Jan Peka (27 July 1894 – 21 January 1985) was a

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics, the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (french: IIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; german: II. Olympische Winterspiele; it, II Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, II Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. M ...

, and at the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

. Born in Rataje nad Sázavou,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, Peka fought in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was captured, becoming a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. He did not return home until 1919. He was also a member of the Czechoslovakian national team which won the bronze medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics, where ice hockey was first played. The original goaltender for the team,

Karel Wälzer Karel Wälzer (b. 28 August 1888 in Plzeň – d. January 1948 in Prague) was a Czechoslovak ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics, helping the Czechoslovakian national team win the bronze medal. The main goaltender for th ...

, broke his thumb prior to the start of the tournament, was unable to play the first two games. Peka was brought in to play against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, losing each game by a score of 15–0 and 16–0, respectively. Wälzer returned for the final match against Sweden, winning it and ensuring the Czechoslovakians won bronze. He also participated in the 1928 ice hockey tournament and in the 1936 ice hockey tournament.

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* 1894 births 1985 deaths Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war in World War I Czech ice hockey goaltenders Czechoslovak ice hockey goaltenders HC Sparta Praha players Ice hockey players at the 1920 Summer Olympics Ice hockey players at the 1928 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 1936 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Czechoslovakia Olympic ice hockey players for Czechoslovakia Olympic medalists in ice hockey People from Rataje nad Sázavou People from the Kingdom of Bohemia Ice hockey people from the Central Bohemian Region {{CzechRepublic-icehockey-player-stub