Ladislav Troják

Ladislav Troják ( born June 15, 1914 in Kassa, Austria - Hungary, † November 8, 1948 over the English Channel ) was a Slovak professional ice hockey player who acted in the position of right winger. He was the first Slovak in the Czechoslovak national team and also the first Slovak player ever, who in 1947 won the world champion title.

Career

Troják began his career in the 1920s in his hometown when ČsŠK Košice, where he remained until 1934. After the Tatra Cup 1934/35 he left his hometown club and was committed by the former elite club LTC Prague. With the Prague club he was five times Czechoslovak champion in 1937 and 1938 and 1946-1948. He also won with the team in the years 1939 and 1940 and between 1942 and 1944 the championship five times the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He completed a total of eleven seasons.

In addition, he was also active in the Czechoslovak national team and took between 1936 and 1939 as well as 1947 and 1948 at six world championships and two Olympic Winter Games in part in 1936 and 1948. He won the gold medal at the World Championships in 1947 and the silver medal at the Winter Olympics in 1948. Overall, he scored in 75 national team games 37 goals.

Troják died in 1948 in a plane crash over the English Channel when he was traveling with five other players to London.

In 2002 Troják was inducted into the Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame. He is also the namesake of the ice hockey stadium of his hometown, the Steel Aréna which completely Steel Aréna - ie Košice Štadión Ladislava Trojáka.