Hockey coach Zdeněk Moták unexpectedly ends up on the bench of extraleague Třinec. After Friday’s loss in Pardubice šsixty-one years old the coach, who won two championships with the Steelers and was currently leading them for the fourth season, resigned.
The current assistant Boris Žabka will take over the team. The club informed about it in a press release.
After the 34th round of the extra league, Třinec is seventh with a gap of eight points to the first Pardubice. On Dynamo’s ice, they suffered their third loss in the last four meetings, they lost eight times in a row on their opponents’ rinks.
“I took personal responsibility for the team’s results and performance. I think it is fair to the owners, management, implementation team, players and last but not least the fans to face this situation head on. I thank everyone,” said Moták, who took over the team in 2022 after Václav Varaď.
Moták, who previously managed Olomouc and also worked in Sparta or Vítkovice, coached the team in 241 extra league games, of which his wards won 132.
“It is not an easy parting for us. I personally admit that Zdenek’s resignation was terribly difficult for me to accept. He leaves a big mark in Třinec not only in the form of two titles, but also as a person. I regret that we have reached the current point at all.
From a sporting point of view, however, we feel that the team needs an impulse and we have to think about the future,” said the club’s sports director Ján Peterek.
Třinec in Sunday’s meeting against Kladno, Žabka will lead as head coach and Jiří Raszka will assist him. Both have worked with Moták until now.
“We took it in the cabin that it is the smallest impact on the team so far. We have to pick ourselves up. We will continue together with Jirk and do our best to get it done as soon as possible,” said Žabka.
The former Slovak defender came to Třinec this year, and on Sunday he will be primed as the head coach.
