Jan Peka (27 July 1894 – 21 January 1985) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player, representing

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. He competed in the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (; ; ) and commonly known as Antwerp 1920 (; Dutch language, Dutch and German language, German: ''Antwerpen 1920''), were an international multi-sport event held i ...

, the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1928 (; ), were an international winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 11 to 19 February 1928 in St. Moritz, Swit ...

, and at the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936, were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 February 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Nazi Ger ...

. Born in

Rataje nad Sázavou Rataje nad Sázavou () is a market town in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic) ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, Peka fought in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and was captured, becoming a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. He did not return home until 1919. He was also a member of the Czechoslovakia national team which won the bronze medal at the

, where ice hockey was first played. The original goaltender for the team,

Karel Wälzer Karel Wälzer (28 August 1888 – January 1948) was a Czech ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics, helping the Czechoslovakia national team win the bronze medal. The main goaltender for the team, Wälzer broke his thumb bef ...

, broke his thumb before the start of the tournament, and was unable to play the first two games. Peka was brought in to play against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, losing each game by a score of 15–0 and 16–0, respectively. Wälzer returned for the final match against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, winning it and ensuring the Czechoslovaks won bronze. He also participated in the 1928 ice hockey tournament and in the 1936 ice hockey tournament.

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* 1894 births 1985 deaths Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war in World War I Czech ice hockey goaltenders Czechoslovak ice hockey goaltenders HC Sparta Praha players Ice hockey people from the Central Bohemian Region Ice hockey players at the 1920 Summer Olympics Ice hockey players at the 1928 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 1936 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Czechoslovakia Olympic ice hockey players for Czechoslovakia Olympic medalists in ice hockey People from Rataje nad Sázavou People from the Kingdom of Bohemia {{CzechRepublic-icehockey-player-stub