Former players Otakar Janecký, Viktor Ujčík and in memoriam Jiří Dolan were ceremonially inducted into the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame today in Prague, whose son Libor represented him at the ceremony.
Sixty-four-year-old Janecký won four bronze medals in the national team – at the 1992 Albertville Olympics and at the world championships in 1989, 1992 and 1993. In Finland, he became a legend of Jokerit Helsinki.
“The fact that I am in the Finnish Hall of Fame and now also in the Czech one is a business card that I did hockey at least a little bit well. Hockey players are like actors,” declared Janecký.
“They also play for the people and get applause when they play well. And I played hockey for the people, I was such a clown,” he admitted.
Fifty-three-year-old Ujčík is a three-time world champion from 1996, 1999 and 2001. He also has bronze from the World Championships (1997).
“I’m very happy about it, in any case, it’s a huge honor to be included among the people who are already there. And now I’m also among those big personalities from the ranks of players, coaches, journalists and others,” said Ujčík.
“I hope I somehow deserved it. It’s a great feeling, the appreciation of the work I did on the ice. I don’t put up with jackets much, that’s known about me, but this (member of the Hall of Fame) is something completely different. I’m very happy about it. Now I’ll enjoy it, but then back to Jihlava and Přerov is waiting for us from half past five,” added the coach of the first league Dukla.
Dolana is the European champion from 1961. With the Czechoslovakian team, he won world silver in the same year, and bronze at the 1963 WC. In 1964 he was a member of the bronze team at the Olympic Games in Innsbruck. He died in July 2003 at the age of 66.
“I don’t put up with this myself, but dad would be very happy. It would certainly be better if he could be here himself, but unfortunately that’s no longer possible. I’ll tell him anyway that I’ve taken over for him,” said Libor Dolana.
“Dad did great things on the ice. And it was said that Pardubice had two D’s – Dvořáček in goal and Dolan in attack. He was a great shooter,” added Dolana.
With the newly inducted trio of forwards, the Hall of Fame has 156 members.
