Czechia's Pavlina Horalkova #17 celebrates with team manager Tereza Sadilova after a 4-2 bronze medal game win against Switzerland at the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship at KVIK Hockey Arena on September 4, 2022 in Herning, Denmark.
photo: Matt Zambonin / IIHF
Picture this: It’s the end of the summer, and you arrive home after two weeks away carrying some extra hardware—a historic World Championship bronze medal. Just a few months before this, you attended your program’s first Olympics and hired your country’s first ever female national team head coach. It would be remiss to leave out that all this has been accomplished in your first year on the job.
This scenario was Tereza Sadilova’s reality in 2022, as she took on the role of general manager of Czechia’s Women’s National Team, hiring Carla MacLeod as head coach and helping lead Czechia to new heights at the World Championships.
“I’ve heard it all. I’ve heard ‘she’s too young’, ‘she doesn’t understand hockey’, ‘she has no vision’,” said Sadilova of the challenges of the last year. “But I personally believe that when you continue to push yourself as a human, and if your intentions are good, things will eventually go your way.”
Sadilova spent four years in a coordinator position with the Czech Ice Hockey Association before taking over for Martin Loukota in the general manager role. When asked why and how she ended up in that position, Sadilova first always brings it back to growing up in a hockey-crazy family.
“I come from a hockey family and that is something that shaped me as a person,” said Sadilova, who played from the ages of six to 10, but stopped due to the lack of options for girls. “All my siblings played, and my dad is around hockey also, so all we talked about at home was hockey.”
Sadilova says that her hockey-loving family taught her about hard work and sacrifice, and that this defines how she approaches her role as general manager.
“You have to be consistent in how you show up,” said Sadilova. “I take it as the greatest privilege and gift right now that I get to represent these women and hopefully help them out along the way to change things for the better by demanding for what they deserve, for what they earn. There’s just so much that I respect about our athletes, the work they’ve put in, the sacrifices they’ve made. That’s what really drives me.”
Sadilova’s first taste of both what her own future and the future of women’s hockey in Czechia could look like came through an internship with Hockey Canada that she completed after graduating from school. Her role as Events and Properties Intern had Sadilova involved in men’s tournaments like the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the World Juniors, but she also got to witness firsthand a “golden standard rule” that applied across the board to all teams, including the women.
“When I was coming back to Europe [after the internship], it just kind of made sense to go to the Czech Ice Hockey Association. They hired me for the U20 Worlds, and eventually I just kind of found my way to the women’s side of the sport and I haven’t left.”
The transition from coordinator to general manager felt natural, and as Sadilova spent increasingly more time with Czechia’s women’s teams, she gained confidence in her ability to lead the program. She joined a growing number of women in general manager positions internationally and within professional leagues.
“Obviously I care a lot about the [women’s] program, so I think they acknowledged that,” said Sadilova. “The big breaking point came after the 2022 Olympics when Tomas Pacina left the head coach position, so that’s when I really had to step in and look for a new head coach.”
Enter two-time Canadian Olympic gold medallist Carla MacLeod. Sadilova wanted to build off of Czechia’s first ever Olympic tournament and find a strong leader with a proven track record willing to put in the work to take her team to the next level, and MacLeod fit the job description perfectly. However, even in 2022, some saw Sadilova’s new hire—the first woman to helm a Czech national team—as a gutsy choice.
“Even the Carla move, that was not [always] celebrated here,” said Sadilova. “So I just say, trust your instincts. Trust your gut … I think in general, in our sport we have to gain respect from accomplishments and that can be hard.”
The 2022 Women’s World Championship had a well-earned storybook ending for Czechia, with the team claiming its first ever Top Division medal, beating Finland 2-1 in overtime in the quarterfinals before winning 4-2 over Switzerland in the bronze medal game.
“I just get excited about the fact that young girls get to grow up watching this team. The narrative of female sport is slowly changing. There was so many see it, be it moments during that summer,” said Sadilova. "We have definitely gained respect for our accomplishments, but that medal is just the tip of the iceberg. There still continues to be lots of ups and downs along the way, and the fight is obviously not done, and that applies to both on the ice and off the ice.”
On the horizon right now for Sadilova is the upcoming World Championships in Brampton, where Czechia will be looking to stay in Group A and get back on the podium. But her vision for the program goes much deeper. Along with securing funding specifically for Czechia’s women’s hockey program, key for Sadilova is formulating a healthy training and competition environment.
“My number one priority is always to create a safe environment that [players are] excited to come back to,” said Sadilova. “It is a fact that they were not always treated right in the past, but I think we’re getting there. Carla MacLeod obviously plays a huge role in this process. I love that our group has acknowledged her natural leadership. I really think that this program is a family that will actually help you get to the next level if you’re willing to put that work in.”
Also top of mind is the 2026 Olympics (“I think winning a medal there would be amazing,” said Sadilova), and the continued fight to build sustainable women’s professional leagues that pay players full-time salaries. “I’d [like to help] in any way I can to finally build a very good professional league either overseas or in Europe. I think we all need to work on that together, collectively.”
Growing the game and inspiring the next absolutely applies to off-ice roles like Sadilova’s, and she aims to open doors for more women to work in hockey operations and administration roles like hers as well.
“It’s just me right now [with Czechia’s women’s program] and I don’t think that’s good enough. I think more people, and more females involved for sure, that would be my goal. I always tell [players], once you’re done, I’m ready for you here in the office. There are opportunities. If you’re interested, we can fight for this, and that’s how we’re going to move the game forward.”
This scenario was Tereza Sadilova’s reality in 2022, as she took on the role of general manager of Czechia’s Women’s National Team, hiring Carla MacLeod as head coach and helping lead Czechia to new heights at the World Championships.
“I’ve heard it all. I’ve heard ‘she’s too young’, ‘she doesn’t understand hockey’, ‘she has no vision’,” said Sadilova of the challenges of the last year. “But I personally believe that when you continue to push yourself as a human, and if your intentions are good, things will eventually go your way.”
Sadilova spent four years in a coordinator position with the Czech Ice Hockey Association before taking over for Martin Loukota in the general manager role. When asked why and how she ended up in that position, Sadilova first always brings it back to growing up in a hockey-crazy family.
“I come from a hockey family and that is something that shaped me as a person,” said Sadilova, who played from the ages of six to 10, but stopped due to the lack of options for girls. “All my siblings played, and my dad is around hockey also, so all we talked about at home was hockey.”
Sadilova says that her hockey-loving family taught her about hard work and sacrifice, and that this defines how she approaches her role as general manager.
“You have to be consistent in how you show up,” said Sadilova. “I take it as the greatest privilege and gift right now that I get to represent these women and hopefully help them out along the way to change things for the better by demanding for what they deserve, for what they earn. There’s just so much that I respect about our athletes, the work they’ve put in, the sacrifices they’ve made. That’s what really drives me.”
Sadilova’s first taste of both what her own future and the future of women’s hockey in Czechia could look like came through an internship with Hockey Canada that she completed after graduating from school. Her role as Events and Properties Intern had Sadilova involved in men’s tournaments like the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the World Juniors, but she also got to witness firsthand a “golden standard rule” that applied across the board to all teams, including the women.
“When I was coming back to Europe [after the internship], it just kind of made sense to go to the Czech Ice Hockey Association. They hired me for the U20 Worlds, and eventually I just kind of found my way to the women’s side of the sport and I haven’t left.”
The transition from coordinator to general manager felt natural, and as Sadilova spent increasingly more time with Czechia’s women’s teams, she gained confidence in her ability to lead the program. She joined a growing number of women in general manager positions internationally and within professional leagues.
“Obviously I care a lot about the [women’s] program, so I think they acknowledged that,” said Sadilova. “The big breaking point came after the 2022 Olympics when Tomas Pacina left the head coach position, so that’s when I really had to step in and look for a new head coach.”
Enter two-time Canadian Olympic gold medallist Carla MacLeod. Sadilova wanted to build off of Czechia’s first ever Olympic tournament and find a strong leader with a proven track record willing to put in the work to take her team to the next level, and MacLeod fit the job description perfectly. However, even in 2022, some saw Sadilova’s new hire—the first woman to helm a Czech national team—as a gutsy choice.
“Even the Carla move, that was not [always] celebrated here,” said Sadilova. “So I just say, trust your instincts. Trust your gut … I think in general, in our sport we have to gain respect from accomplishments and that can be hard.”
The 2022 Women’s World Championship had a well-earned storybook ending for Czechia, with the team claiming its first ever Top Division medal, beating Finland 2-1 in overtime in the quarterfinals before winning 4-2 over Switzerland in the bronze medal game.
“I just get excited about the fact that young girls get to grow up watching this team. The narrative of female sport is slowly changing. There was so many see it, be it moments during that summer,” said Sadilova. "We have definitely gained respect for our accomplishments, but that medal is just the tip of the iceberg. There still continues to be lots of ups and downs along the way, and the fight is obviously not done, and that applies to both on the ice and off the ice.”
On the horizon right now for Sadilova is the upcoming World Championships in Brampton, where Czechia will be looking to stay in Group A and get back on the podium. But her vision for the program goes much deeper. Along with securing funding specifically for Czechia’s women’s hockey program, key for Sadilova is formulating a healthy training and competition environment.
“My number one priority is always to create a safe environment that [players are] excited to come back to,” said Sadilova. “It is a fact that they were not always treated right in the past, but I think we’re getting there. Carla MacLeod obviously plays a huge role in this process. I love that our group has acknowledged her natural leadership. I really think that this program is a family that will actually help you get to the next level if you’re willing to put that work in.”
Also top of mind is the 2026 Olympics (“I think winning a medal there would be amazing,” said Sadilova), and the continued fight to build sustainable women’s professional leagues that pay players full-time salaries. “I’d [like to help] in any way I can to finally build a very good professional league either overseas or in Europe. I think we all need to work on that together, collectively.”
Growing the game and inspiring the next absolutely applies to off-ice roles like Sadilova’s, and she aims to open doors for more women to work in hockey operations and administration roles like hers as well.
“It’s just me right now [with Czechia’s women’s program] and I don’t think that’s good enough. I think more people, and more females involved for sure, that would be my goal. I always tell [players], once you’re done, I’m ready for you here in the office. There are opportunities. If you’re interested, we can fight for this, and that’s how we’re going to move the game forward.”