Olympic gold medalist and former national team coach Vladimír Růžička has sold his family villa in Spořice near Chomutov, marking the end of a decade-long chapter for the hockey legend.
The property, which the family occupied for eleven years, was sold for six million Czech koruna, a figure significantly lower than the initial asking price of nearly nine million koruna, according to reports from Blesk. The sale of the 4+kk bungalow, which features a private swimming pool, was finalized after the property sat on the market since this year’s spring.
Financial obligations, including outstanding mortgages and a high-interest loan from a non-banking institution, consumed the bulk of the proceeds. According to Blesk, the former coach was left with approximately one million koruna after settling these debts.
The Růžička family is currently relocating to an apartment in the center of Chomutov. Marie Růžičková, the coach’s wife, confirmed the move and the subsequent liquidation of household assets to ŽivotvČesku.cz. “We are moving to an apartment in the center, and since there will be new furniture, we are selling what is in the house,” she explained.
The process has extended beyond furniture to personal items, including Marie Růžičková’s wedding dress. “I was saving them for my daughter, but since she will be about 180 cm tall, they won’t fit her,” she told ŽivotvČesku.cz. “They cost me 35,000, I will sell them for 8,000.”
“I pay for my vacations myself! I pay for EVERYTHING myself. My bills, the car, I pay for everything myself,” she said to Blesk.
She further emphasized the stability of their marriage despite the external pressure: “We are married. We said ‘for better or worse.’ There were times when he was doing better and he took care of things. Now there are times when he is doing worse and I am taking care of things.”
Vladimír Růžička, who led the Czech Republic to Olympic gold in 1998 and two world championship titles in 2005 and 2010, has faced a period of professional instability. Following his tenure in Ústí nad Labem, which concluded at the end of the previous season, he has remained without a coaching engagement.
Recent efforts to transition into local politics also proved unsuccessful; Růžička ran in the Chomutov municipal elections as a candidate for a coalition including SPD, Motorists, and PRO, where he secured 855 votes but finished only as a substitute.
While public records show no evidence of insolvency or active bankruptcy proceedings, the transition to a smaller residence underscores a significant change for one of the most prominent figures in Czech hockey history.
The family is expected to complete their move into the new Chomutov apartment, which features two bathrooms and private parking, as they begin this new phase.
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