Political prisoner and member of the golden generation of czechoslovak players, that won World Championship in 1949 and silver medal at Olympic games in 1948. Very good skater, who combined speed and tough playing. His career and life was crushed by communists when he was only 23 years old. Soon before the departure to London for the World championship in 1950, Kobranov and his 12 teammates from national hockey team were arrested by communists. In mendacious political trial they were accused of treason against communism (they thought they want to emigrate), physically tortured and then sentenced from 8 months to 15 years of inprisonment. Vladimir Kobranov was sentenced to 10 years in uranium prisoner camps in Jachymov. After 5 years of torture and humiliation in the "camps of death" he was released. However his health was severely damaged. Although he said he would never play hockey again, few years later he moved from Prague to the more tranquil town of Pardubice. In 1969 he managed to emigrate to Switzerland soon after Czechoslovakia was once again occupied by Soviets. In Switzerland he found a new home and he is still living there. After the fall of Berlin wall, he was inducted to the Czech Hall of Fame.
(Jan Jech)
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