Czech Republic
Milan Michalek – Radek Bonk – Martin Havlat
Dominik Hasek
If there’s a team that could challenge Canada or Sweden, it would probably be the Czechs, thanks in large part to the early 2000s with some help from the early 2010s. This team may not be good enough to beat either of the big two, but given the Czechs traditional position at the bottom of the Big 6, a shot at bronze is quite an accomplishment.
Upfront we have Bonk and Havlat, two key members of Ottawa’s early successes as well as Milan Michalek, who had his best years in the league with Ottawa after coming over from San Jose in the Dany Heatley trade. Both Havlat and Michalek have a thirty goal season with Ottawa while Bonk was consistently in the 20 goal range. While it may not be a line of stars, all three forwards are definite offensive threats that defences need to be wary of.
The blueline is solid, if unremarkable, as it consists of two defensive defencemen in Kuba and Rachunek. Both defenders topped 200 games for Ottawa and while Rachunek had minimal success away from the team, Kuba came to Ottawa after nearly a decade in the league and was able to provide experience and a steady presence on the back end. Kuba and Rachunek’s consistent defensive ability could provide a nice balance to the high-flying offence of the forward unit.
Even though he only played 43 games for the team, Dominik Hasek was a force to be reckoned with in his short time in Ottawa, posting a .925 save percentage and a 2.09 GAA, as well as five shutouts. That quality of goaltending has seldom been seen in Ottawa, except for occasional stretches by Lalime and Anderson. While his Senators’ tenure didn’t go the way either side hoped, Hasek is still an easy choice and gives the Czechs a well-rounded unit.