LTC Praha 1948 Spengler Cup Champions

Team Roster
Bohumil Modrý, Vladimir Zabrodsky, Miroslav Sláma, Stanislav Konopasek, Vaclav Rozinak, Josef Jirka,

Coach - Matej "Mike" Buckna

With the great Vladimir Zabrodsky leading the way in 1948, LTC (Lawn Tennis Cercle) Praha of Czechoslovakia became the first team from outside Switzerland to win the prestigious Spengler Cup three years in a row.

A giant of a man, Zabrodsky was perhaps the greatest player in Europe during the 1940s. He had exceptionally fast hands and played with a tremendous amount of poise. Besides the Spengler Cup, LTC Praha won three consecutive Czechoslovak national championships between 1946 and 1948. Zabrodsky, who later defected to Switzerland, was also a key figure in Czechoslovakia’s World Championship gold medal victories in 1947 and 1949. Stanislav Konopasek was also one of the great LTC players of the time and the team made good use of transplanted Canadians, including Matej Buckna, a native of Trail, B.C. who taught the Czechoslovaks much about the game.