Membership card, Czechoslovak Ice Hockey Association, Náchod, 1945

Product detailed description

Condition: as found, solid

Dimensions:   9 cm x 12.8 cm

...with the player’s mounted photo and stamps of the Orlice ice hockey district, the WK Habeš Náchod club and the Sokol Náchod gymnastics union. Entries show membership from 1 April 1941 and a transfer to HC Náchod in December 1945. Inside is a complete run of affixed ČSLH membership stamps for 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950/51, plus a medical check stamp. Period spelling hockey.

Facts at a glance

• Item: player’s membership card, with mounted photograph
• Issuer: Czech Ice Hockey Association (Český svaz ledního hockeye, ČSLH), print code Č. 3. VIII. 43. 5000 – 329
• Place: Náchod, Náchod district, Hradec Králové Region
• Clubs and stamps: WK Habeš Náchod, HC Náchod, Sokol Náchod gymnastics union, Orlice ice hockey district (register)
• Entries: membership from 1 April 1941, register check 30 December 1943, transfer 15 December 1945
• Membership stamps: ČSLH 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950/51
• Other: medical check stamp of a general practitioner in Náchod, ČSLH number 29894

Expert note – FAQ

What is Náchod’s ice hockey history?
Náchod is one of the places in East Bohemia with a long ice hockey tradition. Hockey was played there within the Orlice ice hockey district and in clubs such as WK Habeš Náchod and HC Náchod. Player cards from that period document transfers and the running of local clubs.

Why does the card say Czech rather than Czechoslovak?
During the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, sports associations used the label Czech instead of Czechoslovak, hence Český svaz ledního hockeye on the card. The older spelling hockey, with ckey, remained common in association names and documents until the mid-20th century.

What were the membership stamps in a hockey card for?
Membership stamps were stuck into the card as proof that the season’s subscription had been paid. A continuous run from 1945 to 1950/51 shows how long the player was an active member of the association and also records how the stamp designs changed over time.