Sparta Prague are one of the Czech Republic's oldest hockey teams, as well as one of the most famous sports clubs in all of Europe. They have eight CHL titles and have been a regular top contender on the international club scene as well over the decades.

by Tereza Velikovská and Marek Kratochvíl

In terms of European hockey, few team names are as famous as Sparta. Within the Czech Republic, they are the most prestigious club, and play before large crowds everywhere they go. They also inspire their opponents to play better – beating Sparta is a big deal. Sparta have won the Czechoslovakian or Czech title eight times, and in 2013–14 they celebrated their 110th anniversary by recording a league-record 110 points in the regular season.

Over 110 years of tradition

Sparta's on-ice tradition began way back in 1903. At that time, the players hardly resembled the ancient warriors they were named after. No armour covered their bodies, just hand-me-downs from the football club: socks, shin pads and shirts with stripes. Up until 1909, they even used a ball instead of a puck, as bandy was the more popular on-ice game.

As time passed, the on-ice Spartans started to look more and more like the hockey players we see today – the adopted the blue, yellow and red tricolour flag as a symbol and wore red sweaters with their trademark "S" logo on their chests, which continues today. Sparta became iconic with the city of Prague, just like the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle or the Astronomical Clock.

When the Czechoslovakian national league was formed in 1936, Sparta was naturally a charter member. Since then, they've spent only one season, 1950–51, out of the top league. They recovered quickly, though, and within two years won their first national championship in 1953. They repeated the next year, and ever since have been the best-known Czech hockey team.

Building a reputation

When American actor William Fichtner, star of several Hollywood films such as Armageddon and a lifelong hockey fan, came to Prague for the very first time, he made a point of attending a Sparta home game. Since then, he’s become a passionate fan, and he's not alone. Sparta has a strong fanbase, which cheers them on both at home, where they make O2 Arena a difficult place to play for visiting teams, and on the road around the Czech Republic.

This has certainly something to do with the long history and numerous successes. The most recent of their eight national championships came back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. This makes them the third-most successful club in the history of Czechoslovakian and Czech hockey, and it's the most championships won by any team that has played continuously in the country's top league.

Six of those eight titles were won between 1962 and 2015, when the team played in their iconic home arena on the exhibition grounds in Holešovice. Their debut at Sportovní hala was played in front of 18,500 fans – still an indoor record for Czech hockey – and since then has become the most hollowed hockey hall in the whole country.

Honouring its legends

Tipsport Arena, which is the current name of Sportovní hala, is one of the most famous sports arenas in all of the Czech Republic. The Czechoslovakian national tennis team won the Davis Cup there in 1980, and the national hockey team won World Championship gold there twice – in 1972 and 1985. In the first one, the Czechoslovaks broke the amazing string of nine consecutive Soviet gold medals. The second broke another Soviet gold streak of five. Both of these winning teams contained members of Sparta. Josef Horešovský and Jan Kochta in 1972; Pavel Richter and eventual three-time Stanley Cup champion Jiří Hrdina in 1985.

"Thanks to Sparta, I played in five World Championships and one Olympics," said Richter, who wore the Spartan "S" from 1974 to '85. "It raised me to a new level as a player there for 11 seasons and I thank them for that. They were great years for me."

Many more Spartans have won World Championship gold medals over the decades. For example, Vladimír Zábrodský was one of the biggest stars of the 1940s and '50s, Karel Gut and František Tikal formed a legendary defensive duo in the '50s and '60s, and Jiří Holeček was one of the most dominant goaltenders in international hockey in the 1970s.

"Sparta is a concept," said Holeček. "During its long existence it has won a lot of trophies and had a lot of success."

All of the above-mentioned, along with many others, have been enshrined in the HC Sparta Legends Club. The club currently has 25 members, with more to be added in the coming years. When Sparta moved into the larger and more modern O2 Arena in 2015, the Legends Club and team history moved with them, with Tipsport Arena continuing as the team's training site and home ice for the club's youth teams.

The present and future

In 2011, one of Europe's most famous hockey clubs hosted one of America's, as the New York Rangers visited Tipsport Arena, marking just the fourth time that a Czech club faced off with one from the NHL. The Spartans wore retro-style white sweaters with a red "S" on the front, and the Rangers wore their traditional blue sweaters with the team name spelled in diagonal red letters. Prague hockey fans crammed into every available place inside the arena to see their heroes battle valliantly against big names such as Brad Richards, Marián Gáborík and Ryan McDonaugh, losing only 2–0.

"The tradition of HC Sparta is amazing, with 110 years of history," says Petr Břiza, a goalie who played with Sparta for its championship teams in 1990, 2000, 2002, and 2006. He then retired and immediately became the club's general manager, winning another title in 2007. Now, as Chairman of the Board, he is responsible for keeping that tradition going for many years to come.

Team facts

CHL seasons

2015–16: 2nd in Group M, Round of 16
2014–15: 1st in Group G, Round of 16

Click here for current information about the club.

NOTE: This article has been updated since its original publication.