frederik, live in the palace, which flies the queen’s colors when she is in residence.
Denmark’s imperial history is also evoked by Christiansborg, seat of the Folketinget (Danish Parliament) for nearly a thousand years, as well as the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Royal Reception Rooms. People with a yen to see the crown jewels will enjoy the Royal Danish Chronological Collections (De Danske Kingers Kronologiske Samlinger) in Rosenborg, summer palace of the 17th-century King Christian. With roots dating back to 1699, the beautiful gardens of Frederiksberg enhance the palace museum that honors King Frederik V.
And what’s better than the Danish side of Scandinavia might just be the Swedish side, connected since 2000 by the Oresund Bridge. The link between Copenhagen and Malmo is a bridge-tunnel accessible by car or train, enabling people to go from one country to the other in less than 20 minutes.



SPORTS

Copenhagen has a wide variety of sport teams. The two major football teams are Brøndby IF and FC København. Brøndby IF plays at Brøndby Stadium in Brøndby and FC København plays at Parken in Østerbro, Copenhagen. Notable Copenhagen teams playing at the second highest level in Danish football (the Danish 1st Division) include Lyngby BK, AB, HIK, Frem, Brønshøj, Fremad Amager and Skjold.
Copenhagen also has three ice hockey teams: Rødovre Mighty Bulls, Herlev Hornets and Nordsjælland Cobras.
There are a lot of handball teams in Copenhagen. FC København owns both a women's and a men's team, which have the same name and logo. They were formerly known as FIF. Of other clubs playing in the "highest" leagues there are; Ajax Heroes, Ydun, and HIK (Hellerup).
Rugby union is also played in the Danish capital with teams such as CSR-Nanok, Copenhagen Scrum, Exiles, Froggies and Rugbyklubben Speed. The Danish Australian Football League, based in Copenhagen is the largest Australian rules football competition outside of the English speaking world.

Copenhagen is also home to a number of Denmark's 40-odd cricket clubs. Although Denmark has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1966, the sport is not taught much in schools, and Danish cricket competes unfavourably with the much more widely followed sport of football for players, facilities, media attention and spectators.



PARKS

Copenhagen is a green city with many big and small parks. King's Garden, the garden of Rosenborg Castle, is the oldest and most visited park in Copenhagen. Its landscaping was commenced by Christian IV in 1606. Every year it sees more than 2,5 million visitors and in the summer months it is packed with sunbathers, picknickers and ballplayers. It also serves as a sculpture garden with a permanent display of sculptures as well as temporary exhibits during summer. Also located in the city centre are the Botanical Gardens particularly noted for their large complex of 19th century greenhouses donated by Carlsberg founder J. C. Jacobsen. Fælledparken is with its 58 hectars the largest park in Copenhagen. It is popular for sports and hosts a long array of annual events like a free opera concert at the opening of the opera season, other open-air concerts, carnival, Labour Day celebrations and Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix which is a race for antique cars. A historical green space in the northeastern part of the city is Kastellet which is a well-presserved renaissance citadel that now serves mainly as a park. Another popular park is the Frederiksberg Garden which is a 32 hectars romantic landscape park. It houses a large colony of very tame grey herons along with other waterfowls. The park also offers views of the elephants and the elephant house designed by world-famous British architect Norman Foster of the adjacent Copenhagen Zoo.

Characteristic of Copenhagen is that a number of cemeteries double as parks, though only for the more quiet activities such as sunbathing, reading and meditation. Assistens Cemetery, the burial place of Hans Christian Andersen among others, is an important green space for the district of Inner Nørrebro and a Copenhagen institution. The lesser known Vestre Kirkegaard is with its 54 hectars the largest cemetery in Denmark[45] and offers a maze of dense groves, open lawns, winding paths, hedges, overgrown tombs, monuments, tree-lined avenues, lakes and other garden features.

It is official municipal policy in Copenhagen that all citizens by 2015 must be able to reach a park or beach on foot in less than 15 minutes. In line with this policy, several new parks are under development in areas poor in green spaces.



BEACHES

Copenhagen and the surrounding areas have 3 beaches with a total of approx. 8 km of sandy beaches within 30 minutes of bicycling from the city centre. This includes Amager Strandpark, which opened in 2005 and includes a 2 km long artificial island and a total of 4,6 km of beaches, located just 15 minutes by bicycle or a few minutes by metro from the city centre.

The beaches are supplemented by a system of Harbour Baths along the Copenhagen waterfront. The first and most popular of these is located at Islands Brygge and has won international acclaim for its design.

COLOGNE, GERMANY - COLOGNE SHARKS AND THOMAS GREISS HOME

Today we will visit the young San Jose backup goalie Thomas Greiss who according to the Sharks management opinion should be an important part of the team reconstruction.



Thomas Greiss was born January 29, 1986 in Cologne (Koln), Germany. The third round, 94th overall selection of the San Jose Sharks in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Greiss honed his skills in his homeland prior to his arrival in North America.

A calm mannered netminder, Greiss made his North American debut between the pipes of the Sharks' AHL affiliate in Worcester. That season, Greiss posted a respectable 25-15-2 record in the AHL and was assigned to the ECHL for three games. The following season Greiss returned to Worcester and managed to make his NHL debut on January 13, 2007.

Internationally, Greiss has represented Germany at numerous junior tournaments and most notably, the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Cologne (German: Köln) is Germany's fourth-largest city (after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich), and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany, having been founded by the Romans in the year 38 BC.



Cologne lies on the River Rhine. The city's famous Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. The University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln) is one of Europe's oldest universities.

Cologne is a major cultural center of the Rhineland and has a vibrant arts scene. Cologne is home to more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. Exhibitions range from local ancient Roman archeological sites to contemporary graphics and sculpture. The city's Trade Fair Grounds are host to a number of trade shows such as the Art Cologne Fair, the International Furniture Fair (IMM) and the Photokina. Cologne is also well-known for its celebration of Cologne Carnival, the annual reggae summerjam, and the gay/lesbian pride festival Christopher Street Day (CSD) (Hm..not exactly the hockey theme, sorry, people..).

Within Germany, Cologne is known as an important media center. Several radio and television stations, including Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), RTL and VOX, have their headquarters in the city. Both Pro7 and Sat.1 produce TV shows in Cologne as well. Further, the city hosts the Cologne Comedy Festival (That's better, isn't it?), which is considered to be the largest comedy festival in mainland Europe.

In 2005 Cologne hosted the 20th Roman Catholic World Youth Day with Pope Benedict XVI.



Culture

Cologne has several museums of many kinds. The famous Romano-Germanic Museum features art and architecture from the city's distant past (also see landmarks). Several orchestras are active in the city, among them the Gürzenich Orchestra and Musica Antiqua Köln, as well as several choirs, including the WDR Rundfunkchor Köln. Cologne was also an important centre of electronic music in the 1950s (Studio für elektronische Musik, Karlheinz Stockhausen) and again from the 90s onward. The public radio and TV station WDR was involved in promoting musical movements such as Krautrock in the 70s. There are several centers of nightlife, among them the Kwartier Latäng (the student quarter around the Zülpicher Straße) and the nightclub-studded areas around the Friesenplatz and Rudolfplatz.

The large annual literary festival Lit.Cologne features regional and international authors. The main literary figure connected to Cologne is writer Heinrich Böll, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Cologne is well-known for its beer, called Kölsch. Kölsch is also the name of the local dialect. This has led to the common joke of Kölsch being the only language one can drink.



Cologne is also famous for Eau de Cologne (Kölnisch Wasser). At the beginning of the 18th century, Italian expatriate Johann Maria Farina created a new fragrance and named it after his hometown Cologne, Eau de Cologne (Water of Cologne). In the course of the 18th century the fragrance became increasingly popular. Eventually, Cologne merchant Wilhelm Mülhens secured the name Farina, which at that time had become a household name for Eau de Cologne, under contract and opened a small factory at Cologne's Glockengasse. In later years, and under pressure from court battles, his grandson Ferdinand Mülhens chose a new name for the firm and their product. It was the house number that was given to the factory at Glockengasse during French occupation of the Rhineland in the early 19th century, number 4711. In 1994, the Mülhens family sold their company to German Wella corporation. In 2003 Procter & Gamble took over Wella. Today, original Eau de Cologne still is produced in Cologne by both the Farina family (Farina gegenüber since 1709), currently in the eighth generation, and by Mäurer and Wirtz who bought the 4711 brand in December 2006

Carnival

Cologne carnival is one of the biggest street festivals in Europe. In Cologne, the carnival season officially starts on 11 November at 11 minutes past 11 a.m. with the proclamation of the new Carnival Season, and continues until Ash Wednesday. But the so-called "Tolle Tage" (mad days) don't start until Weiberfastnacht (Women's Carnival) or, in dialect, Wieverfastelovend (Thursday before Ash Wednesday), which is the beginning of the street carnival. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Cologne during this time. Generally, around a million people are celebrating in the streets on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday.

Sports

A 2006 FIFA World Cup venue, The RheinEnergieStadion, hosts both the city's football team "1. FC Köln" which competes in the Bundesliga, and the American football Cologne Centurions who played in the now defunct NFL Europa.



The city is also home of the hockey team Kölner Haie (Cologne Sharks), in the highest hockey league in Germany, the DEL. They are based at the Lanxess Arena.

Founded in 1972 Cologne is the most successful team in modern german hockey history. The team has uninterruptedly played at the highest level since 1973, winning eight championships. The team has the biggest arena in de DEL and is the second best drawing team in Europa. Best period in history was the 1980s when Cologne won four titles in five years. The team was a founding member of the DEL in 1994 and is the all time points leader in the league. Two championships and three places in the final confirm its strength over the last decade.

CROATIA, ZAGREB AND SAKIC. PART TWO

So last post was about Croatian hockey and Joe Sakic, this one is about Zagreb.



The name Zagreb appears to have been recorded in 1094, although the origins of the name Zagreb are less clear. The Croatian word "zagrabiti" translates approximately to "scoop", which forms the basis of some legends. One Croat legend says that a Croat ban (viceroy) was leading his thirsty soldiers across a deserted region. He drove his sabre into the ground in frustration and water poured out so he ordered his soldiers to dig for water. The idea of digging or unearthing is supported by scientists who suggest that the settlement was established beyond a water-filled hole or graba and that the name derives from this. Some suggests that the name derives from the term 'za breg' or beyond the hill. The hill may well have been the river bank of the River Sava, which is believed to have previously flowed closer to the city centre. From here, the words may have been fused into one word and, thus, the name Zagreb was born. According to another legend, a city ruler was thirsty and ordered a girl named Manda to take water from Lake Manduševac (nowadays a fountain), using the sentence: "Zagrabi, Mando!" which means, Scoop it, Manda!. A less but probable theory is that the name Zagreb is believed to be related to the Zagros mountains of Iran.

Zagreb is an important tourist center, not only in terms of passengers travelling from Western and Central Europe to the Adriatic Sea, but also as a travel destination itself. Since the end of the war, it has attracted around half a million visitors annually, mainly from Austria, Germany and Italy. However, the city has even greater potential as many tourists that visit Croatia skip Zagreb in order to visit the beaches along the Croatian Adriatic coast and old historic Renaissance cities such as Dubrovnik, Split, and Zadar.

The historical part of the city to the north of Ban Jelačić Square is composed of the Gornji Grad and Kaptol, a medieval urban complex of churches, palaces, museums, galleries and government buildings that are popular with tourists on sightseeing tours. The historic district can be reached on foot, starting from Jelačić Square, the center of Zagreb, or by a funicular on nearby Tomićeva Street.


Souvenirs and gastronomy

Numerous shops, boutiques, store houses and shopping centers offer a variety of quality clothing. Zagreb's offerings include crystal, china and ceramics, wicker or straw baskets, and top-quality Croatian wines and gastronomic products.

Notable Zagreb souvenirs are the tie or cravat, an accessory named after Croats who wore characteristic scarves around their necks in the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century and the ball-point pen, a tool developed from the inventions by Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, an inventor and a citizen of Zagreb.

Many Zagreb restaurants offer various specialities of national and international cuisine. Domestic products which deserve to be tasted include turkey, duck or goose with mlinci (a kind of pasta), štrukli (cottage cheese strudel), sir i vrhnje (cottage cheese with cream), kremšnite (custard slices in flaky pastry), and orehnjača (traditional walnut roll).



Sports and Recreation

There are several sports and recreational centers in Zagreb. Recreational Sports Center Jarun, situated on Jarun Lake in the southwest of the city, has fine shingle beaches, a world-class regatta course, a jogging lane around the lake, several restaurants, many night clubs and a discothèque. Its sports and recreation opportunities include swimming, sunbathing, waterskiing, angling and other water sports, but also beach volleyball, football, basketball, handball, table tennis, and minigolf.

Dom Sportova, a sport center in northern Trešnjevka features six halls. The largest two can accommodate 12,000 and 4,000 people, respectively. This center is used for basketball, handball, volleyball, hockey, gymnastics, tennis, and many others. It is also used for concerts.

Arena Zagreb is was finished in 2008. The handball arena has 16,300 seats and it hosted the 2009 World Men's Handball Championship. The Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall seats 5,400 people. Alongside the hall is the 94-meter (310 ft) high glass Cibona Tower. Sports Park Mladost, situated on the embankment of the Sava river, has an Olympic-size swimming pool, smaller indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sunbathing terrace, 16 tennis courts as well as basketball, volleyball, handball, football and field hockey courts. A volleyball sports hall is within the park.

Sports and Recreational Center Šalata, located in Šalata, only a couple hundred meters from the Jelačić Square, is most attractive for tennis players. It comprises a big tennis court and eight smaller ones, two of which are covered by the so-called "balloon", and another two equipped with lights. The center also has swimming pools, basketball courts, football fields, a gym and fitness center, and a four-lane bowling alley. Outdoor ice skating is a popular winter recreation. There are also several fine restaurants within and near the center.

Maksimir Tennis Center, located in Ravnice east of downtown, consists of two sports blocks. The first comprises a tennis center situated in a large tennis hall with four courts.

There are 22 outdoor tennis courts with lights. The other block offers multipurpose sports facilities: apart from tennis courts, there are handball, basketball and indoor football grounds, as well as track and field facilities, a bocci ball alley and table tennis opportunities.

Recreational swimmers can enjoy a smaller-size indoor swimming pool in Daničićeva Street, and a newly opened indoor Olympic-size pool at Utrine sports center in Novi Zagreb. Skaters can skate in the skating rink on Trg Sportova (Sports Square) and on the lake Jarun Skaters' park. Hippodrome Zagreb offers recreational horseback riding opportunities, while horse races are held every weekend during the warmer p art of the year.



The 40,000-seat Maksimir Stadium, currently under renovation, is located in Maksimir in the northeastern part of the city. Upon renovation, it will seat 55,000 spectators, and sport a fully retractable roof. The stadium is part of the immense Svetice recreational and sports complex (ŠRC Svetice), south of the Maksimir Park. The complex covers an area of 276,440 m2 (68 acres). It is part of a significant Green Zone, which passes from Medvednica Mountains in the north toward the south. ŠRC Svetice, together with Maksimir Park, creates an ideal connection of areas which are assigned to sport, recreation and leisure.

The latest larger recreational facility is Bundek, a group of two small lakes near the Sava in Novi Zagreb, surrounded by a partly forested park. The location had been used prior to the 1970s, but then went to neglect until 2006 when it was renovated.

CROATIA, ZAGREB AND SAKIC. PART ONE

I was really surprised when I got an email from my Croatian friend who told me that our famous JOE SAKIC has Croatian ancestors. His parents were born where and used to live in the village not too far from his own home. So I have to apologize for my critical words addressed to one broadcaster who kept calling him "Josef Sakitch"...
Once again, you never know...
So I have some research done for Croatian hockey history and it's capital - the beautiful ZAGREB. Enjoy!


JOE SAKIC or "Josef Sakitch" if you want...

A game on ice that could be considered forerunner of ice hockey is mentioned for the first time in our territory in last century (this was written at 1991).
In 1894 Dr. Franjo Bucar, pioneer of sport, came back from Sweden to Zagreb. From 1892 to 1894, Dr. Bucar studied gymnastics and modern sports at the General Gymnastics Institute in Stockholm.
In 1894, on his return to Zagreb, Dr. Bucar founded Skating Section in the First Skating Association.
Two first public ice hockey matches were played in Zagreb, in the winter 1916/17, between the Croatian Academic Sports Club (CASC) an the First Croatian Skating Association (FCSA). The CASC won the first match 2:0 and the score of the second was 6:0 in favour of the FCSA.
On 21 November 1922 Winter Federation of Zagreb was founded that included skiing, skating and hockey.
On 3 February 1924, the first ice hockey match with 6 players was played between the Croatian Academic Sports Club (CASC) and ZKD. The CASC won 4:1.
In 1930, the clubs "Marathon" and "Concordia" from Zagreb and the Sports Association of Karlovac founded ice hockey sections.
In the same year, the Sports Association "Slavija" founded ice hockey section in Sisak.
In 1935, ice hockey section was founded in Varazdin.
On 9 November 1935, the Croatian Skating and Ice Hockey Federation was founded in Zagreb and began its activity.
In 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1940, the clubs from Zagreb, Sisak, Karlovac and Varazdin played matches for the "Championship of Banovina(*) of Croatia".
In 1939, the clubs from Croatia "Marathon" and "ZKD" took part of the first Championship of Yugoslavia.
After the second WW, in 1947, the ice hockey club "Mladost" from Zagreb won the title of national champion of the first Championship of Yugoslavia held in Zagreb.
In 1949, the ice hockey club "Mladost" was again the champion of Yugoslavia.
In 1956, the ice hockey club "ZAGREB" became the champion of Yugoslavia.
In 1989, the ice hockey cklub "Medvescak-Gortan" from Zagreb became the champion of Yugoslavia.
In 1990 and 1991, the ice hockey cklub "Medvescak-Gortan" was the champion of Yugoslavia.
During the World Championship 1947 held in Prague, Yugoslavia became a member of the IIHF.
In 1989, the club "Medvescak-Gortan" organized ice hockey quarter finals Tournament for the European Cup.
In 1990, the club "Medvescak-Gortan" participated in the final European Championship in Dusseldorf and was placed seventh (from 8 teams).
It should be mentioned, that many ice hockey players from Croatia played in Yugoslav team, that took part in the World championships of Seniors, the World- and European Championship of Juniors as well as in the Olympic Games in the period from 1939 to 1991.
All those years, Croatian clubs played an important role on competitions within the Championship of Yugoslavia
Croatia has no tradition in hockey. However, one of the greatest hockey players of today is Joe Sakic, Canadian Croat. His both parents are from Croatia (his father is from Imotski, and mother from Lika). Joe contributed greatly to the final victory of Canadian national team at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games held in Salt Lake City.

Two outstanding hockey players of Croatian Origin were brothers Frank and Peter Mahovlich. Frank is now a Canadian Senator and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Many thanks to Mr. Wally Cencich for this information.

FRANK MAHOVLICH