Power. I miss the daily work of a coach at the club. But I have to admit that after the championship in Tampere I was very tired. It was an intense eight weeks and I had to rest in June and July. In August, I went to the 20-year-old WC in Canada, where I helped the coaching team and saw the future of Czech hockey up close. After my return, Jiří Kalous and I started visiting extra-league clubs and we only have two left to visit. It helps me because I get a lot of information from the coaches and managers and they alert me to names to watch. And of course I go to matches – I saw 13 duels in the extra league, two in Switzerland, one in Finland, three in the Champions League and two in the junior league.
Let’s remember the May bronze. How important was the arrival of David Pastrňák?
He arrived at the right time. We were a little worried at the beginning, but as soon as he entered the dressing room, a lot of positive energy arrived with him, which is part of his nature. And on top of that, we got an exceptional player who immediately scored goals. It was a great move and he proves how excellent he is in the NHL.
Does the coach of the Boston national team actually support? Because there are several Czechs in the Bruins, with whom you would definitely be stronger at the WC.
I understand, but I will answer diplomatically. Every morning I look at what the boys have done, I look at the haircuts. But I rather check the results. Precisely for these reasons, we now have Martin Havlát and Marek Židlický in the team (managers). They watch the matches in America, see the details and watch how the particular player is doing. It’s nice how we have it divided. That I, Libor (Zábranský) and Martin (Erat), even though he lives overseas, focus on European players and the two of them are in charge of the NHL.
You signed a national team contract in the spring and there were eight weeks left until the championship. Will it be much different now, when you have the whole season to watch the players, try them?
Yes. We had about 60 players at camp and I knew very little about each of them. Now I want to get to know them better, see them in more matches. I want to try them in the national team, because the level of extraliga compared to EHT is different. And I want to find out how they will do at the best level.
On Thursday’s nomination press, you praised the Extraliga for the commitment and the amount of fights you see in it. How do you think it compares to other European competitions?
The Finnish league is more tactical and full of young players. There are now many returnees from the KHL in the Swedish league, which has moved it qualitatively. And the Swiss league is totally different from a few years ago. Each team can now have six foreigners, which has attracted a lot of great players. In addition, many Swiss national teams play at home, because it makes no sense for them to go elsewhere in Europe. And this mix, in my opinion, makes the Swiss league the best European competition. However, if I compare the matches, look at the tactics, fights and speed, we can find all of this in the extra league as well. This is positive and her level is very good.
| JALONEN A POPULAR |
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| He is no longer the anonymous man he was at the inauguration in March. “Suddenly I’m taking a lot more selfies with fans,” she reveals. “But I’m very happy about it, because I always knew that the Czechia is a hockey country and I respect our fans very much.” |
By the way, do you have any agreement with extra league managers and coaches, how many players from which team will you nominate as a maximum? You now have five players from Pardubice, and you could easily call up three more.
No, we have no deal. I know there are many players I could have taken, but now Karjala is here and I have chosen this team. And it may well happen that a completely different team will be playing in Switzerland in a month. We always have names we want to see and we discuss them with the extra-league coaches. I work with them because it is rewarding and the best choice for me.
I admit that you surprised me – in a positive way – by nominating Roman Červenka for Karjala. How important is it to have him on the team?
Power. I spoke with him in Switzerland and we agreed that he would play in one of the tournaments, either Karjale or the Swiss Cup. Then I talked to the general manager of his club and he said that they would prefer him to play in Karjale. OK, done. Of course, I don’t need to see what kind of player he is. I know him. But it will be great for the team if he is captain for one tournament and then let him focus on the club season. And I have more names that I don’t need to know, but I want them to be with us in the same tournament.
He will be 37 years old in a month and now leads the productivity of the Swiss league…
… and I’m not surprised. When I was training in Switzerland, I saw him play many times and I know what a great player he is. Age doesn’t matter to him because he takes care of himself, prepares, works hard every day. And at the same time I know that he has an excellent character. He helped everyone at the World Cup and was the captain you want to have as a coach. The team came first for him.
Photo: Jan Beneš, Czech hockey
Roman Červenka and his partner David Krejčí with medals from the WCPhoto: Jan Beneš, Czech hockey
You revealed the plan regarding the Euro Hockey Tour. You want to take a mix of experience and youth to Karjale and Switzerland, but you intend to go to Sweden with the under-25 team in February. Does Czech hockey have enough such players to be able to play an international tournament with dignity?
We will see. The entire team may not be under 25 years of age, but we are talking about February, and by then many players may have changed roles in the club, grown up in the game. It will be a good opportunity for them to take the next step in their careers, just like now in Karjale for the Spartans Vitoucha and Jandus. And hopefully this will lead to us again experiencing the wonderful joy of a medal at the end of the season.
The Czechs will play in the basic group of the championship in Riga. Aren’t you personally sorry that the team was transferred from Tampere, Finland?
So we will hopefully get to Tampere, where the medals will be played for. But Riga is closer for the Czech fans and we want to have as many of them as possible in the stadium. We won’t lie, Latvia is also much cheaper. I met fans in Tampere, they were holding their heads and saying: Kari, that’s not possible, here beer costs 10 euros. For the same price, you can get at least three or four in Riga. And our goal? To have gold on the neck at the end. However, for this you need a bit of luck and at the same time it is a lot of work. And now it begins.
