Litvínov knows that Orlen will end. The new owner is looking for

In Litvínov in recent years, speculation has occasionally appeared that Petrochemical giant Orlen Unipetrol would leave hockey. Black scenarios have never been fulfilled, big changes have remained only in the theory of consideration. Summer 2025, however, changes the future of traditional hockey Czech bastions. The powerful society has declared that it no longer intends to drive hockey. It will pay for the season and no longer interested in Litvínov as a majority shareholder.

Some people with connection to hockey still believe that it may be a certain tactics of fighting, where the club’s direction is at stake. The company had reservations about the functioning of the smallest shareholder – the HC Litvínov association. Orlenu includes 71 percent of club shares, 20 belong to the city and 9 percent of the association. He is in charge of youth and at the same time holds an extra league license.

He seduces that in May, Orlen Unipetrol issued a relatively sharp statement. He encouraged a closer and better cooperation of shareholders. He praised cooperation with the city and added that “he expects the same approach from the third shareholder, HC Litvínov, a sports association, which the club contributes to the operation of several millions per year.”

He wanted the extra -league license to be transferred to the entire hockey club, ie all three shareholders with a guarantee that there was no transfer to its transfer outside the city. In addition, he was asking for the people from the management of the extraleague club to enter the Association’s Audit Commission. Everything was supposed to start working at the latest from the 2026/27 season.

However, big plans with hockey replaced another statement after less than two months. After the 2025/26 season, the company will end up as a shareholder. No more plans, no next time. “We are led to this persistent serious problems on the European and Czech refiner and petrochemical markets,” he says in the official text.

Given the extremely fast turn, the views prevailed that it was a certain demonstration of strength: either it will be ours, the license will be transferred and other people or…

But reality is elsewhere. This is a real end.

This is evidenced by the finding of the list of messages that reported about the forthcoming radical restructuring of the company – means layoffs and other cuts. Orlen is to help to return to profitability in the hard -affected chemical industry to help cuts, reducing investment and selling unnecessary assets. Litvínov hockey also includes the box.

Leaving hockey leadership has nothing to do with the previous arguing of the future of the club. Rather, things met in an unexpectedly fast time when the company evaluated that it needed to save. This is well aware of the second largest shareholder of the extra league, ie the city. “From the statement of the company it can be concluded that the decision was thought out and reflects the current and future situation in the chemical industry. So we believe that the attitude of the company no longer changes,” confirms mayor Kamila Bláhová for the list of reports.

“On the other hand, Orlen Unipetrol declared the will to discuss with existing and potential new shareholders about the possibilities and extent of their future involvement in the support of ice hockey in marketing cooperation,” the mayor feels hope that the current owner will help.

Orlen does not plan to cut his contacts with hockey. If the future owner comes up with the offer of business cooperation, the classic partnership agreement does not resist. It is not so excluded that he sponsored hockey, which Kamila Beranová was talking about for the town of Litvínov. “Our statements we have published. We do not want to comment on anything else at the moment,” said Jiří Hajek, director of Orlen Unipetrol.

The majority shareholder sent about 60 million a year to hockey. In addition, he added stability that if the season ended in loss, behind the club’s back was always a strong shareholder who would not let him drown in problems and debt.

The Litvínov Club now needs to fill a budget of 110-130 million crowns for a solid extra league life. If the new owner could be negotiated with Orlen, the general partnership, which, according to the list of reports, could bring 15-20 million annually, it still means a very solid foundation. But it is not an automatic item.

Moreover, in a situation where Orlen Unipetrol reported a loss of 16.3 billion crowns for 2024, the company may not want to give so much money for side activities. The only certainty for the extraleague budget for the 2026/27 season is 14 million from BPA. Another 100 must get the new owner himself.

Moreover, the difficulty of the situation illustrates that it is ideal for the candidate to appear at the latest in October and at the latest in three months came up with a clear vision of what to do with Litvínov.

It is not just about agreement with Orlen, transfer of shares and negotiations on further cooperation. But contracts for the next hockey season are commonly dealt with in this deadline. Whoever sleeps, on the Czech market rather takes over. Moreover, it is a fundamental question of who the club would manage.

The current general manager Pavel Hynek was chosen by a petrochemical society for hockey management. Any new owner may have a key position to occupy a different preference.

According to the findings, Orlen Unipetrol plans to keep the word and economically hold the club, as is customary. There will be no debt. The new owner does not have to worry about financial skeletons.

But even so, the situation for a new shareholder will be extremely difficult due to the speed that everything needs to be prepared.

Orlen does not actively seek anyone. The town of Litvínov has already started the event. “We are ready to deal with any candidate who can build on the tradition of hockey in Litvínov, helped the club overcome the current situation and will be interested in developing top hockey in the city. This is a challenge that requires a strong and long -term involved partner,” the mayor realizes.

“The town of Litvínov, together with the representatives of the HC Litvínov Sports Association, former players and the official fan club, will be in contact and together we will lead negotiations with potential investors in the near future.

In the past, for example, in Pardubice it happened that when the club left Roman Šmidberk, the city took over the hockey. For a long time, she was looking for a strong investor before she slapped with billionaire Petr Dědek in the Covida era.

In Litvínov, however, this line does not appear to be very likely. “The city manages public money and is obliged to dispose of them efficiently, economically and effectively. The takeover of the majority now seems unlikely,” said Mayor Litvínov.

We also addressed Kamil Havelka, who is represented by the HC Litvínov association. “The situation in Litvínov is being dealt with and we need some space and time. Please patience and believe that this is intensively in the benefit of Litvínov hockey,” he wrote down, adding that he is not the right time for more comments on the future of hockey. His subject still remains an extra league license.

The up -to -date information is that a group of ten people who are preparing a strategic plan to plan the future of hockey in the city. It should include Havelka and the former famous offspring Robert Reichel, Martin Ručinský and Jiří Šlégr, who has already worked in the club as the general manager and the management of Orlen was replaced by the current head of the club Hynek.

“We want to involve the association, the city, include a new hall, everything to make it sense. Not that just for a year or two something will stick to something. The official fanclub also starts the activity. Since August, for example, T -shirts with the password #litvinovyzhasne will go on sale. The proceeds are to go to restart hockey.

Litvínov is a stable address in the Czech highest competition, advanced to it in 1959 and has never left it ever since. He raised the stars of the national team and the NHL, in addition to Reichel, Šlégr and Ručinský in the club, Ivan Hlinka, Vladimir Růžička, Petr Klíma, Robert Lang, Petr Svoboda, Petr Nedvěd and other aces were also built.

The last two seasons held most of the season around the first four. But the reality around the club is not so brilliant.

The education of players stuck and Litvínov is one of the worst evaluated teams of the extra league to work with youth. The HC Litvínov Association manages everything independently of the operation and team. When the quality of education of young hockey players is assessed, it is one of the worst addresses of the highest competition. This is also reflected in the Academy of Academy of 2019-2024. Five -year -old ranking attributes to 16th place, so in this respect he would not belong to a fourteen -member extra league.

In addition, Litvínov was able to raise representatives, NHL players or at least above -standard hockey players for home competition. Over the past twenty years, however, only two players – Filip Helt and Jan Myšák – have gone through.

The new owner will receive a A team, but at the same time he is also awaiting cooperation with youth, which will not affect in any way and which will not yet be able to supply strong players to the first team. This is a disadvantage that makes the organization of the organization more expensive, which, according to sources, the list of reports of Orlen was not satisfied. In recent years, the state has been unsuccessfully changing.

Another problem is the condition of the Ivan Hlinka stadium. Czech clubs, which have recently attracted strong billionaire to ownership structures, combine one fundamental thing – quality background.

Dušan Šenkypl admitted in an interview for the list of reports that if Karlovy Vary did not have such a good hall together by the youth center, he would not be interested in the investment. Tomáš Drastil bought Kladno with a renovated hall. Slavomír Pavlíček entered Jihlava when he is completing a new multifunctional arena.

Here you can feel a fundamental handicap.

Litvínov has a tradition, lighted fans, the winter stadium has its charm. But in the long term, the Extraliga will not play in the current conditions.

The vision of the reconstruction and major modifications of the Ivan Hlinka stadium has been a lot. For example, this one was from the mouth of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and comes from January 2020: “As part of the completion, the construction of a new grandstand with large hockey background and boarding board is planned. It was supposed to be rebuilt for 516 million.

In the background you can find a modern gym that belongs to youth. They do not continue work. “The current intention counts on the reconstruction and modernization of the existing ice rink within the project of the multifunctional arena. Another variant is not actively considered at the moment,” says the mayor that the building on the green meadow is currently excluded.

The reconstruction of the stadium, however, still holds only in the offices. “So far we are in the project of project activities, we have a valid zoning decision and we are before the start of the next stage of design work,” said Kamila Bláhová.

But he is not afraid that the state of the city stadium of a potential buyer of a strong brand will be discouraged: “The city of Litvínov has long been old and in recent years has been implementing a number of investment and non -investment projects to ensure the conditions of the extra league.

In the game, of course, there is also a dark scenario that a new shareholder with a strong plan to work in Litvínov would not apply.

One thing is to take over the club and drive hockey. Here, a group of Litvínov players and patriots would probably know how to work with the club. In addition, the last era led by Hynek, who is still not fully accepted by part of the domestic supporters, shows the features of stability and increasing performance.

It turns out that even without a functioning youth, a team from the upper half of the table can operate in Litvínov, but it must be able to hit reinforcements. For the last two years, he has been one of the most flashy. For six consecutive years, Verva ended up with the top ten after the regular season. She played the relegation, once close to a direct descent. The fifth and seventh place after the regular season of 2024 and 2025, plus one semifinals are very great against the older era.

Hynek joined Litvínov in 2020, although not everything came out completely, under him the club raised significantly. The minuses include, for example, the involvement of Vladimír Růžička as a coach. On the one hand, he failed sports, but at the same time the partners and fans irritated a lot that the club was to be rescued by a man convicted of embezzlement.

However, in recent years Litvínov has been sports on the way. During previous governments Robert Kysela and Jiří Šlégr, he headed to the bottom since the title 2015.

The key pillar will be for the new owner to ensure a regular supply of finance and strong background. At present, Litvínov has always had it thanks to Orlen, which made him a trusted brand for players and agents.

If the financially strong and stable group is not together, top hockey in Litvínov may end. The extraleague unit could then head for insolvency. At that moment, his license would be available and at least one strong buyer would have been very vehement from Jihlava. Slavomír Pavlíček has the ambition of Dukla to get into the extra league. It can be the process for several years sports.

The town of Litvínov also knows that the insolvency scarecrow can gain quite real contours. “At the moment, we are doing our best to avoid such a situation. The city is taking steps to maintain the continuity of hockey in Litvínov on top level. We believe that thanks to the common efforts of all stakeholders, we will find a solution that will prevent this undesirable script,” said Mayor Báhová.