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Ivo Jaschick Reports from Germany     

The Elimination of
Jan Benda:
“Mr. International” Too Old at 33?

FEBRUARY 26, 2006 -- The Olympic Games 2006 in Torino should be another highlight in Jan Benda's career. Everything seemed to be okay – but then came the 12th of February – two days before the first puck was dropped in the Olympic hockey tournament.

The new German head coach UWE KRUPP had the difficult task to tell the experienced Jan Benda: You are no longer a member of Team Germany and handed him his ticket for flying home – the official reason had been: “You are too old!” – although he actually is only 33 years old. At about 3 pm Jan got this bad news about his dismissal and so he was two hours later with all his belongings packed at the airport.

Too old? A curious excuse, considering that Team USA’s captain is the 44 year-old Chris Chelios.

The last game of Jan Benda for the German National Team (02/11/06)
PHOTO BY Albert & Daniel Schaefer

Benda played 175 games for Germany, represented the country at three Olympics, nine A/B world championships, two World Cups and many, many tournaments. He did his best for the German Hockey Union (DEB) and collected 84 points (35 g/49 a), mostly as defender.

Every time he was needed and asked to play for Germany it was no question for No. “83” – even he was playing in Kazan, Russia, and had to make a horror trip to come.

Benda often had to perform double duty, and did it happily, as a forward and a defender. “I was very proud playing for Germany and I did it with pleasure!”

Jan Benda Jr. – nickname "Mr. International" – was born 04/28/72 in Reet, Belgium. He learned to chase the puck in Germany but in 1990 he went to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) to learn the American way of playing.

During his stay with the Oshawa Generals he played together with Eric Lindros (Toronto Maple Leafs).

Afterward, he played two years in the German Bundesliga in Freiburg and Munich. With Hedos Munich he became a champion in 1994.

Benda had been drafted by the NHL’s Washington Capitals, but was sent to the minors. Benda thought that his luck would be better, as he puts it, “in the other direction,” and returned to Europe.

His European journey netted him his nickname. He played throughout the elite leagues of Europe over the next two decades.

He started in the Chech Republic with Sparta & Slavia Praha. In 1997, he gave the NHL one more shot with the Caps. In nine games, he received three assists and ended up in the minors again.

“My goal had been the NHL, and I chanced it – I wanted to get new experiences and became something like a pioneer,” said Benda.

A whole bunch of German hockey clubs tried to hire the native but he wanted to fulfill his latest goal – to conquer the not-so-well known “Eastern Hockeyworld.”

Benda’s next stop was Finland – he played for Assat Pori and Jokerit Helsinki of the Finnish SM-League.

Afterward, Benda headed east to Russia, playing for Kazan with AK Bars (Tampa Bay Lightnings Stanley Cup Winners Brad Richards & Vincent Lecavalier played there during the NHL lockout). Benda became a star in the Russian Superleague.

After Kazan won the decisive semifinal on his goal, “47 years ago we were chasing away the Germans and now a German is scoring us into the final!”

The next stunts in Russia had been in Voskresensk, Cherepovets and Novosibirsk.

This season Jan Benda is playing in the Czech Extra League with Litvinov and Zlin and you can find him in the top ten in the scorer list – but don’t forget, this “oldie” is to old for the German hockey team!

“There everybody can see that there is another reason for my dismissal. If they would have told me, that now with a new coach they will start a new era with younger players – I would have been the last one who would have been angry about it. But there was nothing said about it before.” said a very disappointed Jan.

There was a guarantee for the seven German NHL stars to play at the Olympics, but Benda, who can play as a defender or forward (“I was playing in the defence till I became 15. – But now I am playing where I am needed more, where the coach want me to be!”), is an ambassador (“I like the word “Pioneer” more) of German hockey in many Countries, leagues and arenas. In nearly every arena of the world is somebody who knows & values Jan Benda!

Unlike in Germany, who offered Benda little fanfare, the Italian “Squadra Azzurra” were exemplary in bidding farewell to an honourable player, 40 year old Lucio Topatigh, who got to chance to play his 4th Olympic Games. That’s the way Italy said “Thanks” to such an artist on ice and his perfect job he did for his homeland.

But there are still some questions that need to be answered: - Are you to old for hockey if you reach a fixed age? (Igor Larionov (43), Steve Yzerman (41) & Chris Chelios (44) .

• Uwe Krupp himself played on a very high level until he was stopped at the age of 32 due to a back injury.

• Is the hockey that is played in Scandinavia or the “East” not as good as in the US? Why is the top east player Jan Benda not set?

• Why is such a honourable player taken back into the Olympic village and three days later they tell him (“you are to old”) to leave?

• - Who is opposing our record national player?

When Jan came back very sad to Zlin the team officials told him: “That’s good for us! – Now you can score the scorerpoints for us you were supposed to score in Torino!” His cell phone rings more often at the moment with questions from all over the hockey world because nobody understands what happened in Italy!

Photos Courtesy Jan Benda Except where Noted

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Copyright 2009 Western Hockey Network

HOCKEYTALK EUROPE

Also by Ivo Jaschick 2005-06:

Uwe Krupp New German
National Team Coach
Iserlohn Roosters
Ingolstadt Panthers
Cologne Sharks
DEL Preview
Cologne Sharks' Brad Schlegel
TUI Nations Cup