Tikal, Zdeněk

BORN JULY 18TH, 1933, at Vcelna, Czechoslovakia, he fled to Australia with his father in 1948 after the Communists rose to power in Czechoslovakia. His twin brother, Czech international defenseman, František Tikal (1933–2008), scored 80 goals in over 360 games in the Czechoslovak league, and 17 goals in 59 games for his country.

Known as "Steve" here, he played forward for the Demons from 1951 to '53 during the years the Raiders dominated the league, then the Pirates from 1956 to '57, and Melbourne Hakoah from 1959 to '63. In 1963 he won both the state premiership and the Australian Club Championship coached by fellow countryman and Olympian, Ivo Vesely. He won his first Goodall Cup representing Victoria in 1954 at St Moritz in Melbourne, and a second in 1961 at Prince Alfred Park in Sydney.

Chosen for the 1960 Australian Olympic ice hockey team, the Games were special for him, because it was the first time in 12 years that he met his twin brother. Trounced by his brother's team, 18-1, the Czechoslovakians seemed to target him directly, considering him a traitor to their country. Speared in the shoulder as he skated down the left wing, he hit the ice hard. His Olympic campaign ended in this first game after a collision with, of all people, his brother, left him with a separated shoulder and unable to compete.

He did not play another match in the series, but under cover of darkness, he reunited with his estranged brother after the Czech secret police had tried to keep them apart. "...The Czech game was pretty brutal," said his teammate Basil Hansen years later. "We had two Czech players in our team, the other was Ivo Veseley. They were naturalised Australians but it was a big deal as far as the Czechs were concerned because they were classed as traitors to their country, and they wanted to kill."

He died in Melbourne at the age of 62 on November 20th 1991 survived by his wife Frieda (1931–1998). His son Frantisek, named after his brother, died in 1961. Tikal was elected a Life Member of the national association posthumously in 2000, along with all members of the 1960 Olympic ice hockey team. His brother won two medals in two Olympics and was inducted to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2004.