František Tikal
Frantisek Tikal ( born July 18, 1933 Včelná, Czechoslovakia; † August 10, 2008 in Prague ) was a Czechoslovak ice hockey player who played for many years for the HC Sparta Prague and the Czechoslovak national team on the position of the defender.
Career
Frantisek Tikal began his career in 1951 at Spartak Sokolovo, later Sparta Prague. About a total of 17 seasons, he remained loyal to this club and scored in 360 games in his career 80 goals. In addition to his club career Tikal had huge success in international championships: He took the Czechoslovak national team at nine World Championships (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967 ) and two Olympic Winter Games (1960 and 1964 ) part, where he won six medals. In total, 59 games in the national jersey Tikal scored 17 goals. At the World Cup 1962 he led Czechoslovakia as a captain on the ice. Two years later he was awarded as the best defenders in the world championship in 1964. Again, a year later he was again elected best defenders as well as in the All-Star team in the world championship in 1965.
His twin brother Zdeněk Tikal emigrated to Australia and took part with the Australian national team at the Olympic Winter Games in 1960 in Squaw Valley, where he met his brother in Czechoslovakia jersey. The game between Australia and the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic ended with 1-18.
After the end of his playing career Tikal worked as a hockey coach in Czechoslovakia, Austria at the ATSE Graz and as national coach of the Polish national team. Between 1971 and 1973 he coached the HC Slavia Prague.
2004 Frantisek Tikal was honored with induction into the IIHF Hall of Fame. He died on 10 August 2008 in Prague at the age of 75 years.
Awards and achievements
- Winning the silver medal at the World Championships in 1965 and 1966
- Winning the bronze medal at the World Championships in 1957, 1959 and 1963
- Winning the bronze medal at the Olympic Winter Games in 1964
- Choosing best defender at the World Championships in 1964 and 1965
- Elected to the All- Star team the World Cup 1965