Being the National Team Coach is a Great Honor, Says Former Ball Hockey Coach Drahomír Kadlec

As a coach in the ball hockey community, Drahomír Kadlec has achieved numerous successes at both the club and national levels, rightfully earning his place among the great figures of Czech ball hockey. Kadlec reminisced about the beautiful moments in his sporting career.

I Wasn't Afraid to Give Opportunities to Younger Players

Mr. Kadlec, you are a well-known figure in the Czech ball hockey community, with many achievements and accolades. What has this sport brought to you personally?

Joy, great victories, and sad defeats. Above all, I met many hardworking people, like Mr. J. Kozel, T. Březina, M. Maršner, and many other ball hockey players who perform professional work in amateur sport.

At the club level, you are associated with the Kladno club, which at one time was the fear of the entire Extraliga. Five titles won in seven years speak for themselves. In your opinion, what made that Kladno team so strong, and what was its greatest strength?

At that time, many great ball hockey players played in the Kladno jersey, who were highly motivated to work on themselves and move forward.

After your last title in 2015, Pardubice had a one-year reign, followed by the dominance of Kert Park Prague. What do you think the Kladno team lacked and still lacks to become the Extraliga champion again after so many years?

I think what was missing and still is missing is the ability to convert scoring chances, the team's health, and above all, the desire to win.

You gave a lot of chances and opportunities to young players from the youth team, gradually integrating them into the A team, working with them, and making them better players. Was this something your team valued and built on a lot?

Integrating young players is a normal process. You can't do without them in the future, and most importantly, where else should they improve? They observe older, experienced players and learn from them in every training session. Matches push them forward. I wasn't afraid of it, and that's one of the things I've missed at Kladno over the last two years. Young Kladno ball hockey players have quality.

Is there a player among ball hockey players who is or was well-known in the ball hockey community, and you can say you helped develop? If so, who is it?

It's hard to name a specific player (I don't want to name anyone), but many players developed under my guidance to reach the national team.

Winning a Championship is a Beautiful Thing

You had the honor of being the head coach of the national ball hockey team and led our team at world tournaments from 2011 to 2017. What did this role mean to you?

Being the national team coach is a great honor, but also a great responsibility.

In 2011, you became world champions, defeating Canada in the final. How do you remember this success, and how did it enrich your coaching career?

Winning the world championship is, of course, a beautiful thing, and even better when you beat Canada in the final.

The subsequent championships were not golden, but you always brought back a medal. For instance, in 2013, you finished in second place. What do you think was missing for us to win the world championship again?

We were closest to defending the title in 2013 in Canada, where we eliminated the overconfident home team in the semifinals. In the final, we lost to Slovakia, where we were missing six players from the starting lineup. We were still the better team, but it's all about goals, and unfortunately, we didn't convert our chances.

Since the 2021/2022 season, you haven't been coaching any other ball hockey club. The last question is: When will we see Drahomír Kadlec back on the coaching bench?

Of course, I've had offers from other teams, but once I decided to stop, there was nothing more to discuss. I returned to skating and am currently coaching Kladno juniors with Mr. Miloslav Hořava Jr.

Ice Hockey Playing Career:

• World Champion 1996

Career as National Ball Hockey Team Coach:

• 1x World Champion (2011)

• 1x World Runner-Up (2013)

• 2x Bronze Medalist at World Championships (2015, 2017)

Club-Level Ball Hockey Career:

• 5x Extraliga Champion - HBC Kladno (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015)

• 5x Extraliga Runner-Up - HBC Kladno (2008, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022)