HC Kometa Brno

HC Kometa Brno ("Comet" in English) is the second most successful ice hockey]club in the Czech Republic with 11 Czechoslovak league championship titles (right behind HC Dukla Jihlava that holds 12 championship wins). Holding three European Cup titles, Kometa ranks as the most successful Czech club in international ice hockey.

History
The club was founded in 1953 as an army ice hockey club with the name Rudá hvězda Brno ("Red Star"). The majority of players were transferred from 2 hockey clubs in Brno (TJ Spartak Brno Zbrojovka and TJ Spartak GZ Královo Pole ). In 1962 the club changed its name to ZKL Brno (ZKL is abbreviation of "Ball Bearing Factory") and stopped being an army team. In 1976 the name was changed to Zetor Brno. Shortly after revolution (1994), club changed its name to HC Kometa Brno. "Kometa" was the team's nickname since 1950's (opposite to official "Red Star") and the team was commonly referred to by this name since its beginnings.

In 1996 the team relegated from Czech Extraliga to the second highest ice hockey league – Czech 1.liga. For many years, the team struggled due to bad financing, multiple changes of owners and faced another relegation, which happened in 2001-2002 season. The club almost ceased to exist, played in the East division of the third highest Czech ice hockey league - 2. liga. By 2003-2004 season, it returned to 1. liga and began its little "renaissaince". In 2004, Kometa played its first playoffs since 1997, reached semifinals in 2008 and finals in 2009. On 1 April 2009, Kometa bought the licence for Czech Extraliga from another South Moravian club, HC Znojemští Orli. This club will now serve as a farm team for Brno.

In March 2012, the team managed to defeat HC Sparta Praha, the winner of the 2011–12 Czech Extraliga regular season, and qualified for the playoff semifinals. In the semifinals, they defeated HC Plzeň 1929, the runner-up of the regular season. Kometa lost the Czech Extraliga championship final to HC Pardubice in six games.

Awards and trophies

 * Czechoslovak league titles: 11 (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966)
 * European Cup champion: 3 (1966, 1967, 1968)
 * Spengler cup winner: 1 (1955)

History of the team name

 * 1953 – Rudá hvězda Brno
 * 1962 – TJ ZKL Brno
 * 1976 – TJ Zetor Brno
 * 1990 – HC Zetor Brno
 * 1993 – HC Královopolská Brno
 * 1994 – HC Kometa Brno
 * 1995 – HC Kometa Brno BVV
 * 1997 – HC Kometa Brno