Czech team HC Vítkovice Ridera’s next two Extraliga games have been postponed due to an illness that has decimated its roster. According to the club’s website, a handful of players have missed the last two games and most who played were only able to with the help of medications.
“The health of the players and team staff is an absolute priority for us, which is why we decided to approach the affected teams with the question of postponing the games,” said Vítkovice sports manager Roman Šimíček.
Viruses like the flu running through teams isn’t uncommon in hockey and postponements occasionally happen – the problem was frequent during the Covid pandemic. What makes this situation puzzling, however, is that they don’t seem to know exactly what illnesses are affecting the team.
“At the moment, the players are undergoing medical examinations in order to find out what diseases are rampant in the team’s dressing room and to ensure the safe return of the players to the ice as soon as their health allows it,” Šimíček continued.
Vítkovice’s next two games were scheduled to be at home to BK Mladá Boleslav on October 1 and on the road at Motor České Budějovice on October 3. Make-up dates have not yet been announced.
“At this time, we greatly appreciate the helpfulness and cooperation of the affected clubs,” said club owner Aleš Pavlík. “General managers Jan Tůma (Mladá Boleslav) and Stanislav Bednařík (České Budějovice) have gone out of their way to accommodate us. I spoke with both of them by phone last night, thanked them personally and now I would like to thank them both publicly as well.”
Vítkovice is currently in a three-way tie for third place in the 14-team Extraliga with six points. Despite its roster being stricken, the team won its last game 4-2 over Energie Karlovy Vary and prior to that lost only 4-3 to powerhouse Dynamo Pardubice.
Current notable Vítkovice players include Yohann Auvitu (pictured) and Valentin Claireaux of the French national team, brothers Roberts and Rihards Bukarts of the Latvian national team, Slovak defenseman Juraj Mikuš – formerly a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect – and Czech defenseman Jan Košťálek – formerly a Winnipeg Jets prospect.
Vítkovice is an area of Ostrava, Czechia’s third-largest city. The team's home rink, Ostravar Arena, has been used in several major international hockey tournaments, including this past spring’s IIHF World Championship, and it was the primary venue for the 1994 and 2020 World Junior Championships.
If only two games are postponed, the team’s next game is not until October 11 against Kometa Brno.
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