I was asked when I would be back and how soon. I replied that at the moment (emphasis on the word), I don’t see him at all. Then the media got something out of it and I don’t want to comment on it. It would be useless.
So how did you mean your words?
That at the moment I didn’t have the time, the desire or the desire to train and without training you simply can’t play. But that does not mean that it will reappear again, that I will have the impulse again. I’m not denying anything, but it was born from an answer; I’m not saying hype; but many articles I didn’t even want to comment because I thought they were useless.
So is it possible that, for example, we will see you again on the ice in November, if your desire to play hockey returns and you train well?
Maybe I won’t get along anymore. I don’t really know. For example, today I trained for the second time in equipment (with the team) in order to have twenty players on the ice, because we have so many injuries. There is no point in dragging players from the Chance League into our practice, so I went on the ice.
What was your impression of yourself?
It was more challenging than I could have imagined. It was terrible, just surviving the training is crazy for me. For various reasons: I haven’t skated for six months, I haven’t done anything, I’m overweight, I’m old. I went to train anyway, because it makes a lot more sense to me to train with twenty people than with nineteen.
Maybe more frequent workouts will lead you to an early comeback …
At sixty he can kick me (laughs). Why not, there are many older people who go to play hockey after work. I have a huge advantage over them being the owner so I can somehow get into the training. They don’t have it, yet they love hockey as much as I do and after work they play their hobby leagues.
At the beginning of August you stated that you will jump into the extra league, although it will be later. So much has changed in those two months that you are no longer sure?
I couldn’t train and jumping on the bandwagon is the hardest thing. If I had trained regularly, had completed summer training immediately after the season and had trained normally with the team, it would have been different. But I couldn’t. At that moment, there were more important things to me than focusing on scoring a goal or two. It is not that important compared to whether things are going well here (in Kladno) or not. I think only of others more than myself.
If you decide to really quit, it is offered at the Winter Classic. However, the outdoor match has already been postponed twice and its holding is uncertain even this season. How are you?
It’s complicated, but I believe it will work. But believing it is only a good start. There isn’t much time to make it happen in the winter, and if it does, it will be a real buzz. On the other hand, I would have extra motivation to deal with it as quickly as possible. I promised to play the Winter Classic and I would love to play it. Maybe it would really be my last game, I don’t know. I do not guarantee or promise anything. I should prepare well for that match, because I wouldn’t give it away to volley.
Before the season, you also mentioned that in addition to the outdoor match, you are also motivated to play on the reconstructed Kladno winter camp. Doesn’t it apply anymore?
(thinks about it for a long time) If I wanted to go back to regular games and didn’t feel well, I could just train for another week and come back later. This is not possible with the Winter Classic. There I would have a clearly marked date for which I should prepare and submit a few things to her. On the other hand, when there is no fixed deadline, the human body always finds an excuse why not until next week.
Even if you don’t play, you watch Kladno’s games from the changing table and often give advice to the players. Would you like to train after the end of your career?
I honestly think that being a club owner is a much bigger responsibility than being a manager. I’m in every training session, our style hasn’t changed much in the last four years, we have more quality and better players than we had. However, the most important thing is to train. You can have brilliant tactics as much as you want, but if your legs don’t support you and the players are slower then it doesn’t matter at all. This is it.
Rather, I meant whether becoming a coach would be fulfilling for you?
I don’t know if I could be a coach. Watch videos every day, prepare training sessions. I don’t have time for that. Training is not a problem, but so are travel. They are often long distances and I just don’t have time to do it. I’m driving now, but it’s because I want to be with the team. It’s not a two-hour-a-day job. I’m at the stadium from eight to two just for training and with the coaches, and I’m not even part of the training.
