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Nadrchal, who grew up playing hockey in Pardubice, never played internationally at the youth level, but it wasn´t because he wasn´t good enough, but because there was no international competition at that level.

"In my era that was not an option. Although, I should point out that when I was 18 years old I managed to make the national ´A´ team," he boasts. It was back in 1957 when Nadrchal made his national team debut under coach Vladimír Bouzek against the Soviet Union, an incredible accomplishment considering how long he had been playing goal.

"At age 12 I played goal for the first time, and six years later I represented Czechoslovakia," he said with a smile, adding that his goaltending peers generally debuted on the national team at age 20.

Following a successful playing career, Nadrchal became a goaltending coach. He worked mainly with Kometa Brno, but also spent some time abroad, working six years for Italian club HC Aosta. Because he worked with Kometa up until recently, he is familiar with current Czech U18 goalie Dominik Hrachinova.

"Even though I never coached him directly, I know he is a very skilled kid," said the Czech goalie mentor. "I watched several practices in which he was participating. Now he plays in Finland. It would be good in the long term to see this Brno product go far."

Obviously, Nadrchal is not only interested in Hrachovina, but the entire Czech team. "I think it would be a success if we get into the semifinals," he concluded.