Czechs relish underdog role at World Cup without Krejci, Hertl, Gudas

Expectations were never high for the Czech Republic entering the World Cup of Hockey, and after injuries to several of their key players, odds are certainly not in their favor.

Of course, Czech Republic general manager Martin Rucinsky is certainly not ruling his team out, but he is quick to admit the losses of David Krejci, Tomas Hertl, and Radko Gudas will be felt.

"Losing Krejci, Hertl, and Gudas was not easy," Rucinsky said, according to Michael Langr of NHL.com. "All of them are quality players. Krejci should have been our first center. We wanted to have Hertl among our top-six forwards as well. And (Gudas) is one of the toughest defensemen out there. We are going to miss those guys. But at the same time, we see it as a chance for others. It's not just us. Every team has had some changes and we have to deal with it. Let's move on and go forward."

Meanwhile, according to captain Tomas Plekanec, the injury problems give the Czechs the opportunity to play the underdog role - a position he has used to his advantage over the course of his career.

"For me, the best feeling was always to prove people that they were wrong," Plekanec said. "When I was young, nobody believed me when I said I could play professional hockey and make it to the NHL. And I used it as a motivation to work even harder and prove those people they were wrong. It would be great to show everyone at (the World Cup) that they were wrong too."

Prior to the injuries, oddsmakers gave the Czech Republic 20/1 odds of winning the tournament, tied with Team North America as the second-biggest long shot among the eight teams.

While the team may not have the same firepower as other squads, defenseman Andrej Sustr feels that shouldn't make them any less competitive.

"We don't have as many big names on our roster as they are on many other rosters," Sustr said. "But we will play with team effort and good defense and I believe that it can bring us success. Everyone has their pride and we are going to have a good tournament there."