Would anyone care to share their memories of the actual games in '69 where Czechoslovakia beat the USSR twice in a couple of days? There is an excellent hockey writer who writes that this is bigger- in his opinion much bigger- than the Canadian national triumph over the same Soviets in the 1972 Summit Series. I date a Canadian; trust me, they still talk about that win, it was a national drama for an entire month. The trouble that broke out later is easy to find information about (i.e., the Aeroflot vandalism). How about the games? Anybody here old enough to have been part of the jubilation? You must have had an incredible team in the 70's- I looked up results and CZ finished first, secord or third 15 years in a row! That's incredible for a country of 7 million people. Popular players? Famous moments? Did the entire country get in front of the TV to watch the games? It sounds very, very emotional considering the proximity to the Soviet invasion. Thanks for sharing, if you can.
I was there! Yes, it seemed like the EVERYBODY was glued to the TV the whole evening. Everything was quiet until the moment the game ended. I remember it was quite late in the evening. At that point, in our street, it seemed like everyone opened their windows and celebrated loudly. People poured out on the street in my neighborhood (Holesovice) and those who had cars were picking up strangers and taking them to the Center. I rode with someone I did not know. By the time I got to Wenceslas Square - the bottom half- it was already full of people. There was no trouble at all. I was close to the Aeroflot offices when someone broke in, but I did not see who. Next I knew, someone was handing me a model airplane - I passed it on. There was no police presence as far as I remember. There was a feeling of triumph and national unity. I don't remember how I got home that night. I was 17 and a half then. Few month later I flew to London and did not return until 20 years later. See http://www.bouncingczech.com That is all I remember about that night.
One other thing. There is a photograph I remember. It shows utterly spent Jozef Golonka at the end of the match, just lying on the ice face down with this huge grin on his face. It captured the moment beautifully. I think the photo won some awards, but I cannot find it online...
That is an excellent story, Bouncing. What I have read is that the CZ team was known for playing a conservative brand of hockey, and came out like madmen that night. I imagine that player you mentioned was completely spent- symbolic victories are very satisfying. Czechoslovakia was the best in the world that night and there were no tanks, no bombings, nobody died- an altogether happier way to settle national differences. The writer claims that the Swedish crowd- 8,000 strong- was chanting "Dubcek! Dubcek!" at the end of the match. What an unbelievably beautiful moment that must have been. My brother has told me what losing to the Soviets in basketball in '72 was like- very, very bitter moment. Beating them, especially for "TCH" as it used to be abbreviated (never could figure that one out) must have been a deeply proud moment.
Lot of it has to do with the Czech national psyche. A small country in the middle of Europe that is perennially ruled by someone else. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, then the Germans and finally the Russians from '68 to '90. There you get this David-Goliath complex and a sports victory like the one in '69 becomes very important. Specially against the political backdrop of the period. Yes, it was a fine moment, but it did not last very long. Politically and socially it all went pretty much downhill from there and that was the main reason I emigrated. Even now, I don't watch team sports, but I always find time to watch the Winter Olympic Games ice hockey matches or the World Cup if possible.
Well, here it is! This is probably the winning goal. No, 9, Golonka, who was the team captain, I think, scores and spreads out on the ice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_m4IbM_qAw I have not seen this in 40 years! Thank you for reminding me....
What a tremendous goal! I cannot believe you found that. That crowd just goes absolutely berserk too. Oddly enough, I really developed my interest and love for CZ culture after the Nagano Olympics. I think the whole world was rooting for that hockey team. Our American squad was a boorish, arrogant bunch that expected to win the gold, refused to stay in the Olympic village, and then trashed their hotel rooms after losing their first game. A real bunch of assholes. I was at a bar one night and the CZ game was on, Jaromir Jagr played for them and I'm from Pittsburgh so that did it- I said to hell with the spoiled Americans (Brett Hull, he was the one who was the instigator) and rooted for the Czechs. Watching them win was just a thrill. No Slovaks to round out the roster anymore, just a country the size of the city of Chicago beating the best players of the entire planet. It was so exciting that I decided to learn more about the country. Now I post on sites dedicated to the culture. Yes, team sports can excite some real passions. Thank you very much for finding that goal. What a great clip, and how simple the TV production was in those days. Great fun. And that's one of the best reactions I've ever seen from a player. Victory!
I think it's very nice that you take an interest in a small country that you otherwise have very little association with. There are many Czech expats living all over the world who slam the Czechs for a variety of undesirable national characteristics. I disagree with that. I go to the Czech Republic about every two years to visit and every time I see great improvements, not only in the standard of living, but also in the interaction between people - the everyday stuff. I think that they are doing very well after only 20 years. I remember Nagano and the way the US team behaved. It was pretty embarrassing. The Czechs did very well there. Rumor has it that President Havel sent a plane to pick them up after their final win and the entire team got so drunk on the plane they were barely able to get off it. I guess that is well deserved. I have a small possibility to go to Vancouver in two years for the Olympics. I've never been, so I am looking forward to it.
For me, it is the literature that has kept my interest alive. In the 20th Century, CZ literature as a national accomplishment surpassed all other European countries, and I am ardently Euro-Centric. I cannot help but admire a people whose resistence has always been so principled. I'm sure there was opposition to the old regimes in Hungary and the old GDR, but there was something poetic in Havel's essays or Skvorecky's novels that elevated that opposition from being simply "against" something. CZ intellectuals have always seemed know there was something to be for. I suppose that can be explained by reference to the elder Masaryk. As well, it is as if the very word "irony" has been defined by CZ writers. And there is nothing more satisfying to me than the wit to be found in a true tragic understanding of irony. Regardless, CZ history itself has all the characteristics of great literature: it is tragic and bewildering, filled with thrilling resistence and horrible betrayal, great heroes and spectacular fiends. As for "national characteristics", I suppose you refer to Svejk-ism which I do not see as necessarily a bad thing, a fondness for beer (which I share) and the indisputable fact that CZ women are without peer in beauty anywhere in the world. This is not exactly something I am opposed to my friend. I keep forgetting that you are an American. Of course you remember that hockey team in Nagano. A disgrace. As if we don't get enough trouble abroad for our "normal" tourists. As for Vancouver- I live in Seattle, and go to BC all the time. You will love Vancouver. I encourage you to visit before the Olympics, however- get to know the real city. The Olympics are going to turn the city into a zoo, and a friend of mine there has already made plans to rent her house out and go on vacation- she doesn't want the hassle of security and 100,000 Japanese tourists running around, driving up prices and overruning the beaches. Can't say that I blame her. Thank you for your interest here. The story about the model airplane is such a perfect moment. And I hope your "exile" here has been a satisfying and happy life for you. There is still a tremendous amount of good things to say about America, and I'd only leave if I thought they'd take me in Prague.
