"Canadian" ice hockey made its appearance in Slovakia in the mid-1920s and displaced the game of bandy which had enjoyed only limited popularity. As early as 1925 Štrbské Pleso and Starý Smokovec became substitute venues for the 10th European Championships when weather conditions in the Czech Lands proved unfavourable. The Tatras Cup (1927) and Championship of Slovakia (1930) marked an important milestone in the popularity of the game in our country. It was not until the 1960s that Slovak players began to appear with any frequency in the national colours of Czechoslovakia, but the names of pioneers (such as Ladislav Troják...