HK Nitra qualified for the Champions Hockey League for the second straight year by winning the championship of the Slovak Extraliga. Their passionate fans now hope to see them accomplish more against some of the best clubs in Europe.
by Tomas Schugerl
The Champions Hockey League has already become quite popular in Slovakia. So much so that, during the last two Extraliga seasons, teams have become aware of their standing in the league, not only hoping to win the national title but also qualify for the contintental club competition. HK Nitra qualified in 2015 by finishing 2nd place in the regular season before falling in the league semi-finals.
Nitra's first CHL adventure was an up-and-down one, playing two solid games against Swedish powerhouse Skelleftea AIK – even earning a point in northern Sweden by taking the game to a shootout – but losing decisively twice to Bili Tygri Liberec, the eventual Czech champions.
They finished the 2015–16 Extraliga regular season in second again, then won the Slovak championship for the first time ever to re-qualify for the CHL.
Beginnings in Czechoslovakia
HK Nitra were established in 1926 and won the Tatra Cup in 1933. For many years, Nitra's hockey club was fighting in lower divisions and trying to get promoted to the first division. Finally in 1984, Nitra were promoted into the top Czechoslovakian league. For the next few years afterwards, they moved back and forth between the top two leagues, winning the second division in 1987, 1989, 1992 and 1993. Then, for the 1993–94 season the Czechoslovakian federal league divided into two separate competitions, and Nitra would play an important part in Slovakia.
Stability in Slovakia
Since 1993, HK Nitra have been outside of the Slovakian Extraliga just three seasons. In the early seasons, they were battling to avoid relegation, but this changed after 2003. That year, Nitra won the Slovak second division and have stayed in the top league ever since. They quickly rose to the top of the Extraliga too, finishing first in the regular season in 2005–06 before being eliminated by Zilina in the semi-finals.
Since that time, HK Nitra have been a strong and stable member of the Slovak Extraliga. The club is respected for its players and for its fans, who are among the most passionate in the country, and regularly fill Nitra Arena to capacity.
They came very close to cheering their team to a national title in 2013–14. In the spring of 2014 they met HC Kosice in the finals, which went the full seven games before Kosice finally prevailed. Then in 2014–15, the club finished second in the regular season and advanced to the semi-finals. In 2015–16 they finished second again, but this time reached the finals against Banska Bystrica. Nitra won the series in six games, sealing their first-ever title with a shootout victory.
Famous players
HK Nitra have developed several great players throughout their history. Dusan Milo and Zigmund Palffy, both members of the Slovakian national team that won the gold medal at the 2002 World Championship, started their hockey careers in this town. One of the most famous players in Slovakian hockey history, Jozef Stumpel, also started playing hockey in Nitra. Stumpel returned to Nitra in 2012 and played four more years, including captaining the team's first go-around in the CHL.
Team facts
| Founded | 1926 | Domestic titles | 1 (2016) | |
| Seasons in top league | 24 (4 in TCH, 20 in SVK) | Retired numbers | none | |
| 2015–16 domestic finish | 1st | Home rink | Nitra Arena (Capacity 3,600) |
CHL seasons
2015–16: 3rd in Group D