Have you been into hockey since you were little?
He liked. It wasn’t until some point when I was twelve that I had a seizure when I thought I was going to quit. But that was only for a while, because I started to like other things too.

Sports or any other area?
Sports. I started to like tennis and other sports so I wondered if I would go the other way. But then I realized that I probably couldn’t live without hockey.

As an adult, have you never thought about the end of your career?
Not that. And since I was in the engine, not at all. I love my job, so I take it.

Your hobby has also become your job. Do you consider it a big plus?
Clearly. Sure. I don’t have to ride for eight hours somewhere in the office. It is absolutely brilliant.

As an extra-league hockey player, are you a popular figure among your peers?
I probably wouldn’t say that at all. Maybe still in the gym, they knew to me that I was playing hockey for the Ace of Motors. But I would perceive it one way or another.

Did someone approach you on the street and ask you about hockey?
Sometimes, but it’s really rare. People without helmets don’t know us that much (smile).

Do you have a warm relationship with the fans? Are you in contact with some?
After the match Darča Loukotová writes to me quite often, which goes to all the matches. It’s not like I’m going to correspond with the fans. But when someone answers, I’ll be happy to answer.

Are you satisfied with the support of your fans during the matches?
Certainly. The public is marching in large numbers and it’s great. Our fans are great.

Previously, however, they went to outdoor games in greater numbers. Have you noticed this?
It also depends on the distance. But, for example, there were a lot of people behind us in Brno. We are happy for every fan that comes to us.

Do you follow match comments on social media?
Sometimes I look at what people are writing on Facebook, for example.

Do you mind when you read something ugly about yourself? Can this destabilize you?
Not that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I do not take it away from them, even if sometimes I do not agree with it and see it differently. But I should definitely be thrown out by some comments on Facebook.

Do you use social media a lot in your spare time?
I have instagram, facebook and now TikTok. I don’t make videos of him, I just watch him. It’s pretty fun, I have to say.

Are you active on social networks?
Not even on Facebook, he survived. And Instagram is starting to slow down too, even though I sometimes put a photo on it. For example, I share my workouts, which I complete with a fitness coach. But TikTok probably flies the most now.

Do you read articles about hockey on the Internet?
From there I definitely have Facebook, where articles and hockey and soccer steal from me. This is where I watch it the most, and that’s why I actually did it.

What about paper newspapers? When was the last time you had them in hand?
I only see newspapers with my grandfather. They do crossword puzzles there, so sometimes I watch Sport or Blesk. Nothing at home, our parents don’t read the newspaper at all.

Do you think the era of newspapers is gone forever?
Hard to say, but at the moment probably yes. Newspapers are more for the older generation. Grandpa likes to sit with them and read them before looking at the news on his cell phone.

Do you watch hockey on TV?
No. I prefer to watch football. I like to watch more than hockey.

Don’t you even look at hockey professionally to learn something new?
Sometimes it is. Maybe I saw the whole Sparta – Brno game, because I was wondering how a bitch she was. But don’t look for the hockey games on TV, no.

So if there’s a great movie on TV and hockey on the second show, would you prefer the movie?
Certainly. I also want to take a break from hockey and not think about it all the time. So I prefer to have a movie.

What cooperation with journalists means to you. When someone comes to you for an interview, do you like to go, does that bother you, or do you just take it as part of your job?
It’s part of my job, but I can’t say it bothers me. For example, after losing a game, it’s not quite in the mood for it, but if he wins, it’s good to talk to someone about it.

Have you ever been upset by a journalist?
Yes. I recently gave an interview for Hokej.cz and they cut it off on Venc Prospal. I have no idea why. So I wrote a question about why they did it, and they said they need to shorten the article. It pissed me off, I have to admit. But no question would bother me.

Don’t even have a problem with live TV interviews?
In a way, I don’t realize it’s on TV. I don’t see the people on the other side (to laugh). Then it doesn’t even look different to me.

Can the girls pack their bags for hockey? Is there more interest in you as a well-known athlete among girls?
Hard to say. A lot of girls, on the other hand, say hockey players are crazy and not that smart. Others still love him. Now I have a girlfriend who is happy to play hockey for Motor, and she is happy about it, so now I take that as a plus.

Did you meet your girlfriend through hockey?
Not that. We went to elementary school together and saw each other a lot in high school. We had been in contact for a long time and now in the summer we have come together.

Is she also very close to sport?
She is the daughter of Radek Bělohlav, so for sure (to laugh).

Your potential father-in-law is the 1996 world hockey champion. Does he also give you any advice on the sport?
Certainly. He went to see our matches in Brno and Litvínov. It’s not exactly that he would give me advice, but he watches, and if I score a goal, for example, he’ll send me kudos.

Have you thought, with a young lady, what family do you get together with?
Before I started dating I took it very seriously, as Radek Bělohlav trained me as a teenager. When we got together it was a little strange from that point of view, but now it’s okay and I’m ignoring it.

Does your partner go to home games?
He’s been at college in America since the summer and won’t be back until November, so not at this time. When he has time, he watches our games there.

Because of the family she came from, she probably devoted herself to hockey.
Clearly. He tells me when he thinks I played well or not. She knows the offside or the prohibited release, which is good, I have nothing to explain to her.

The idea that hockey players are crazy shouldn’t apply to you. You studied at the University of Technology and Economics here in České Budějovice. Why did you finish your studies there?
I haven’t caught up. I have been to several tests and credits, but as was the case during the coronavirus situation, I did not appreciate it. I studied physical education, but the credits were only given in theory, we couldn’t swim, I didn’t like it. I have finished, but I am thinking of trying the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of South Bohemia next year. My grandfather was a great farmer and I have a very good relationship with this area.

Do you consider the education of a hockey player to be important?
Sure. You never know what could happen to you. There will be injuries, the end of a hockey career, and then. The main thing is to have at least a high school diploma, which is a complete foundation. My mom gave me a little kick, which I have to thank her for. University is such an extension then, but graduating is definitely good. For hockey players in particular, because it’s really a risky job and you never know what’s going to happen.

You still have a lot of time for this, but have you ever thought about what you could do after your hockey career? Would you be tempted to stay in a sporting environment?
I think about it, but it’s impossible to say that I would somehow solve it and do something about it.

Are you thinking of coaching, for example?
I cannot rule it out. But I don’t know if I should stay after a hockey career. I may have had enough of him. I prefer to see it elsewhere.

When you were twelve, the extra league from České Budějovice moved to Hradec Králové. How did you perceive it in your childhood?
We have all endured it terribly. It was a shock. No one knew what was behind it. He later surfaced. We didn’t think that could really happen and that’s how they would train the whole team. Suddenly, however, the extra league wasn’t there and only the first league was left, which wasn’t much from the start. It was strange. Hockey has always been played here, but the extra league was very much lacking and we are happy to have it back.

Is Hradec Králové still considered the team that took the most competition from us?
It will probably stay that way forever. You could say the extra league was stolen and towed away. I will always see it as an injustice that happened here.

How did it feel when you came back to the extra league with Motor after seven years, played the home game opener with Hradec and lost 0: 3 after four minutes?
It was crazy. We were all looking forward to it, the cabin was excited and then such a slap happened. As last season started, so did it. It was bad last year and it was the first piece of the whole mosaic. I’m glad we beat Hradec this year, although I couldn’t be fair on the ice.