Ice hockey in the Czech Republic

Ice hockey is one of the popular sports in the Czech Republic. The Czech Ice Hockey Association is the governing body of ice hockey in the country. The Czech Republic men's national ice hockey team is a member of the so-called "Big Six", an unofficial list of major powers in world hockey.

The sport was introduced in the erstwhile Kingdom of Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 1900s. Initially represented by the Bohemia national ice hockey team from 1909 to 1914, the team became part of the Czechoslovakia team after the First World War. The team won its first World Championship in 1947.

The team developed a rivalry with the Soviets in the 1960s. Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in January 1993, and the IIHF recognized the Czech Republic's team as the successor to Czechoslovakia. From 1996 to 2001, the Czech Republic won six consecutive World Championship medals, including World Championship gold from 1999 to 2001, as well as gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics.