*Fun Facts: Jagr is the only active player from the 1998 tournament, still playing. Today is also his 50th Birthday 💯🤜🤛*

They didn't call Hasek 'the Dominator' for nothing. I remember that Czech team being incredibly fun to watch.

In short tournament there was one decisive factor: Dominik Hasek. He is a legend, the best of the best.

A Canadian here… having not won gold since I believe 1952 at the Olympics our excuse was always that we couldn’t send NHL players. As a nation we were way too cocky … beer commercials showing everyone afraid of us like there was no way we wouldn’t bring home gold. It was humbling to see us loose and know that goaltending can win a tournament! Chez’s deserved the gold!

The Czech Republic of 1998 was a great team with great chemistry and a lot of passion and hunger. They had all to win and nothing to lose. And between 1998 to 2001, the Czech national team dominated the international hockey scene with winning the Olympics in 1998 and then winning the IIHF world championship 3 years straight 1999, 2000 & 2001. And also they produced a lot of NHL and international top level players in the middle 90's to early 00's. Its always touching to here a Czech speaking of there lovely memory of the 1998 Olympic gold medal. That gold medal was a huge importance for there country like no one could ever imagine outside there country. And the 1998 Nagano tournament was stuffed with NHL super stars from Canada, USA, Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czechs despite having the best european scorer in Jaromir Jagr and best european goalie in Dominik Hasek, they was believed to be at best a 5th placed team. No one believed they could topple the other titans. Yet they did. Yeah they did play some great hockey in that Olympics. Gold - Czech Republic Silver - Russia Bronze - Finland

I remember Hasek was just an absolute cyborg in Nagano.

Few points: - Czech team was motivated to correct their reputation after an embarrassing performance at ’96 World Cup, where they had essentially the same roster as in Nagano, but played unfocused, worst hockey in country’s history. - Great coaching by Ivan Hlinka, who motivated players while having a very free-range approach. - Jágr was playing double shifts, and it took two oponent’s players to defend him, creating more room for other forwards. That way he himself didn’t score much, but was the main difference maker. - Defense was underrated, outside of first period against USA and shooutout against CAN, Hasek didn’t face that many high danger situations. Players like Špaček or Kučera deserve more credit. They took care for Bure and Selanne. - As a Czech citizen, I have to admit we were lucky that Mario Lemieux didn’t play at those games, otherwise he would make team Canada simply too powerfull.

this video doesnt capture the magnitude of that final game. you have to understand that Czechs have been occupied by Russia for decades and a lot of times in past they couldnt win against soviets because of what the regime would do to them after their return. Thats why there were always fights during games with russians, and the fact that we faced them during final game made the win incredibly sweeter than if it was with anyone else, basically cementing the whole team as national heroes because it meant more than just a simple gold medal win. And no, its not true that Czechs didnt repeat their success, they didnt won olympic gold but they won multiple world championships and other things and are regarded as one of the best national hockey teams every year.

Definitely helped the Czechs that in 1998 they had the best forward in the world, Jaromir Jagr, and the best goalie in the world in Dominik Hasek. Would love to see more of these Olympic retrospectives.

If Czechoslovakia never broke up IMAGINE how many they would've won too!

"Wasn't considered a legitimate contender" CAMOON. They were considered to be that everywhere but in NA. I love your videos, but the dramatisation in this one is WAY over the top.

I watched the 1998 Nagano Olympics Canada vs. Czech game live, and what a game it was. When they went into shoot out, it was basically Team Canada against Dominik Hasek.

Dominik Hasek in the late 90s was the greatest hockey player in the world. He single handedly won his country a gold medal.

I disagree entirely with the premise of this video. Czechoslovakia, and then the Czech Republic, have always been heavyweights in hockey. For a decade in the late 90's and early 2000s they were arguably the best team in the world. So yes, while winning olympic gold was new for them, it definitely wasn't a huge surprise.

I remember when the USA lost to Czech Republic someone or some of the boys destroyed the locker room... When Canada lost i was completely shocked and sad though i knew deep down Dominik Hasek was on his head. Though when i look back at it, it was good for them to win it as like you said they may never win it again. Awesome video !!!

leading up to the gold medal game cz rep/czechoslovakia were constantly a top 5 if not top 3 team calling them massive underdogs is straight up bs

That 98 team had a beat in the net... Want even close !! I remember the shoot out with Canada .

Nothing against you, but Milan Hejduk during Nagano 1998 was still Czech league player not NHL player. He was drafted by Québec Nordiques, but from some reason he did not want to go into NHL and want to stay in Pardubice. That change after gold medal triumf, when he finaly sign contract with Colorado to which it moved Québec meanwhile and held all right for thi player.

Your annunciation always kills me lol. I love it , eh folks?

Stories like that are what sports is all about

I have a tl;dr version of this video. Hasek.

The 1936, 1956, 1960, 1980, 1998 MEN'S Winter Olympic Ice Hockey Tournaments have Produced Upsets mainly because of GOALTENDING.

My favourite non-Canadian team was the Slovak team that won the World Championships years ago. Their team song kicked ass, and their fanbase was as passionate as ours was during the 2010 Olympics.

I think Svoboda was a defenseman.

Ummmmm no it was the 1936 Great Britain team that shouldve been the most unlikely, maybe the 60 and 80 US squad

Incredible

*Stastny* paved the way for Czechs in the nhl Imo never gets his due credit his totals only playing like 900 games on less than great teams is astounding

Who is here after the 2024 iihf world championship btw?

I really want to see some big holywood production to make a movie about this run.

A great documentary for any Hockey fan, about this journey is the movie "The Nagano Tapes: Rewound, Replayed & Reviewed" :) Czech it out ;)

How bout jamomir jagr

❤🏆❤

Isn’t Jagr still playing in the Czech league?

Jiri Dopita is the GOAT 🐐

Well lets hope that we can return to those hockey heights once we deal with corruption inside our management system.

the czech team from the lates 90s up 2005 where a competive good team even at the iihf under 20 they won back to back in 2000 and 2001, since the post lock out period they havent won much .in my oppion what the hell happen to hockey in Czechia

oh bud is that a pre-nhl roman cechmanek i see??

3:26 - Yea, "no Czechs in that top 10". And #7 Jiří Kučera is what? A Martian?

Lol the entire Sweden team in that first shot Red Wings… yas

Congrats on figuring out you need a good goalie to win a tournament

Damn Soviets! Take a loss to those Crazy Canadians anyday over the Reds! Plus Canada beating them was a win for us all lol

czechs made sure that NHL will never take a break to allow top players to compete at olympics again😂

U mean domink hasek won it right ... anybody calling brodeur or Roy the goat really need to sit down

This is called being carried by your goaltender

One word for reason they won. "Dominator" eod

The argument about our system hits a nail on the head. It’s the single and most important reason out hockey is in decline since 1998. After the fall of communism everyone thought that this will become a standard and just sort of stopped trying to improve, the heads of our association are a corrupt former STB agents who barelly contribute to better our youth development or to get funding fpr sports from the goverment. Sadly it looks like Czech hockey will hit it’s lowest point in the coming years and there is no light at the end of the tunnel right now..

This has been pretty heavily dramatised. Czech Republic had an extremely good team for years in international competitions. Ffs calling them "underdogs" and saying they were against "overwhelming odds" is just stupid. Ffs there are other teams than Canada, USA and Russia in the ice hockey world and you should definately know that if you've ever watched any international games.