World champions cup on the road: we would like to show it in extraleague´s arenas, Černý plans

The world champions cup came back to the Czech republic after five years, and it has been on the road since the national team celebration in Kolín upon Rhein. The Czech republic together with Canada has welcomed the cup the most times. This year the cup was shown in Beroun as well. "We agreed on leting the players to take the cup on private events and show it to public, for the first time in history," says the director of Pro-Hockey company Jan Černý, the main keeper of the trophy.

The cup made for all world champions since 2001 came back from Germany to the Czech republic again. And even if none of the ice hockey players from Beroun played at the world championship, people of the city could have seen the trophy on Tuesday live.

"The whole event was agreed on with Jaromír Látal, member of the executive committee. We wanted to support Beroun, who´s ex-mayor Besser cares about sports, ice hockey putting first. We brought the cup to the city so the fans could have seen it," černý says about the origin of the idea.

The original trophy is safely saved in the headquaters of IIHF. Only an unworthy but exact copy is visiting the Czech republic. "The champions are given the real trophy on the ice and they can spend about ten minutes with it in the locker-room. Then they have to change it for the replica, which is theirs and is put in the Hall of Fame later,"Černý affirms that champions olny manage to have a shot of champaign.

The long trip of the trophy started in one of the locker-rooms in Lanxess arena and like the olympic torch traveld across the whole country of the world champions. "It has been on the road since the very first moment," černý approaches. "It has been to different schools, meetings with the players and coaches and for example at the meeting of Škoda car and the IIHF where extension of the contract was discussed. It appeared in some pubs and bars too, if the players took it there," the keeper of the trophy laughs. He brought it in the special box.

Even though the safety devices have been followed, the jewel has gained some scars. "Truth is, we had to let it fix few times.Some parts started to fall down, so we had to give it to the company that takes care about the league cup. They unsrambled it, found what´s not perfect, and put it together," Černý admits.

The trophy didn´t seem to be in the ideal form during the exhibition in Beroun. Repetition of savage gestures of Tomáš Rolinek, he used during the celebration of the victory, would cut it in half now. "Only on this action, ten hundreds of people raise it above their heads. And the pedestal is heavy. But it´s not a problem to unscramble it and put it together again," černý doesn´t even try to drive away all the hands trying to reach the trophy.

The next schedule of the trophy is really full. Before it is put besides its ancestors forever, it is going to make a trip around first tier league arenas. "New people interested in are calling every day. Mainly those who haven´t joined their clubs yet, want to take it to some private events. The schedule is full the the end of August. We would like to visit extraleague arenas then. All of the Czech fans deserve to see it," Černý promises.