The Tatra Cup (Slovak: Tatranský pohár) is an annual ice hockey tournament held in Poprad, Slovakia. It is the second oldest club tournament in Europe, after the Spengler Cup.

Tatra Cup
SportIce Hockey
Founded1929
First season1929
No. of teams6 (group stage)
CountriesSlovakia (usually HK Poprad), Czech Republic, various other European countries
Venue(s)Poprad Ice Stadium (Poprad, Slovakia)
Most recent
champion(s)
Slovakia HC Košice
Most titlesSlovakia HK Poprad (14 titles)
QualificationInvitation only
Official websitehkpoprad.sk/tatransky-pohar

The first installment of the Tatra Cup took place in 1929 in Starý Smokovec. Between the years 1932 and 1935 there were two different tournaments held, a national one and an international one. There were only two installments held from 1952 to 1968 because of problems with organization of the tournament. In later years international teams started to participate as well, e.g. Kölner EC in 1969. One year later for the first time a Swedish team played at the Tatra Cup – Surahammars IF, together with German SC Riessersee.

When a new ice hockey stadium was built in Poprad in 1973, conditions for the organization of the tournament improved considerably. In the anniversary year of the tournament 1979 a hockey club from East Germany Dynamo Weißwasser was invited.

Nowadays, the Tatra Cup is taking place every year in late August as a preparatory tournament for the upcoming season, at which mostly Czech and Slovak teams take part.[1]

Tatra Cup winners

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Season/Year Type Winner
1929/1930 international   Slavia Praha
1930/1931 international   LTC Praha
1931/1932 international   LTC Praha
1932/1933 international   SK Prostějov
1932/1933 national   Skiklub Bratislava
1933/1934 international   Slavia Praha
1933/1934 national   AC Nitra
1934/1935 international   EKE Wien
1934/1935 national   ŠK Vysoké Tatry
1935/1936 national Unfinished due to adverse weather conditions and ineligible ice
1935/1936 international   AC Sparta Praha
1936/1937 national   HC Tatry
1937/1938 national   HC Tatry
1938/1939 national   HC Tatry
1940/1941 international   ŠK Slávia Prešov
1941/1942 national   HC Tatry
1942/1943 Tournament not held[2]
1945/1946 national   SK Prostějov
1946/1947 national   HC Tatry
1949/1950 national   LTC Praha
1950/1951 national   Sparta Praha Sokolovo
1951/1952 national   SK Prostějov
1958/1959 international   Sparta Praha Sokolovo
1959/1960 international   Sparta Praha Sokolovo
1968/1969 international   VŽKG Ostrava
1969/1970 international   Slovak National Team
1974 international   Slovan CHZJD Bratislava
1975 national   Slovan CHZJD Bratislava
1976 international   Czechoslovak National Team
1977 international   Czechoslovak National Team
1978 international   VSŽ Košice
1979 international   VSŽ Košice
1980 international   Sparta Praha
1981 international   Slezan STS Opava
1982 international   VSŽ Košice
1983 international   Dinamo Riga
1984 international   Tesla Pardubice
1985 international   HC Dukla Trenčín
1986 international   VSŽ Košice
1987 international   VSŽ Košice
1988 international   VSŽ Košice
1989 international   HK Sokol Kiev
1990 international   ŠK Slovan Bratislava
1991 international   Czechoslovakia U-20
1992 international   HC Košice
1993 international   HC Košice
1994 international   Slovakia U-20
1995 international   HC ŠKP PS Poprad
1996 international   HC Dukla Trenčín
1997 international   HC Slovan Bratislava
1998 international   HC Slovan Bratislava
1999 international   Slovak Olympic Team
2000 international   HC ŠKP Poprad
2001 international   HC ŠKP Poprad
2002 international   HC Vítkovice
2003 international   HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
2004 international   Slovakia U-23
2005 international   HK Tatravagónka ŠKP Poprad
2006 international   HC Vítkovice
2007 international   HC Vítkovice
2008 international   HC Košice
2009 international   HC Vítkovice Steel
2010 international   HC Oceláři Třinec
2011 international   Kölner Haie
2012 national   HK Poprad
2013 international   Graz 99ers
2014 international   HK Poprad
2015 international   Graz 99ers
2016 international   Lahti Pelicans
2017 international   HC Košice
2018 international   HK Poprad
2019 international   DVTK Jegesmedvék
2020 national   HK Poprad
2021 international   HC Pustertal
2022 international   HC '05 Banská Bystrica
2023 international   HK Poprad
2024 national   HC Košice

Performances

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By club (international tournaments)

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Club Won Years won
  HC Košice 10 1978, 1979, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 2008, 2017
  HK Poprad 7 1995, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2014, 2018, 2023
  HC Vítkovice 5 1968/1969, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009
  Slovak National Team 4 1969/1970, 1994, 1999, 2004
  HC Slovan Bratislava 4 1974, 1990, 1997, 1998
  HC Sparta Praha 4 1935/1936, 1958/1959, 1959/1960, 1980
  Czechoslovak National Team 3 1976, 1977, 1991
  HC Slavia Praha 2 1929/1930, 1933/1934
  LTC Praha 2 1930/1931, 1931/1932
  HK Dukla Trenčín 2 1985, 1996
  Graz 99ers 2 2013, 2015
  SK Prostějov 1 1932/1933
  EKE Wien 1 1934/1935
  ŠK Slávia Prešov 1 1940/1941
  Slezan STS Opava 1 1981
  Dinamo Riga 1 1983
  Tesla Pardubice 1 1984
  HC Sokol Kiev 1 1989
  HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 2003
  HC Oceláři Třinec 1 2010
  Kölner Haie 1 2011
  Lahti Pelicans 1 2016
  DVTK Jegesmedvék 1 2019
  HC Pustertal 1 2021
  HC '05 Banská Bystrica 1 2022

By club (national tournaments)

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Club Won Years won
  HC Tatry 5 1936/1937, 1937/1938, 1938/1939, 1941/1942, 1946/1947
  SK Prostějov 2 1945/46, 1951/1952
  HK Poprad 2 2012, 2020
  Skiklub Bratislava 1 1932/1933
  AC Nitra 1 1933/1934
  ŠK Vysoké Tatry 1 1934/1935
  LTC Praha 1 1949/1950
  HC Sparta Praha 1 1950/1951
  Slovan CHZJD Bratislava 1 1975
  HC Košice 1 2024

By country (international tournaments)

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Nation Winners
  Czechoslovakia 27
  Slovakia 17
  Czech Republic 5
  Austria 3
  Soviet Union 2
  Russia 1
  Germany 1
  Finland 1
  Hungary 1
  Italy 1

References

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  1. ^ "History of Tatra Cup". tatranskypohar.estranky.sk (in Slovak).
  2. ^ "Tatra cup in 1942/1943" (in Slovak). www.tatranskypohar.estranky.sk.
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