Jaroslav Benák
Jaroslav Benák ( born April 3, 1962 in Havlíčkův Brod, Czechoslovakia ) is a former Czech ice hockey player and current coach.
- 2.1 International
Career
Jaroslav Benák began his career as a hockey player with ASD Dukla Jihlava, for the seniors team, he was active from 1981 to 1990 in the first league, the highest Czechoslovak league. With his team he was in the years 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985, four times in a row Czechoslovakian champion. For the season 1990/91 the defender moved to Jokerit of the Finnish SM- Lappeenranta from liiga. With his team he had at the end of the season the relegation to the second-class I- divisioona accept, in which he also began the 1991/92 season before joining during the year for SG Cortina in the Italian Serie A2. After another season in Cortina two-time Olympian returned to his home and played in the 1993/94 season for AC ZPS Zlín from the newly established by division of Czechoslovakia Czech Extraliga. He spent the following season also in the Extraliga, but this time at his former club Dukla Jihlava.
In the 1995/96 season Benák stood for the Chamonix Hockey Club in the Élite League, the then highest French league on the ice. He spent the following season with the BK Havlíčkův Brod in the Czech second division. From 1998 to 2001 he competed in the fourth German division, the Ice Hockey Regional, for the EHC Memmingen and the EC Peiting. The 2001/02 season began, the Czech with the EC Peiting in the third-tier ice hockey league, before he returned in the course of the season for HC Rebel Havlíčkův Brod, who took in the meantime in the third Czech league, the 2nd národní hokejová league. By season's end, he ended his active career at the age of 40 years.
In the 2008 /09 season Benák worked as an assistant coach for the third division HC Zdar nad Sázavou. Since then he has worked in the same capacity for his former club HC Rebel Havlíčkův Brod in the first league.
Internationally
For Czechoslovakia Benák participated in the World Championships in 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1987. In addition, he was in the squad of his country at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and in Calgary in 1988 and in 1987 at the Canada Cup. In the 1984 FIFA World Cup in 1983 and the Winter Games he won with his team each the silver in the 1985 World Cup, the gold and at the 1987 World Championships bronze medal.