Prague, June 18 (CTK) – The Czech Ice Hockey Association’s (CSLH) executive committee selected Vladimir Vujtek, 68, as a new head coach of the national hockey team to replace Vladimir Ruzicka Thursday, the CSLH has announced in a press release.
Vujtek, who coached the Slovak national hockey team from 2011 until this year, will have a one-year contract.
CSLH President Tomas informed Vujtek about the decision Thursday.
“Mr Vujtek thanked us for confidence and he confirmed his interest in the post of the head coach of the Czech national team,” CSLH spokesman Zdenek Zikmund said.
Before discussing particular candidates, the CSLH’s executive committee agreed on the conditions of the coach appointment. The head coach of the national team must work full time and he will have a one-year contract.
“The executive committee has agreed on a one-year contract because the CSLH conference will be held next year and the newly elected leadership will be able to solve the coach’s continuation,” Zikmund said.
Vujtek and Kral agreed that Vujtek would prepare a draft concept of his work by mid-July, including his assistants and the operational team.
“The CSLK executive committee expects the head coach to have one or two assistants. He can naturally extend his team ahead of the world championship. The new coach of the national side will be definitively approved at a meeting of the executive committee in August 2016,” Zikmund said.
Ruzicka, 52, who replaced Alois Hadamczik as the national team’s head coach in February 2014 after the Sochi Winter Olympics, resigned last week in reaction to a corruption suspicion.
Ruzicka, along with his friend, Jiri Moucek, allegedly received money from parents of several players to enable their sons to play for the Slavia Praha club that Ruzicka coached from 2000 until the end of the past hockey season, when the club was relegated from the Elite League.
Ruzicka rejected all corruption allegations and he said he would defend himself against them.
