Czechia appear to break World Championship trophy following gold medal win

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Cooper Godin
May 30, 2024 (3:25 PM)

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The streets of Prague were filled with hockey fans all day on Monday as Czechia celebrating their gold medal victory at the IIHF World Championship - their first title in 14 years.

On Sunday, the Czechs defeated Switzerland in the gold medal game in Prague by a score of 2-0, with Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak breaking the deadlock for the game-winner in the final frame.

Thousands upon thousands of Czechia fans came out to Monday's celebrations, with the entire team showing up with the trophy and to speak to the crowd, thanking them for their support all tournament long since the puck dropped on May 10th.

During the celebrations however, it appears that someone on Czechia's roster went a little too hard and broke the bowl part of the World Championship trophy, as can be seen in the video below featuring former NHL defenceman Michal Kempny.

"This is not normal yay😶‍🌫️"

It's hard to fault the Czechs for breaking the trophy however, as crazy as that may sound. While the IIHF may not be too impressed, this is their first World Championship win in over a decade. This is a tournament that the Czechs used to dominate, winning four gold medals in a five year span, including three in a row, between 1999 and 2005.

It was only a matter of time before they found themselves back at the top of podium and are celebrating accordingly, like David Pastrnak, who looks like he had a great time on Monday.

Czechia will be in tough at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, which is being co-hosted by Denmark and Sweden, as they look to defend their gold medal. They're expected to be in Group B with Finland, the United States and Germany being their toughest competition. They'll also face Denmark, Norway, Kazakhstan and Hungary.