Hokejový Klub Dukla Trenčín is a professional Slovak

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

club based in

Trenčín Trenčín (, also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a List of towns in Slovakia, city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech Republic, Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a populati ...

, playing in the

Slovak Extraliga The Slovak Extraliga, known as the Tipsport liga since the 2025–26 season for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level ice hockey league in Slovakia. From 2018–19 to 2020–21, the league included one or two teams from Hungary. Teams fro ...

. The club has won three Slovak league championships (1994, 1997, 2004) and one Czechoslovak league championship (1992). The team is nicknamed ''Vojaci'', meaning "Soldiers" in English.

History

Czechoslovak era

The club was founded on 19 January 1962, relocating the army hockey club from

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

to Trenčín. They were members of inaugural season (1963–64) of the 1. SNHL (1st Slovak National Hockey League). They won the 1965–66 1. SNHL season and promoted to the preliminary round for the

Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League The Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League was the elite ice hockey league in Czechoslovakia from 1936 until 1993, when the country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Slovak Extraliga and Czech Extraliga formed from the split. Histor ...

. There they lost 5 of 6 games against VŽKG Ostrava, VTŽ Chomutov and Spartak Motorlet Praha and did not promote to the First League. Dukla won the 1. SNHL again in 1967–68, 1970–71 and 1976–77. In 1976–77 they were first time successful in the preliminary round and first time in the club's history they promoted to the

. Dukla was placed 11th in their first season at the Top level. After five seasons, they were relegated from the Top level in the 1981–82 season. However, in the next season they won 1. SNHL and in the preliminary round defeated

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

and promoted to the Top level again. They were placed 6th after their comeback in the 1983–84 season. In 1985–86 there was introduced

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

tournament in the Czechoslovak Extraliga. Dukla advanced to the playoffs in 1985–86 and there they lost 1–3 against Tesla Pardubice in the quarterfinals. They advanced to the playoffs again in 1987–88, before losing 1–3 in the quarterfinals to their Slovak rival VSŽ Košice. Dukla progressed to the finals against Tesla Pardubice in the 1988–89 season. There they lost 1–3. In the next season they progressed to the finals again where they lost 1–3 against

HC Sparta Praha Hockey Club Sparta Praha, commonly known as HC Sparta Prague, is a Prague-based Czech professional ice hockey team playing in the Czech Extraliga. The club has won four Czech championships (most recently in 2007) and four Czechoslovak champio ...

. In 1990–91 Dukla lost in the semifinals against

Litvínov Litvínov (; ) is a town in Most District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. It is known as an industrial centre. Administrative division Litvínov consists of 12 municipal parts (in brackets po ...

but they won the bronze medals against VSŽ Košice. The most successful season in the club history is the 1991–92 season when Dukla won the Czechoslovak Extraliga first time. In the quarterfinals they defeated Poldi Kladno 3–2, in the semifinals defeated

3–1 and in the finals they won 3–1 against Škoda Plzeň.

Žigmund Pálffy Žigmund Pálffy (; born 5 May 1972), nicknamed "Ziggy" in English and "Žigo" in Slovak, is a Slovak former professional ice hockey player. One of the most talented wingers, Pálffy played in the NHL for 12 years with the New York Islanders, ...

was scoring leader of Dukla in the regular season (48 Pts) and in the playoffs (26 Pts). Róbert Švehla, defenceman of Dukla, won the Golden Hockey Stick in the same season. In the last season before split

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

Dukla won the bronze medals.

Slovak era

After dissolution of

in 1993, Dukla began playing independent new Slovak Championship which was named the

. Dukla and HC Košice were playoffs finalists in first 4 seasons of the Slovak Extraliga. Dukla won the first Extraliga season in 1993–94, then they lost in the finals in two next seasons and won again in 1996–97. In the 1997–98 season Dukla was eliminated in the semifinals by

HC Slovan Bratislava Hockey Club Slovan Bratislava () is a professional ice hockey club based in Bratislava, Slovakia. In 2012, it left the Tipsport Liga (hockey), Slovak Extraliga and joined the international Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In 2019, it returned to ...

. In the 2000–01 season they played again in the playoffs finals. There they lost 1–3 against

HKm Zvolen Hokejový Klub HKM a.s. Zvolen is a professional Slovakia, Slovak ice hockey club based in Zvolen. The club has won the Slovak league championship three times (2001, 2013, 2021) and the IIHF Continental Cup in 2005. The team is nicknamed ''Rytieri ...

. Zvolen was opponent in the playoffs finals again in the 2003–04 season. Dukla won 4–2 in the finals and they won third Slovak title in their history. During the

2004–05 NHL lockout The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play. The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...

several former Dukla players came back to Trenčín, including

Pavol Demitra Pavol Demitra (; 29 November 1974 – 7 September 2011) was a Slovakia, Slovak professional ice hockey player. He played nineteen seasons of professional hockey, for teams in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League (CSL), National Hockey League ...

Marián Hossa Marián Hossa (; born 12 January 1979) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger. Hossa was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round, 12th overall, of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. After spending his first ...

and

Marián Gáborík Marián Gáborík (; born 14 February 1982) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey right winger. He began his playing career in the Slovak Extraliga with Dukla Trenčín for two seasons before being drafted third overall in the 2000 NHL E ...

. Pavol Demitra played complete regular season and he was a scoring leader of the Extraliga (82 Pts). Despite a star lineup Dukla lost 3–4 in the excited semifinals against

. In the 2006–07 season Dukla played in the final series against

but lost 0–4. In the 2009–10 season Dukla did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 1986–87 season.

NHL alumni

After the fall of the Iron Curtain many players who were born in

or started their youth career in Dukla youth system had success in the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

and

Zdeno Chára Zdeno Chára (; born 18 March 1977) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played 24 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, and Washington Capitals between 1997 a ...

are the most successful players who were born in Trenčín. Gáborík was drafted 3rd overall by

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the first signed player in the club history. Gáborík's teammate in Minnesota Wild was Ľubomír Sekeráš who played three seasons for the club. Chára, drafted 56th overall by

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, is the first Slovak and only the second European

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of an NHL team who won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

. Chára is also the first Slovak winner of the

James Norris Memorial Trophy The James Norris Memorial Trophy, or simply the Norris Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top " defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". It is named after Ja ...

, given to the best defenseman of a season. Richard Lintner was drafted in the same year as Chára, another NHL player who was born in Trenčín.

won Stanley Cup three times with Chicago Blackhawks. The stadium in Trenčín was named after

who died in the

2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleve ...

Honours

Domestic

* Winners (3): 1993–94, 1996–97, 2003–04 * Runners-up (5): 1994–95, 1995–96, 2000–01, 2006–07, 2017–18 * 3rd place (3): 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2011–12

Czechoslovak Extraliga The Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League was the elite ice hockey league in Czechoslovakia from 1936 until 1993, when the country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Slovak Extraliga and Czech Extraliga formed from the split. History ...

* Winners (1): 1991–92 * Runners-up (2): 1988–89, 1989–90 * 3rd place (2): 1990–91, 1992–93 1st. Slovak National Hockey League * Winners (5): 1965–66, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1976–77, 1982–83 * Runners-up (3): 1964–65, 1971–72, 1974–75 * 3rd place (3): 1963–64, 1966–67, 1969–70

Pre-season

Rona Cup * Winners (4): 1994, 2002, 2003, 2007 Tatra Cup * Winners (2): 1985, 1996

Players

Current roster

Retired numbers

Notable players

* Jerguš Bača * Josef Beránek * Ernest Bokroš * Mojmír Božík *

* Zdeno Cíger * Jozef Daňo *

* Leo Gudas * Eduard Hartmann * Oto Haščák *

Radoslav Hecl Radoslav Hecl (born October 11, 1974) is a Slovak former ice hockey defenceman. He played 14 games in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres during the 2002–03 season, though the rest of his career, which lasted from 1992 to 2008, ...

Ivan Hlinka Ivan Hlinka (January 26, 1950 – August 16, 2004) was a Czech professional ice hockey player and coach. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in Czech ice hockey history. A big centre, his playing style was comparable to Ph ...

* Miroslav Hlinka *

Miloš Holaň Miloš Holaň (born April 22, 1971) is a retired Czech professional ice hockey player and currently the head coach of HC Nové Zámky in the Tipos Extraliga, the first tier in Slovakia. He played 49 games in the National Hockey League between 199 ...

* Marcel Hossa *

Jiří Hrdina Jiří Hrdina (born January 5, 1958) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. He spent 10 seasons in the Czechoslovak First League with Sparta ČKD Praha and HK Dukla Trenčín and five in the National Hockey League (NH ...

* Branislav Jánoš * Tomáš Jelínek * Tomáš Kapusta * Ľubomír Kolník * Roman Kontšek * Tomáš Kopecký *

Ján Lašák Ján Lašák (born April 10, 1979) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey goaltender. Lašák was drafted by the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2nd round (65th overall) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft and spent th ...

* Richard Lintner * Tomáš Lovásik * Miroslav Marcinko * Stanislav Medřík *

Andrej Meszároš Andrej Meszároš (; born 13 October 1985) is a Slovak professional ice hockey player. He is currently a free agent. He previously played in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa S ...

* Branislav Mezei * Michel Miklík *

Igor Murín Igor Murín (born 1 March 1973) is a Slovak ice hockey player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 (), were a winter multi ...

* Milan Nedoma * Andrej Nedorost *

* Ján Pardavý * Rastislav Pavlikovský * Róbert Petrovický * Branko Radivojevič * Radim Raděvič * Pavel Richter *

Vladimír Růžička Vladimír Růžička (; born 6 June 1963, nickname "Rosie") is a Czech ice hockey coach and former professional player. Růžička was twice named the top player in the Czechoslovak Elite League, and was on the gold medal team in the Ice Hockey ...

Miroslav Šatan Miroslav Šatan (; born 22 October 1974) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), right winger, who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), five in the Tipos Extraliga, and three in the Kontinental Hockey Lea ...

Andrej Sekera Andrej Sekera (born 8 June 1986) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Born and rai ...

* Ľubomír Sekeráš * Peter Slanina * Marián Smerčiak *

Roman Stantien Roman Stantien (born 16 October 1964) is a former Slovakia, Slovak professional ice hockey player, and later hockey coach. He played with HC Slovan Bratislava in the Slovak Extraliga. He played also for HK Poprad, HC Dukla Trenčín, HC Vsetín, ...

* Tomáš Starosta * Antonín Stavjaňa * Jozef Stümpel * Roman Šimíček * Róbert Švehla *

Tomáš Tatar Tomáš Tatar (; born 1 December 1990) is a Slovak professional ice hockey forward for EV Zug of Switzerland's National League. Tatar was drafted 60th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 NHL entry draft. Playing career Slovak Extral ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dukla Trencin, HK Trenčín Trencin, Dukla Trencin, Dukla Ice hockey clubs established in 1962 1962 establishments in Czechoslovakia Sport in Trenčín Region