The striker Rolinek ended his hockey career at the age of 40

“My health is good, I’m not finishing because I’ve been in surgery. My leg is in 100 percent condition. The current covid situation is a big part of that. I’ve found that I’m not able to prepare now to play. My body just fired. service, “Rolinek said at an extraordinary online press conference.

A native of Žďár nad Sázavou, he underwent hip surgery in the summer, after which he is already in good health. After indoor sports venues were closed in the Czech Republic and hockey players could not prepare on the ice, Rolinek did not find enough motivation to return to the necessary condition.

“It took me three weeks to get used to it. I tried to overcome it. I don’t mean it was a burnout, but I saw I didn’t have it. I could have returned to the ice on Saturday, but I found that it it is not possible, “said Rolinek, who last season significantly contributed to keeping Dynamo in the highest competition.

He considers the hectic past year, in which the East Bohemians fought until the end of the basic part for retention, to be the most significant moment in the Pardubice part of their career.

“Of course also because it’s fresh. Victories, titles, finals are always nice. But I said after last season that it’s like winning a title. A lot of people were surprised, but it’s true,” said Rolinek. , who left Pardubice at the beginning of the season and then played for the second league Vrchlabí.

After a change in Dynamo’s leadership, however, he returned to the club in January and participated in his remaining in the extra league. “It was a strange, bad season. After the changes I was able to come back and from January 15 it was like a playoff for us. We couldn’t afford to lose,” Rolinek said.

He was aware of the seriousness of the situation and what the consequences of a possible descent would be. “I knew what it would mean for everyone if we fell. I’m comparing rescue after such a season to the title.”

Rolinek experienced a triumph in the extra league in the 2004/05 season at the exclusion of the NHL, when for example Milan Hejduk, Jan Bulis, Aleš Hemský, Jiří Dopita, Michal Rozsíval, Petr Sýkora or Petr Průcha played for Pardubice.

“It was a great season, everyone on the team really enjoyed it. Everyone will tell you that it was an incredible experience,” said Rolinek, who played 744 matches in the extra league, in which he scored 185 goals and added 205 assists.

He also played for Sparta, Liberec and Litvínov. However, he spent a large part of his career in eastern Bohemia, where they are going to place the jersey with his number 60 under the ceiling of the arena and put it out of use. A participant in seven world championships and the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, he also played in the KHL for Magnitogorsk and Ufa.

Currently, Rolinek wants to focus on family and football, which has been playing at the amateur level for a long time. He no longer wants to play in lower hockey competitions. “The family will definitely be in the first place. I will fill my free time with sports. I will play football, in the spring and autumn I have not been able to,” he planned.

In the summer, he regularly played for the Titanic Srch team in the lowest regional competition. “For the last seven years or so, I have always had an exception in my contract that I can play football. I don’t want to play hockey anymore, I know that I will replace football with everything now. I will not miss the fun in the cabin,” said Rolinek.

However, it is possible that he will continue to be involved in hockey, even if he does not want to become a coach. “We’ll see what happens next. Now I can’t say what I enjoy. It’s more about where I can help Dynamo. If it makes sense, why not,” Rolinek added.