Piráti Chomutov

Piráti Chomutov
City	Chomutov, Czech Republic
League	Czech Extraliga
Founded	1945 (1945)
Home arena	SD aréna
Colours	Blue & White & Red
Head coach	Vladimir Růžička

Blue & White & Red

Piráti Chomutov is a Czech ice hockey team from Chomutov, Czech Republic. Established as ČSK Chomutov in 1945, the team has played in Chomutov through numerous team name changes and elevations/relegations in the Czechoslovakian and Czech hockey leagues. As of the 2015–16 season, Piráti Chomutov plays in the top-level Czech Extraliga. Their home arena is the SD aréna.

The club was established in 1945 as ČSK Chomutov.

In the 1950/1951 season, playing as Sokol Hutě, the team was promoted to the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League, where they played until the 1963/1964 season.

In 1967, as VTŽ Chomutov, the team was promoted to the highest league again but was relegated the very next year. In 1984 the club was demoted to the third level of hockey in Czechoslovakian hockey, the Second National Hockey League.

In 1997, as KLH Chomutov, the club bought the license in the First National Hockey League (FNHL) from HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi.

After winning the league in the 2011–12 FNHL season, Piráti Chomutov returned to the top-level league Czech Extraliga. During the play-outs in the 2013-14 season Piráti Chomutov lost and returned to the First National Hockey League. Season 2014/2015 in FNHL was one of the most successful in history. Pirati Chomutov became a winner and after play off returned to the top-level league (season 2015/2016).

On 11 November 1956, while the team was operating under the name TJ Baník Chomutov ZJF, some members of the team were involved in a fatal airplane accident. A Czechoslovak Airlines flight, on an Ilyushin Il-12B aircraft, crashed near Eglisau, Switzerland. Three players, two top club officials and a reporter were among others on board the scheduled flight from Zurich to Prague, which crashed in fields after an engine failure. All on board perished.

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