Washington Capitals Old Timers in the Czech Republic

First match in Pilsen the Czech team won by a score of 7-4.

September 14, 2009

Sixteen retired National Hockey League (NHL) players from the Washington Capitals toured the Czech Republic last week. They played two exhibition games against the Czech Old Timers team, had a courtesy call with President Václav Klaus, and took part in a reception at the US Ambassador's residence in Prague. It was the first time that an entire team of retired NHL players played in the Czech Republic. Czech-American Vladimira Papirnik and Czech hockey legend Milan Nový, who played for Washington Capitals in the season 1982/1983, organized the tour.

The opening match was in Plzen, where Chargé d'Affaires Mary Thompson-Jones,  Deputy Prime Minister Martin Barták and Plzeň Mayor Pavel Rödl dropped a ceremonial first puck. The Czech team won by a score of 7-4. A similar exhibition game was held in Pardubice, where the Czech team won by a score of 4-3.

Two of the players, Blair Stewart and Alan Hangsleben, also discussed life as an NHL player with students from four Czech high schools:  Gymnasium Trebic, Gymnasium Jilemnice, Anglo-German Business Academy Praha 6 and Vocational school Kladno.