After the verdict, he wondered if he would stay in hockey. “Two years ago, I did something stupid that almost cost me not only my hockey career, but much more. I was hoping for a second chance and I’m glad it came. Especially since it’s from Pardubice,” commented a Jihlava native for the club’s website.
Dynamo owner Petr Dědek had been very hard on him, but eventually changed his mind. “John really learned from his big life mistake. He didn’t break it, he didn’t resent hockey and he was able to make it in lower foreign competition. That’s why we decided to give him another chance,” he said Pardubic on the website.
Honza Mandát will be back in January a @HCPC. He will serve his deserved punishment, he is still working on himself, he stayed with hockey and, despite my initial statements, he will get a second chance. He has something to give back. We believe that he will help us.
— Petr Dědek (@PetrDedekDDreal) November 14, 2022
Mandate could have continued his career overseas, so he anchored the last two seasons in the ECHL’s third-highest competition on the Indy Fuel team, where he racked up about one point per game. However, returning to the Czech Republic was a priority for him. “I would like to thank Petr Dědek, but also the entire Dynamo management and all the people who gave me this second chance. And I think the fans will understand it too,” hoped the striker, who will celebrate his 27th birthday on Friday .
He could play for the team currently leading the extra league for the first time on January 13 in Liberec. Symbolically, that’s where he tested positive two years ago. “He disappointed us a lot then. He was one of the leaders of the newly formed Dinamo, he made his debut for the national team and we all believed that he was an important part of our future. The events of that period were even more shocking for us,” admitted Dědek.
In East Bohemia, the mandate should once again play an important role. “He has something to give back to us. And they have to draw a thick line behind everything,” added Dědek.
