You are probably not sure of anything, because Kari Jalonen has a great selection of goalkeepers. How do you perceive it?
I am fighting for the world championship and I will do everything for it. I have to point out that we will not be pressured by the goalie, because we can take all the goalkeepers from the extra-league playoffs, in Finland we have Truffle (Marko Langhamer), there are other great goalkeepers in the NHL. It will be a battle between us, I will take what I get and try to perform well. Then the coaches will decide.
Would you possibly take the role of a trio?
I told the coaches straight away that this could be my last championship, so I want to fight for it, even if I ride as a top three. I went to my first world championship as a sure three (2019) and it ended up being a bronze medal match. Anything can happen in hockey, so even the coaches know that I would go to any position.
You have finished the season in Zurich, you were eliminated in the semi-finals. So what year was it?
From a personal point of view and statistics, I consider it successful, from the team’s point of view, I am terribly dissatisfied with the semi-final, which we lost 0:4. There I missed the combativeness that I now see on TV in the Czech play off. Whatever series it is, it’s a hockey commercial. This is how the playoffs should be played, we missed it. In addition, there are some things that could be improved.
Two custodians or one masseur are not enough for the whole team. I told the manager that too, he replied that other clubs only have one custodian. But I wanted them to know my opinion because I care about the club. The country itself is beautiful, albeit extremely expensive. But now I saw the prices of food in the Czech Republic and it is very close to Switzerland here. Otherwise, the league is great for traveling. The longest journey takes three hours and I spend even more time with my family than in the Czech Republic.
But you are staying in Zurich, right?
Yes. I told them I wouldn’t leave until I had my degree.
Červenk’s punishment? In Switzerland, referees are terribly protective, explains Šimon Hrubec in the program PříklepVideo: Sport.cz
You mentioned the Czech play-off, in which Třinec, where you worked for years, is again fighting for the title.
It didn’t surprise me. Třinec plays with great dedication. The blocks he has! It cleans everything in front of the gate. It is a joy for the goalkeeper to catch there. The way the guys are playing now is fantasy. Káca (Kacetl) grabs something extra. Everything fit as it should. This is a playoff team, and that’s how the playoffs should be played.
At the same time, the Steelers went to the playoffs from sixth place. Did the pressure drop from them?
Yes, I think, paradoxically, the pressure is not the same as before. After the preliminary round with Litvínov, the team relaxed even more, many things were accomplished. This is my opinion. I don’t know what’s in the locker room, how it works, but from what I see, it seems to me that they went into the playoffs from a psychologically advantageous position. I haven’t been there for five years, but it’s an advertisement for how the club should work. From youth to guys.
