Sochi Pits Czechs Against Slovaks in Fratricidal Hockey Showdown
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The Czechs and Slovaks play tonight for a spot in the men’s ice hockey quarterfinals at the Sochi Winter Games, as the countries attempt to regain some of their glory in what could be the last Olympics for top players.
The clash will probably mark the last Olympic showdown for a generation of players trained in the communist-era sports system of Czechoslovakia, a former Soviet satellite that split amicably in 1993. The Czechs are led by forward Jaromir Jagr, 42, the top-scoring European to skate in the National Hockey League. The Slovaks are pinning hopes on Zdeno Chara, 36, who captained the Boston Bruins to their 2011 Stanley Cup victory.