Croatian Youth Hockey Team U15 to Compete in U.S.
Embassy of Croatia
Contact Information:
Mr. Josip Babic
2343 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
presscro@yahoo.com
http://us.mfa.hr
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (3/21/06)
Croatian Youth Hockey Team U15 to Compete in U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Croatian Youth Hockey Team U15 is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. to compete in international friendly hockey matches from April 14-24, 2006. The games will take place in Chicago (April 14-15, vs. Naperville Sabres), Cleveland (April 17, vs. Gilmore Lancers), Youngstown (April 19, vs. Youngstown Bantam Team), Pittsburgh (April 20, vs. Pittsburgh Bantam AA), Ashburn, VA (April 22-23, vs. Ashburn Xtreme), and Rockville, MD (April 24, vs. MYHA Bantam House Select Team).
The youth hockey team from Croatia is visiting the U.S. in collaboration between USA Hockey and the Croatian Ice Hockey Association, and comprises a total of 18 players and two goalies from three Croatian hockey clubs: Medvešcak, Mladost and Zagreb.
The Croatian Ice Hockey Association has a history dating back to 1935, when the Ice Skating and Ice Hockey Association was established in Zagreb, as the first umbrella organization whose aim was to unite and advance the work of smaller hockey and ice skating groups, which have already been active many decades prior. The “golden age” of Croatian hockey is unequivocally tied to Zagreb resident Dragutin Karlek Fridrich. In 1946, he founded the hockey club Mladost, winning national championships in 1946 and in 1949. In 1947, Mladost received competition, when Croatia's largest city got its second hockey team, carrying its name: Zagreb. The hockey club Zagreb also achieved success, capturing the national championship in 1956. Artificial ice appeared for the first time in Croatia in 1961, in Zagreb's šalata sports complex, and in 1971 at the newly built and enclosed Zagreb Sports Centre, greatly improving training capabilities for players at home. It is around this time that Zagreb's third hockey club, Medvešcak, was founded (the hockey club Zagreb was dissolved and its players joined Medvešcak, it returned in 1986 under the name Zagi, and finally once again as the hockey club Zagreb in 1988). Medvešcak was one of the most successful hockey teams, capturing the national championships in 1989, 1990 and 1991, as well as four cups (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991). The Ice Hockey Association of Croatia withdrew from the Yugoslav Ice Hockey Association following the breakup of Yugoslavia, and has since October 8, 1991 operated under the name Croatian Ice Hockey Association. It has been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since May 7, 1992. All members of the visiting Croatian Youth Hockey Team U15 were born in 1991.
The Croatian-American community is actively involved in the preparations for the arrival of the Croatian Youth Hockey Team in the cities where competitions will be held.
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