• GravyBoatWarrior@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Cech always wanted to play ice hockey, but his parents couldn’t afford the kit costs.

    Goalkeeper kit in ice hockey will set you back a tidy sum if you want to personally own it, and you obviously have to buy larger sizes as you grow

    • 100th_meridian@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      I remember seeing an interview with Zdeno Chara and Marian Hossa (Slovak hockey stars) where they described growing up during the pre-post communist schism/independence. Basically during communism when they were children, despite the relative lack of wealth the government still subsidized sport for political reasons. So even though they grew up poor they (and their peers) always had access to ice time, gear paid for, coaching, you name it. Then in the mid-90s when Slovakia and Czech Republic split both countries were super poor for a while (like Poland at the time) so an entire generation of young players that came after them didn’t have shit or could afford it anymore.

      In the late 1990s-mid 2000s Slovakia was a legitimate top 6 country in the world in hockey. Then they dipped to like, 10th where countries like Germany were starting to pass them. It’s now reversed a bit and Slovakia has a really good young generation, but the ~1985-2000 generation were basically the “lost” generation there.

      So after babbling for a bit, I’m guessing Petr Cech may have went through something similar in the 1990s when he was growing up in Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic.

      • Xerxes_Generous@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        Oh yea, that makes sense. I remember they used to have great players like Peter Boundra, Zigmund Palffy, Satan…and then followed by Chara, Hossa, and Gaborik.

  • GarethGore@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    oooooooh fun, I watch the Giants play whenever they play in my area, I’ll be able to point to the keeper/on the bench and go oh btw that’s Cech there

  • lovestobeawkward@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I saw him play last year against Streatham, I am not sure it’s translated that well to Ice Hockey I think he let in about 8 goals!

  • One_Sauce@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Oh fuck I live in Oxford and meant to go see a Stars game with Cech playing. Hope I haven’t missed the chance.

    • GarethGore@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      sheffield is a bit far, but coventry are in the same league, I live in northamptonshire and go there to watch the giants play. MK may get promoted potentially but dropped out of the league, but I went there too, so I’d like them to get promoted again just so I can watch giants play in more than one place

      • JAYZ303@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        There isn’t promotion and relegation in the EIHL. It’s a franchise league.