Eduards Tralmak | Photo: Roman Mareš
Latvian hockey player Eduards Tralmaks, who spends this season in the Czech extra league club Kladno “Rytiri”, in a conversation on the program “Buffet” has revealed how he signed a contract with the team owned by hockey legend Jaromir Jagr, and also talked about his future goals.
The 27-year-old Tralmaks played 52 games in the regular season in the “Rytiri” team this season, where he collected 32 (21+11) performance points, becoming the team’s top scorer.
Tralmak told how he signed the contract with the “Rytiri” unit. “Jagr said that he looked at my games and wants me to play in the team, that I will play in the first innings and will be about everything you want. I understood, if there is still a dream about the NHL and there is Jagr, Voracek is still a coach, then you probably have to travel. He also gave an adequate contract, because I have heard that for Sotnieks and Cibulskis, there for 200-300 euros waited, but in my case I can’t say that. I told the agent that if the amounts are the same, then I will go to Finland. At first, Jagr wanted to take me only for the qualifying time, but I said that I would not go. In the end, everything was agreed and done. I was lucky and I enjoyed it, but of course, playing in a team that constantly loses and all kinds of dramas happen, it’s hard to go through.”
Tralmak also outlined his future plans. “There are offers and that makes me happy. For the first time in my life, I feel that I have offers from several leagues and I can at least choose. I really want to stay in the Czech Republic and I can’t really understand why… Do I like hockey or haven’t I proven myself even better in the Czech Republic? Compensation [Kladno klubam] is payable, but I think that Jagrs will ask for a higher figure than I am even close to compensation. There is still a chance that a trade can happen if I +1 sign it and someone else does. We talk a lot with Jagr and I always say that maybe they will let me go free. He promises me that he will be there next year in fear Reform of Kladno, new players and let’s fight for 10th place, but he already promises four years.”
“But I would be more than happy to stay in the Czech Republic for another one or two years. I have shown my name and everyone from the Czech teams knows who I am. My reputation in the Czech Republic is made,” admitted Tralmak. The hockey player also talked about his opportunities to play in the NHL. “Hope always dies last, but let’s be realistic that it is very difficult. I still get offers from other leagues, one of them is one of the TOP leagues in Europe. Jagr is already telling me: Eduard, you will stay here, I will get you a contract next year [NHL]. Of course, every year it becomes more unreal and maybe at some point we have to say that there is nothing to dream about.”
“The national team is my goal and I have been dreaming about it for a very long time,” said the hockey player. “For 27 years, I have dreamed of the national team. Hopefully it will happen at some point. Every year, some kind of talk goes around and you can’t say that everything is perfectly arranged, because it’s already sitting somewhere in your head. But again, I’m an optimist if I can [izlasē], then perfect, if not, then it had to happen. I always stand up for myself and try to be realistic. I wanted to be in the Olympic Games and I was allowed to play from the AHL, and we were also waiting for that call. As far as I understood, they didn’t let Marek Miten and that’s why they didn’t even call me, because they assumed that the AHL doesn’t let them.”
