The arrival of the new Czech head coach will have quite an impact on the team. How will the Czech players react? Hopefully they will shine, wanting to impress Hlinka and prove to the world that the Czechs are the best.

Under Captain Jagr's watchful eye, the other Czech players have been steadily improving. Martin Straka, now in his second stint with the Pens, has been a wonderful complement to Jagr. He has always picked up his game during the playoffs, factoring in emotional play with his many skills.During last year's playoffs against the Flyers, he led the team with eight points. As a reward for his fine play, he was voted onto last year's All Star team, his first such appearance. Straka clearly strives to play well and likes to emulate Jagr.

Two other Czech centers are making a difference, Robert Lang and Jan Hrdina. Lang has been a Penguin since 1997 and has improved his play since joining his fellow Czechs. In the 1998-99 season he scored 44 points and he improved that total to 65 the next season. Lang is a steady player and a tough competitor. He is not as openly emotional as some of the others, and so at times brings a calming influence to the ice during tense moments. His toughness can't be denied. Last March he suffered a severe injury to his mouth losing several teeth and needing extensive dental work, but he only missed one game due to the injury.

Jan Hrdina's biggest contribution to the team is his amazing skill on face-offs. He won 53.7% of the draws he took last year and the year before, 57%. But he can score too. He scored a career high 46 points last season,
only his second in the NHL. Hrdina sneaks around the ice, almost seeming to hide, but often is in exactly the right position to receive or take an important pass.Often the defense is focusing so much on the other skilled players, that Hrdina is almost ignored.

Although he is a defenseman, Jiri Slegr does his share of scoring too. Last year he ranked first among Pens' defensemen with 31 points, but also finished with a very respectable +20 rating. Slegr has endeared himself to
the home fans by his tough, exciting play and he has developed his own way of celebrating when he scores a goal -- he heads to the glass and "belly-bumps" it, involving the fans in his elation. His style is different
from Kasparitis and Barnaby, but his scoring touch is better.

Three of these players, Straka, Lang, and Slegr, along with Jagr won gold medals at the Nagano Olympic Games with Hlinka at the helm. This group is one that knows how to win and wants to win -- for themselves, for the fans, for Hlinka, and for the Czech Republic.