Sports: R_i_ka returns to national hockey - Slavia coach tapped to lead national ice hockey team;...

By František Bouc Staff Writer, The Prague Post July 2nd, 2008 issue Two years after he left the national hockey team, the team’s once-and-future manager, Vladimír Růžička, said that with his return, he’s planning to lure some of the country’s longtime stars back to the team.“I’d like to get back some of the players for whom playing in the Czech jersey was an emotional matter, such as Martin Ručinský or Martin Straka,” Růžička said as he was reappointed head coach of the team June 21. He would not even rule out the return of star forward Jaromír Jágr.The 45-year-old former player and coach of Slavia Praha led the national team to a World Championship title in 2005. But he then resigned in order to fully focus on his work at Slavia. The repeated failures of the team in international play, including its recent failure to get... [read full story]