Playing a Final at Home Is Simply Unforgettable, Says Karel Manhart

Combining hockey and ball hockey made sense to me

Mr. Manhart, let’s go back to the beginning. How did you become the coach of the women’s national team?

I got into coaching women around the year 2000, when I began coaching a women’s ice hockey team. Before that, I had been working with youth teams at Slavia Prague. Part of it was also that my daughter played with boys and later moved to girls’ hockey. Things just naturally progressed from there. From 2004 to 2013 I worked with the women’s national ice hockey team as a coach, and during that time ball hockey entered the picture. A combination of circumstances. And I think it was a good decision, because combining hockey and ball hockey made sense to me at that moment. And from 2005 on, I took over the women’s national team in ball hockey.

Men’s and women’s teams are often perceived as very different environments. What was your approach to coaching women—and how did it differ from coaching men?

I honestly don’t think it’s as different as people imagine. A locker room is a locker room, and whoever sits in it doesn’t change the essence of coaching for me. I understand that if someone only coaches men, it may seem like another world. But I’ve coached both boys and girls, and my mindset is simple: if you want to do the sport, do it properly—and it doesn’t matter who’s in that locker room.

When selecting players for the national team, what mattered most to you? Heart? Tactical ability?

Great question. You always have to mix it well—so that everything fits together. Every coach knows what it’s like before submitting the final roster: piles of papers, names crossed out, added back in… and eventually you commit. It’s not easy—you have to trust that you chose the best possible lineup at that moment.

In the early years, our roster relied heavily on ice hockey players, but gradually we saw ball hockey players improving their skill level, and we could start integrating them into camps and later into final selections. Building a group, balancing it so everything clicks—there’s a lot that goes into it. But I must say that quality was always my top criterion.

Which players stand out most in your memory—whether for their performance or simply as people?

That’s a question for a whole novel. But I want to thank all the women who represented the country, for their attitude and their performances. Not everything went our way every time—that’s sport. But whoever I selected, I stand by those decisions even now. Each world championship, each year, was different. A lot of players passed through the team over the years—many still play, some now work on the staff, some have families. How to finish that thought? Just: “Ladies, thank you.”

You earned eight medals with the senior team in 15 years—a remarkable record. When did you first feel that this team had real gold-medal potential?

Well, 15 years it was—and we even made a detour with Broula (assistant Michal Broulík) to the U20 World Championship in 2018, where we won gold. So nine medals total. Five bronzes, two silvers, one senior gold and one junior gold. The early years were tough. Slovakia had a fantastic generation and played with hockey sticks, Canada always had a great team, and the Americans improved with every championship. Looking back, I’m grateful for those first four bronzes—they were building blocks. In Zug 2015 we played our first final. Against Canada, though, we had no chance—they beat us 3–0, thank you and goodbye. But after five tournaments, the pieces fell into place. The girls matured, new talent joined in, and I think the team built real respect internationally.

There was an inner strength in those girls—you could just feel it

Let’s talk about Pardubice 2017. Tell us how you experienced that tournament. What was the atmosphere like, and how did you manage the pressure of playing at home?

Amazing. At home? Fantastic. No other way to describe it. After all those years—it finally clicked. Broula and I felt from the start that everything had fallen into place, and we let the girls enjoy it to the fullest. We coordinated things, of course, but with a very gentle touch. Sometimes “less is more,” and here that was absolutely true. And our base was perfect—Hrobice, 15 minutes from the arena, tennis court, pool, horses, great staff. Being slightly removed from the center of the action helped reduce pressure. You could see the girls had the time and mental space to prepare well.

The final vs. USA: a 4–3 overtime win. What do you remember most? When did you believe it would work out?

As I like to say—“it was all under control.” Okay, seriously: playing a home final is just unforgettable. Packed stands, incredible atmosphere. Some of our instructions probably weren’t heard at all, but the team—the team was going for that gold. You could feel their inner strength. Nothing hurt, nothing was too much. That game had to be won. When the Americans tied it late, I thought:“Stay calm, breathe, don’t panic. Win it early in overtime.”

We were exhausted, the USA was flying—but we kept our composure and scored in the second shift of overtime. And then… chaos until morning. (laughs)

Was it the greatest coaching moment of your career—or is there another?

Winning gold at home was incredible. I value it deeply. But there’s another side to it—if you want to be at the top, you sometimes have to fall. For me, that low point was the 2019 World Championship in Košice. Bronze. It was a big mistake on my part. The worst medal of my career. Not because bronze is bad—but because we had the team to go further. We were well prepared physically, but mentally we underestimated things, especially in the decisive game against Slovakia on a small rink that suited them. Bad decisions, too many errors, and even though we pushed late, we couldn’t break it. From the top straight down. On the other hand, there were many great moments: bronze with the U20 boys in Liberec after a heartbreaking quarterfinal, promotion with the women’s ice hockey team to the elite division, countless titles in the Czech league, work with Kert Park juniors, now with Hostivař boys… so many memories, I can’t even list them all.

How would you describe your coaching style? Strict strategist? Team father?

Probably a mix, and it changed over time. Sometimes I’d snap—throw sticks, yell like crazy when things didn’t go how I wanted. But the women knew me, accepted it, and understood why. But I was also calm when necessary. I always wanted them to believe in what we trained, to see that it worked. I was demanding, yes, but I listened. With women, listening is incredibly important. And yes—I think I played the role of a “team father” sometimes as well.

How did you motivate players when they were exhausted late in a tournament?

You have to see the whole picture. It’s about the team, not about you. You need to talk to physiotherapists, the trainer, assess injuries—you can’t burn players out. At the end of a game, when everything is on the line, you ask:
“Can you go? Do you want to go?” If she’s looking down, I know there’s nothing to ask—she needs a breather. Timeout, reset, calm.

Motivation wasn’t an issue—they always wanted to finish. The key is choosing the right players in the decisive moments.

When you stepped down in 2022, what was the main reason? Did you feel it was time?

Yes, I felt that. It was a beautiful and long journey, and I enjoyed every moment. Could the ending have been happier? Maybe—we had the final in Montreal perfectly in our hands at 2–0, but we let it slip.

I announced my decision before the tournament—to the federation, to the players, to the staff. It wasn’t spontaneous; I had been thinking about it for a while. Passing the team to Michal was a clear and logical choice—we worked together for six years, I knew exactly what I was doing.

I was lucky that the federation then offered me the U20 boys, where we won bronze at the Worlds in Liberec. Of course, I’m still watching the women’s national team closely, and I believe they will fight for gold again at the World Championship in Ostrava. Fingers crossed!