History of Hockey in Kladno
1924
1924
The Club is Founded
Ice hockey had been played in Kladno long before the club itself was officially established. During the winter months, games took place on the frozen surfaces of nearby ponds. Thanks to the enthusiasm of four local sportsmen—Hugo Laitner, Otakar Kožíšek, Rudolf Prošek and Karel Unger—the Canadian game, as ice hockey was commonly known at the time, began attracting increasing attention.
Their efforts culminated on 13 November 1924 at the U Bílého beránka Hotel, where the Hockey Section of SK Kladno was founded. Over the decades, that organization evolved into today's Rytíři Kladno.
The club's inaugural season, however, never got underway. Kladno was scheduled to face Union Žižkov, but mild weather prevented the match from being played, as there was simply no ice available. The first official game in club history therefore took place on 26 December 1925, when HOSK Kladno lost 15–1 to AFK Union Žižkov. Karel Unger scored the club's first-ever goal.
Meanwhile, the club gradually established its home rink—first near Amálka, and later behind the SK Kladno grandstand, where the town's first proper ice rink was built, complete with boards, floodlights and a water supply. Kladno hockey was slowly leaving behind its beginnings on frozen ponds and laying the foundations for what would become one of the great traditions of Czech ice hockey.
1948
From the smelters to the first title
The first post-war decades were a period of building both a new identity and a strong position for Kladno hockey among the top clubs in Czechoslovakia. In 1948, the club used the SONP Kladno emblem, directly referencing the United Steelworks National Enterprise (SONP), the club’s principal supporter and one of the most important industrial companies in the region. Hockey was closely connected to the development of Kladno’s steel industry, which provided the foundation for the club’s growth.
In 1953, the club’s identity changed together with its new name, Baník Kladno. The crest featuring a mining motif reflected the sports organization structure of the era and highlighted the industrial character of the region. Five years later, in 1958, the club adopted the name SONP Kladno, under which it entered the most successful period in its history. The new logo, featuring a lion and a hockey stick, became the symbol of a team that would win its first-ever league championship just one year later. This era laid the foundations for the future glory of Kladno hockey.
1959
The First Championship
It took thirty-five years for Kladno to climb from a newly founded club to the summit of Czechoslovak hockey. In 1959, under head coach Vlastimil Sýkora, the team won its first national championship, forever establishing Kladno as one of the country's premier hockey cities.
Ironically, the club celebrated its greatest achievement away from home. Kladno's ice stadium was undergoing reconstruction and receiving its new roof, forcing the decisive stage of the championship season to be played at Prague's famous Štvanice Ice Stadium.
Led by captain Stanislav Bacílek, Kladno ended the long-standing dominance of Rudá hvězda Brno and proved that a city known for coal and steel could also produce a championship hockey team.
The championship-winning roster featured Jiří Kulíček, Zdeněk Beran, Václav Fröhlich, Josef Froněk, Přemysl Hainý, Jaroslav Jiřík, Vladimír Kopecký, Zdeněk Landa, Zdeněk Müller, Bohumil Prošek, Miroslav Rys, František Šebek, Pavel Šanda and Jaroslav Volf, among others.
Winning the first title marked a defining moment in the club's history, firmly placing Kladno among the traditional powerhouses of Czechoslovak ice hockey.
1974
The Golden Seventies and the Most Recent Championship
The most successful era in Kladno's history came during the 1970s. After years of dominance by Dukla Jihlava, Kladno returned to the top of Czechoslovak hockey in the 1974/75 season. Head coach Jaroslav Volf had an exceptional roster at his disposal. The defence was anchored by František Pospíšil and František Kaberle, while the forward lines featured stars such as Milan Nový, Eduard Novák, Václav Sýkora, Lubomír Bauer, Bohumil Čermák, Jaroslav Vinš, Zdeněk Nedvěd and Miroslav Křiváček.
The club's second national championship arrived fittingly in the year marking the 50th anniversary of its foundation.
It was only the beginning of a golden era. Kladno successfully defended its title in 1976, with Milan Nový finishing as the league's leading scorer for the first time. Alongside František Pospíšil, František Kaberle and Eduard Novák, he also celebrated gold with the Czechoslovak national team at the IIHF World Championship in Katowice.
During the 1976/77 season, Poldi Kladno completed a remarkable championship three-peat, while Nový set a league record that still stands today by scoring 59 goals in a single season. A fourth consecutive title followed in 1978, and the club's fifth championship of the decade came in 1980, this time under head coach František Pospíšil with Milan Nový serving as captain. Since then, Kladno has been waiting to lift another league trophy.
1977
1979
European Cup Triumph and Games Against Future NHL Teams
Kladno's strength was not limited to domestic competition. The club made several appearances in the European Cup and, in 1979, achieved one of the greatest international successes in its history by winning the European Cup—the premier club competition in European hockey. Officially, the triumph belonged to the delayed 1977 edition of the tournament, which was completed two years later because of scheduling issues.
Poldi Kladno advanced through Poland's Nowy Targ and Finland's TPS before meeting Spartak Moscow in the final. Both championship games ended in 4–4 draws, forcing the winner to be decided in a penalty shootout. Goaltender Miroslav Krása made two crucial saves, while Eduard Novák and Miroslav Křiváček converted their attempts to secure the title of European club champions.
Kladno also enjoyed memorable tours to North America. At the height of the club's success, many of its players formed the backbone of the Czechoslovak national team. In 1976, representing Czechoslovakia, they played a six-game tour against clubs from the World Hockey Association (WHA), including the Winnipeg Jets and the Edmonton Oilers, both of which would later become NHL franchises.
For Kladno's players, these matches confirmed that the club could compete not only with the best teams in Czechoslovakia, but also against top-level professional opposition on the international stage.
1989
From Poldi Kladno to an independent club identity
Between 1989 and 1991, the club’s identity underwent a significant transformation that reflected both the social changes following the Velvet Revolution and the gradual move away from its traditional association with the Poldi steelworks. While the logo introduced in 1989 still featured the dominant knight’s head motif and the name Poldi Kladno, just two years later the club began operating under the name Hockey Club Kladno. The new logo adopted in 1991 introduced a more modern and sport-oriented visual style, incorporating a hockey stick, a puck, and the club emblem. In the same year, a color version of the logo was also created, combining Kladno’s traditional shades of blue with red and yellow. This period symbolized the transition from an era defined by a strong industrial partner to an independent club identity and laid the foundations for the club’s visual presentation in the new social and economic conditions of the early 1990s.
1993
The Era of "Lady Poldi" and the End of a Golden Age
The 1990s brought Kladno its final great era under the famous "Lady Poldi" emblem. The team possessed exceptional quality and finished first in the Extraliga regular season in 1993/94.
The legendary "Blue Line" of Pavel Patera, Martin Procházka and Otakar Vejvoda Jr. dominated the league, with Patera finishing as its leading scorer. Kladno entered the playoffs as one of the favourites for the championship but was eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual champions Olomouc, ultimately claiming the bronze medal. To this day, it remains the club's most significant achievement in the Czech Extraliga.
A year later, during the NHL lockout, Jaromír Jágr returned home to Kladno. The arena was packed once again, and the league's top three scorers were once more all Kladno players—Patera, Procházka and Vejvoda. Despite another outstanding season, head coach Eduard Neliba's team again fell in the semi-finals.
At the same time, however, the world that had shaped Kladno hockey for decades was changing. The decline of the local steel industry and the economic transformation of the 1990s had a profound impact on the club's identity. The iconic Lady Poldi gradually disappeared from the jerseys, while the club adopted several new names and identities—from Velvana, symbolised by a penguin, through Vagnerplast, to Rabat, whose emblem featured a bulldog.
Yet even during this period of change, Kladno continued to prove itself as one of Czech hockey's finest development programmes. The club produced, or helped develop, numerous NHL players, Olympic champions and World Champions, including Jaromír Jágr, Patrik Eliáš, Pavel Patera, Martin Procházka, Libor Procházka, František Kaberle Jr., Tomáš Kaberle, Marek Židlický, Tomáš Plekanec, Milan Hnilička, Tomáš Vokoun and many others.
1994
Changes in Name and Club Identity After 1994
The period from the mid-1990s brought a number of changes to Kladno hockey, both in terms of the club’s name and its logo. These changes were primarily connected with the arrival and departure of general partners, whose names were reflected in the club’s official title.
In 1994, the club was known as HC Poldi Kladno, continuing its long-standing connection with the legendary Kladno steelworks brand. Two years later, the club returned to the simpler name HC Kladno and also introduced a new logo.
Another change came in 1997, when the club was renamed HC Velvana Kladno. Around the turn of the millennium, the club entered the era of HC Vagnerplast Kladno in 2000, which was followed in 2003 by the name HC Rabat Kladno.
In 2006, the partnership with GEUS OKNA was reflected in the club’s name, and the team competed as HC GEUS OKNA Kladno. Four years later, the name HC Vagnerplast Kladno briefly returned, under which the team played the 2010–2011 season.
A major transformation came before the 2011–2012 season, when the new club identity Rytíři Kladno was introduced. Alongside the new name, the club also gained a new logo and a unified visual style, which became a symbol of the next chapter in the history of Kladno hockey.
2011
From Lady Poldi to the Knights
Following the end of the city's great industrial era, Kladno entered one of the most challenging periods in its history. The club faced recurring financial difficulties, changed sponsors, names and sporting ambitions, and repeatedly fought for its future.
At a crucial moment, Jaromír Jágr Sr. played a key role in preserving professional hockey in Kladno, helping save the club from extinction in 1994. Many years later, his son, Jaromír Jágr, continued that legacy. In 2011, he effectively took control of the club and became the driving force behind a new era under the name Rytíři Kladno (Kladno Knights).
The Knights era has brought memorable comebacks as well as painful setbacks. During the NHL lockout, Kladno welcomed home stars including Jaromír Jágr, Tomáš Plekanec, Tomáš Kaberle, Jiří Tlustý and Marek Židlický. The 2012/13 season demonstrated the club's enduring appeal: such was the demand for tickets that Rytíři Kladno moved three home games to Prague's O2 Arena, selling out the venue on each occasion.
Relegation followed in 2014, but after earning promotion back to the Extraliga in 2021, the club has successfully maintained its place among the Czech elite despite several difficult seasons and repeated battles to avoid relegation.
Even during these challenging years, Kladno produced remarkable individual achievements. Canadian defenceman Brady Austin set a new club record for goals by a defenceman in a regular season with 18. Jiří Ticháček finished as the Extraliga's highest-scoring defenceman, while Latvian forward Eduards Tralmaks became the overall points leader of the Czech Extraliga in the 2024/25 season.
2021
2025
A New Era for the Knights Under New Ownership
In 2025, Jaromír Jágr sold his majority ownership stake to Tomáš Drastil, and Kladno entered yet another new era in its history.
After years during which the club repeatedly struggled primarily for survival, the Knights gained a strong owner in Tomáš Drastil, one with a clear vision for long-term development. From his very first months at the club, Drastil initiated a comprehensive transformation aimed at building a modern, financially stable, and professionally managed hockey organization. He appointed Renata Pánková as the club’s new Chief Executive Officer, welcomed back Tomáš Plekanec as Sporting Director, and began the systematic strengthening of all areas of the organization.
Under the new ownership, the club significantly strengthened its financial foundations, expanded its management structure, invested in youth development, modernized communication with fans and partners, and gradually professionalized its internal operations. At the same time, Kladno succeeded in attracting a number of high-quality players and creating conditions for the sporting growth of both the first team and the youth academy. For the first time in many years, the club was able to focus on development and the future rather than merely addressing existential challenges.
The first season of the new era also brought positive results on the ice. After several years of fighting to avoid relegation, the Knights advanced to the preliminary round of the playoffs, achieving the club’s best result since returning to the top division. Kladno thus sent a clear message that the ambition of the new era under Tomáš Drastil is not merely to maintain Extraliga status, but to gradually return among the best-managed and most successful hockey organizations in the Czech Republic.
2026
Youth Development: A Tradition of Excellence
Kladno hockey has never been defined solely by its first team. For decades, the club's greatest strength has been its youth development system, long regarded as one of the finest in the Czech Republic.
Alongside the main club, PZ Kladno also played a vital role in developing young talent. The organisation's first national youth title came in 1956, when the DSO Baník PZ Kladno junior team won the national championship under head coach Vladimír Svoboda. Altogether, Kladno teams have captured nineteen national championships across various youth categories.
The tradition continued into the modern era. Between 2002 and 2006, the club's junior team won three Czech Extraliga titles, while the ninth-grade team added another championship in 2008.
Players born in the late 1980s and around 1990 formed one of the strongest generations in the club's modern history. Among those who progressed to the highest level were Jakub Voráček, Ondřej Pavelec, Radko Gudas, Jiří Tlustý and Michael Frolík, along with many others who went on to successful careers in the NHL and professional leagues around the world.
In recent years, however, Kladno's youth teams have faced significant challenges. Both the Under-17 and junior teams experienced relegation from the country's top competitions. While the Under-17 squad continues its pursuit of a return to the highest level, the junior team earned promotion back to the Extraliga in 2026.
Since the 2026-2027 season, the development of youth hockey at Rytíři Kladno has been led by experienced sports academic and former defenseman Lukáš Chmelíř, who serves as the club's Youth Hockey Manager. For that reason, youth development remains one of the club's highest priorities as Kladno begins the next chapter of its long and proud hockey tradition.
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